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Reverend Wright Speaks Out in Detroit; Dangerous Wildfire in California; Hamid Karzai Survives Assassination Attempt
Aired April 27, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT: Fought for equality, fought for human dignity, fought for civil rights, fought for equal protection under the law and fought for the right of every citizen to have quality education, regardless of the color of their skin.
I also come from a religion tradition that says if you feel excited about something, be excited about it. Don't stand there and say, he has hate speeches and to how bombastic he is. Isn't he bombastic?
He's staring up hate. You love somebody? Yes. Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me. No, no, no, no, no, no. If you feel it -- I come from a religious tradition where we shout in the sanctuary and march on the picket line. I come from a religious tradition where we give God the glory and we give the devil the blues!
The black religious tradition is different. We do it a different way. 40 years ago, Dr. Anthony just quoted it, in '68, the Kerner report stated there were two different Americas. And for 40 years one of those Americas has acted as if they were the only America, but all of that now is in the past.
I believe a change is coming, because many of us are going to change how we see others who are different. I got to hurry on. I've taken too much of your time. So let me give you the outline of the rest of this message. You can either fill in the blanks for yourselves or you can wait for my book that will be out later this year.
I believe, addressing your theme, I believe a change is going to come, because many of us here tonight, at least 11,900 out of 12,000, many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different, number one. And many of us are committed to changing how we see ourselves, number two.
Not inferior to or superior to, just different from others. Embracing our own histories. Embracing our own cultures. Embracing our own languages as we embrace others who are also made in the image of God. That has been the credo of the NAACP for 99 years.
When we see ourselves as members of the human race, I believe a change is on the way. When we see ourselves as people of faith who share this planet with people of other faiths, I believe a change is on the way. Many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different, number one. Many of us are committed to changing how we see ourselves. Not starship children, number two but God's children.
Many of us are committed to changing, number three, the way we treat each other. The way black men treat black women. The way black parents treat black children. The way black youth treat black elders and the way black elders treat black youths.
We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. The way the so-called haves and have mores, to use Bush's speech writers' term. Don't y'all think he made that um? Come on.
The way the haves and the have mores treat the have nots. The way the educated treat the uneducated. The way those with degrees treat those who never made it through high school. The way those of us who never got caught treated those of us who are incarcerated making rehabilitation a priority over incarceration. We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. The way we treat the latest immigrants, because everybody in here who's not an Indian do be an immigrant.
So how many of y'all came on the decks of the ship, and some of us came in the boughs and holds of the ship. But we all are immigrants. The way we treat non-Christians and folk who don't believe what we believe. We're committed to changing the way we treat each other.
The way Sunnis treat Shiites. The way Orthodox Jews treat reformed Jews. The way church folk treat other church folk. The way speakers of English treat speakers of Arabic. Maa Salam (ph) Alhamdulillah.
Please run and tell my stuck on stupid friends that Arabic is a language. It's not a religion. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. They're Arabic speaking Christians, Arabic speaking Jews, Arabic speaking Muslims and Arabic speaking atheists. Arabic is a language. It's not a religion. Stop trying to scare folk by giving them an Arabic name as if it's some sort of disease.
Same people thought that the Irish had a disease. When the Irish came here. Did you hear me, O'Malley? O'Shaughnessy? O'Reilly? They thought you were -- well, they might have been right about it -- the way we treat each other. Many of us are committed to changing the way we treat each other. The way Christians treat youths. The way straights treat gays.
We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. And we are committing, number four, to changing the way we mistreat each other. We can do better, y'all. There is a higher standard, y'all. We know that and we are stretching to reach that standard.
I believe a change is going to come, because many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different. Many of us are committed to changing how we see ourselves. Many of us are committed to changing the way we treat each other. Many of us are committed to changing the way we mistreat each other. And many of us finally are committed to changing this world that we live in so our children and our grandchildren will have a world in which to live in, to grow in, to learn in, to love in and to pass on to their children.
We are committed to changing this world, that's God's world in the first place, not ours. And I believe we can do it. It's going to take hard work, but we can do it. It's going to take people of all faiths, including the nation of Islam, but we can do it. It's going to take people of all races, but we can do it. It's going to take Republicans and Democrats, but we can do it.
It's going to take the wisdom of the old and the energy of the young, but we can do it. It's going to take politicians and preachers, the government and NGOs but we can do it. It's going to take educators and legislators but we can do it now.
If I were in a Christian church, I would say we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. If I were in a Jewish synagogue I would say is anything too hard for Elohim? If I were in a Muslim mosque I would say - (speaking in foreign language) we can do it.
If I were pushing one particular candidate, I would say, yes, we can! But since this is a non-partisan gathering, and since this is neither a mosque, a synagogue, or a sanctuary, just let me say, we can do it. We can make it, if we try. We can make a change, if we try. We will make a change, if we try. A change is going to come.
Can you feel it? Can you see it? Can you imagine it? Then, come on, let's claim it! Give yourself a standing ovation for the transformation that's about to jump off. A change is going to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: There you have it. Nothing sheepish, nothing cautious about this speech, by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. He has a lot to say, and he's also, no doubt, given people a lot to talk about.
If you'll allow me this as I look at my computer, my producers have now been given me lists of the people that we're going to be talking to, to break this down for you. Republican Strategists like Cheri Jacobus who's going to tell you that this speech will create a problem for Barack Obama.
And Julian Epstein on the Democratic side who's going to join us as well. And you can't help but wonder if from the Democratic side, people like Julian Epstein started to listen to this speech and at some point whether they took a gulp and said, uh-oh. Their response is coming on the other side of this, but let's start now with this.
If the message here was, this is who we are as an African- American church, it was first delivered by the person who did the introduction of the Reverend Wright. I want you to hear this. This is Dr. Wendell Anthony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REV. WENDELL ANTHONY, NAACP DETROIT PRESIDENT: Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah -- even though you may be troubled on every side, you are not distressed, sometimes perplexed, but not in despair.
Persecuted but you are not forsaken. Cast down but never destroyed. Just remember they didn't like King in 1967. They didn't like Malcolm in 1968. They didn't like Fannie Lou in '72. They didn't like Nelson in '88. They didn't like Jesus, no matter the date. The world still takes him out of context. They try to eliminate him on a Friday, but he got back up on a Sunday. We want to tell Jeremiah Wright. Jeremiah, keep on preaching.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You can hear the enthusiasm of the crowd. For programming sake, allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is where we normally would be doing our 10:00 news cast. We've pushed it back slightly tonight because of this speech.
Let's go first to my colleagues. Roland Martin and Soledad O'Brien who were there in the audience, were listening to this speech, and the reaction that it got as well.
Soledad, if you would, start us off. What was the Reverend Wright trying to say and did he, do you believe, accomplish it?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the Reverend Wright was trying to define who he is even though he was speaking to 10,000 people. And I should point out, look at all this table. Look at this space. I mean, this is a huge space. 10,000 people were here --
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Exactly. Giant, giant. They're cleaning up now. (INAUDIBLE) starting to roll by with a big plate of dishes because everybody's gone obviously now. But I think he was trying to do was define himself. This was a friendly crowd. He did not have to define himself to the mostly African-American who were here.
He was really sending a message to the folks who were watching. For all little clips and snippets you've seen of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, this is who I am. And this is who the African-American church tradition. This is what it really is about.
And I think he gave -- you know, frankly, I would imagine that he has to feel that he hit a home run, not only for the people who were cheering and laughing through this speech, but overall even people who were really not hear to watch him as a fan, but someone just watching it.
It was a well-delivered message of who he was. Funny -- I mean, hilarious, Rick, at some points. You know, and it was interesting, because there has been this piece in a Detroit paper that said that the Reverend Wright's appearance would be divisive. And basically, went through the hope of really said. You know, it could be a risk for the African-Americans and the white suburbans here in Detroit. I mean, it went as far to say this could be an almost dangerous thing. It kind of reminded me, back to Spike Lee, when he did do the right thing, you know. People might riot because it's going to have a movie about race.
Jeremiah Wright is coming. This could be an issue for blacks and whites in Detroit, and he mocked that in his speech. And he mocked all of his critics. And really, you know, he's just here to show that difference isn't any less, and people are just different. And that was a message he kept coming back to, coming back to, so the end takeaway was that the African-American tradition, where sometimes you yell and sometimes then you get up and go on the picket line, that's also just different. Not deficient in his words, not any less. That was his message. And I got to tell you, that was a well-delivered message. He made his point and he made it well.
SANCHEZ: Roland Martin, let me bring you in to this, because from all our conversations when you and I had been together, I know that you really do have some inside connections to the Barack Obama camp.
Does Barack Obama -- did Barack Obama, perhaps I should say, know that this speech was going to be delivered? And what do you expect the reaction will be from him?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all they did know this speech is going to be delivered just like they knew that he's going to be speaking at the National Press Club tomorrow in Washington, D.C.
I've gotten some e-mails already from some folks on the Obama side. Also some e-mails from some people I know on the Clinton side. And obviously, from their vantage point, you want to be cognizant what is he going to say? How is he going to impact the campaign? How much coverage there it's going to be?
And you know -- and I would disagree with someone who makes the assertion that all of a sudden this is going to be a huge problem. But again, because if you look what he had to say -- first of all, Rick, it's also important to know, like I said there are six dioceses here.
We were on the blue (INAUDIBLE) where he spoke from. U.S. senator Debbie Stabenow, the U.S. senator here from Michigan. Senator Carl Levin, the governor of Michigan. Jennifer Granholm. Members of Congress John Conyers, Carolyn Kilpatrick. So you had members of Congress who are here. You had superdelegates who are here. And so, that doesn't matter how we saw this speech. It also matters how they are going to articulate the speech. It would be very interesting to see what's Stabenow, Levin and Granholm also had to say.
SANCHEZ: Roland, hold that thought, because I want you, if you would, to perhaps engage with our next guest, and I stop you only because of the point you made, and you said that there may be some people out there who may differ with you. Cheri Jacobus will differ with you. She's already on the record.
MARTIN: She always differs.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'm reading some of what she has said to our producers. She says the fact that Reverend Wright is putting himself out there is very harmful to Senator Barack Obama.
Cheri Jacobus, welcome to our 10:00 news cast. Amplified that thought if would you for us.
VOICE OF CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks, Rick. Thanks for having me. No, I was watching the speech and I think it -- well, first of all, Reverend Wright is obviously very energetic and entertaining speaker. I felt that this appearance as well as some of this other high-profile appearances have more to do about him.
He has the spotlight on him. He's going to make a lot of money on this speaking tour. He mentioned he has a book coming out. So it seems somewhat self-serving as a political analyst. And I'm an adjunct professor at George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. So I think in terms of the political analyst I think it was damaging to Obama.
The Obama campaign wanted the Reverend Wright story to go away. They wanted it to be you know a two-day story. And what Reverend Wright has done has just invited more scrutiny. And little by little, more information coming out of things that he said over the years. So in that regard, it's not good for the Obama campaign. Very good for Reverend Wright, however.
SANCHEZ: Cheri, if you would just a moment. Cheri, if you would just a moment, let's go to Soledad. She wants to respond to your comment today.
O'BRIEN: I'm not an adjunct professor on any university and I'm certainly not a political analyst. But I'll tell you this. The Reverend Wright story wasn't going way. It wasn't a two-day story. It's so clearly, the train had left the station.
So to argue that, to let that sort of die and it will go away, that wasn't going to happen. So I think that Reverend Wright, who clearly has said he is not a politician and that he is a pastor and he is very much in a lot of ways separated himself from Barack Obama. I'm not sure that's self-serving.
JACOBUS: Soledad, we would not be talking about him and you would not be covering his speech tonight had he not been in the center of this huge controversy because of things that he said, very terrible things that he said --
O'BRIEN: My point exactly. My point exactly. So my point exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: And he has an opportunity tonight -- (CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Which is we continue to talk about him and we continue --
SANCHEZ: Just one at a time, Cheri. Let's Soledad finish --
O'BRIEN: OK, then I'll go. We continue to cover him, and so I think it's not a story that was going to go away and certainly if this was going to head to the national -- it wasn't a story that was going to go away.
And I think, my sense, was that Reverend Wright was trying to say let me define myself because everybody else seems to be piling on and defining me in these short snippets. So I'm going to do a speech that's going to be carried by a lot of people and get out there in the way I want to be seen. So I'm not sure that self-serving is the -- accurate way to put it.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Cheri Jacobus, go ahead. React to that Cheri and then we'll get Roland back in.
JACOBUS: What you just said is he did in fact make this about him, and that is a disservice to his candidate. He said some controversial things tonight that might take a little while to sync in.
I was very alarm at his message fighting one old study from a researcher that claimed that African-American children learned differently than white children in this country.
You know, you have millions of African-American parents in this country and educators of all stripes that care very deeply about educating our children. And when you tell people and give them the message that your child is going to learn differently, you're basically telling them that they need to give up. I think it's the wrong message and I don't think it's true. You have people that care deeply --
SANCHEZ: Roland, go ahead. But Roland, doesn't this point out that this -- Roland, doesn't this point out that this, much of how you will react to this speech depends on where you come from to begin with?
MARTIN: Of course. And the reality is -- let's just be honest that Cheri Jacobus would never vote for Senator Barack Obama anyway. And so people are going to look at it, in all kind of different ways.
But I'll tell you, Rick, we've got e-mails already from people who are saying, you know what I had a view of this guy that was far different than what I saw tonight. The same thing with the view of (INAUDIBLE). The bottom line is, he could have allowed people to define him based upon two or three minutes on YouTube. He said, no. Let me show you who I am in a different setting. That's what it speaks to. I also think that came indeed help the Obama campaign, because as Soledad said, it's not going away. People now have a different perspective.
Now, Cheri, throughout this whole deal on he's going to make a lot of money on a speaking to it. Cheri, my wife is an ordained pastor. My pastor is booked for two years. A guy like Reverend Jeremiah Wright he is booked four years when it comes to speaking. So this whole notion of he's going to make a lot of money of everything, preachers do lots of revivals.
But if you don't know that particular history, then you don't know that.
JACOBUS: Well, I'm not in the business of defending him as you are, Roland. But I do think he has very much put himself out there. He's now obviously a very famous man and he's using it to his advantage. But for the sake of the Obama campaign, it did not help the Obama campaign to have Reverend Wright out there tonight making the speech and being very public given these interviews. He could have waited a while.
SANCHEZ: Cheri, just -- Cheri, we got --
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Wait, Cheri -- wait until when? What? June? July? August? September? October? Come one, wait until when.
JACOBUS: I don't think that he shouldn't have made it about him. You know, in a campaign cycle, a week is a long time. He could have rehabilitated himself in other ways. He could have been more contrite this evening.
MARTIN: How, Cheri?
JACOBUS: I think what he's done -- he has invited scrutiny for further things that he said over the years and we know that they are there.
SANCHEZ: Point well-made. Cheri Jacobus, we're going to have to leave it at that. Rick Sanchez back here in Atlanta. As we continue to decipher some of the analysis and information, obviously, there will be different perspectives on what the Reverend Wright's speech will signal to both the Republican and the Democratic Party.
And, of course, both to the candidates. To John McCain, to Hillary Clinton and most of all to Barack Obama. That's what we will continue to key on.
My thanks to Soledad O'Brien and, of course, Roland Martin and Cheri Jacobus. We'll continue to get in to this pull over as we stay with this story and other mores -- and others, I should say. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back to the world headquarters of CNN. I'm Rick Sanchez. To let you know, we plan to cut right to the chase on this thing. Who is more important on this issue than the superdelegates and how they will react to the new cycle of the day. No telling.
But the new cycle of the day does now include and probably will for the week the comments made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. So coming up in just a little bit, if you'll hang with us. We are going to be talking to two superdelegates.
One representing Hillary Clinton. The other one representing Barack Obama to get their take on what they've heard tonight. Stay with us. We'll have that for new in just a little bit.
But there are some other breaking news that we're following for you on this night. This is big news out of California. This is a dangerous wildfire. And if the weather takes a turn for the worst, it could get a lot bigger very, very soon.
It's breaking news this hour in Southern California. 1,000 people have fled their homes trying to get away from a wildfire that's gobbling up hillsides northeast of Los Angeles. About 400 acres have been scorched so far. About an hour ago, fire officials offered a progress report.
For those of you watching us out there in California as well, let's go to Thelma Gutierrez. She's on the story in Sierra Madre, California.
What are they saying? What are officials saying at his point, Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, I can tell you that they have good news to report tonight. The weather is cooling down. It is not windy, and firefighters got the big break that they needed because of the weather.
Now, you can see right behind me. This is the area that has been charred. 450 acres right behind me has been charred, but the new containment figure is now at 30 percent. So the area that was threatening, the homes right on the ridge down there, is now just smoldering.
There have been 400 firefighters out there trying to put out the hot spots also. All day long, Rick, we've been noticing choppers flying by getting at some of those hard-to-reach areas in that steep, rugged terrain knocking down that fire.
1,000 residents were evacuated from this fire, but the firefighters say if the conditions hold up, they will be allowed to return home tomorrow morning. We went to an evacuation center a little bit earlier and most of the people there said that they were just waiting to hear that news. They're all eager to go home, Rick. SANCHEZ: Thelma Gutierrez, thanks so much. You know, recent history and experience tells us these things can get out of control. That's why we're going to stay on top of it for you here at CNN.
Let's go quickly over to Jacqui Jeras just to get an update on what she expects the winds to do, which is obviously a determining factor in something like this.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks so much for the update, Jacqui. Let us know if anything changes.
In the meantime, we'll stay on top of the reaction that we're getting already and let you hear some of the Jeremiah Wright comments tonight, which many will be saying a whole lot about. But perhaps the most important commentary may be coming from those superdelegates that we've been hearing so much about that could actually determine the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We've got two of them lined up. You'll be hearing from them in just a little bit as we continue here on the weekend rundown. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: I am not one of the most divisive. Tell them the word is descriptive. I describe the conditions in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That's just part of what the Reverend Jeremiah Wright had to say tonight. By the way, we've got a couple of superdelegates that are going to be joining us in just a little bit.
I think, Roger, can we get a shot of that? These are some of the folks who are going to be talking to us. I understand they just got set a little while ago. As soon as their audio and everything gets cleared, we're going to be going to them to get their reaction on this very important speech and some of the comments that were made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
But there's another big story as well that we've been following all day long. How could it not be if it's an attempted assassination attack. An elected head of state survives this assassination attempt today. President Hamid Karzai and the video is incredible out of Afghanistan.
He's alive, but three people who were near him this morning are not. Whoever tried to kill him timed it perfectly to make a statement. It was a celebration of Afghan history, progress and pride at the time in Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ (voice-over): It was one of those presidential things. A military parade, dress uniforms. A ceremonial pass and review. Then as the president and his guests stand for the Afghan national anthem -- all hell breaks loose.
A motor shell explodes, small arms fire rips through the crowd. There's surprise, then people scatter. Not knowing which way to run. It was the Taliban, or at least the Taliban wasted no time in claiming the attack. The machine gun fire they sprayed into the crowd killed three people, including a little girl.
Their target, President Hamid Karzai gets away. His bodyguards whisk him from the pandemonium. It was not the first or even the second or third attempt on President Karzai's life. From a remote location, he later addresses the nation.
HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): Today, during the commemoration of the 16th anniversary of Afghanistan Jihad, the enemies of Afghanistan, the enemies of peace and development of Afghanistan tried to disturb the ceremony. Fortunately, the Afghan military surrounded them and arrested some of the suspects.
SANCHEZ: Karzai says some of the suspects were arrested. We're hearing reports that three of the gunmen were killed. Nine others captured. Where did the gunfire even come from? Witnesses say it came from the windows of a nearby hotel. A major embarrassment for the fledgling Afghan government, which recently declared that they were ready to take over security in Kabul.
It may turn out the gunmen were set up just 500 yards from where President Karzai was standing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Just an amazing development. Let's bring in Peter Bergen now. He's our CNN terrorism analyst.
Peter, people will be watching this at home and asking if the Afghanis cannot even protect their president from potential assassination. What does it say about their control of the government there?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, Rick, it's only says something about the ability of the Taliban to penetrate Kabul. And we're seeing not only this attempt against Hamid Karzai, we've also seen in the last several months an attack on a major five-star hotel in Kabul that kill an American and other westerners.
And basically, what the Taliban is trying to do is just set to say, look, we have the ability to mount operations in Kabul. Which (INAUDIBLE) a place that has a great deal of security, not just Afghan security but American and NATO security, and they're trying to make a statement.
And this attack, as you know, Rick, took place on a major celebration in Afghanistan. Independence celebration from the communists. There was a great deal of security in place and in anticipation of this. But clearly, the Taliban were able to penetrate this security.
SANCHEZ: After hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, Americans would like to know if the situation in Afghanistan is as difficult as the situation in Iraq, Peter.
What would you tell them? Is it better? Is it the same? Is it worse?
BERGEN: It's certainly nothing like Iraq, Rick. I mean, in Iraq we've seen something like 920 suicide attacks just in the last five years. Which have killed more than 10,000 people. In Afghanistan by contrast we're seeing suicide attacks going up pretty sharply, but the total would be surprising. It wouldn't be more than 200-plus suicide attacks right now, Rick.
So the levels of violence we're seeing in Iraq is nothing like we're seeing in Afghanistan. However, that being said, the situation in Afghanistan certainly in the last two years has gone from not particularly good to something that looks a little bit like today, which is something that raises some serious questions about security. Not just in Afghanistan but in the capital city itself.
SANCHEZ: Peter Bergen, important, comparative analysis that you bring us. Thank you for being with us on this really busy news night.
Republicans voting in mass for Hillary Clinton. GOP pundits urging them to do it. It's apparently happening. We are going to tell you why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WRIGHT: Only black children 50 years ago were singled out as speaking bad English. In the 1961 it's been all over the Internet now. John Kennedy could stand at the inauguration in January and say, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask rather what you can do for your country. How do you spell ask?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: If you haven't heard it, you will? And you'll also be hearing a lot about it. It's full, it's brash, he's not backing down. We'll get some superdelegates to weigh in on this in just a little bit.
The comments made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Who's it going to hurt, who's it going to help? Stay with us. We'll break that down for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WRIGHT: Please run and tell my stuck on stupid friends that Arabic is a language. It's not a religion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There you have the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. In fact, let's do this. Roger, if we can, let's re-cue that. I'd like the folks at home to listen to part of this, the comments that are made by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and then decide for yourself, almost as an analyst and as a viewer.
Is it speaking truth to power, is it boastful? Will it hurt Barack Obama? Will it help Barack Obama? Who will be most affected by this politically in your eyes and ears as you watch this? Let's go ahead. It's about 45 seconds. And when we come back, we've got some superdelegates that are going to be joining us and they're going to break this down for you as well.
Telling us what their perspective is and, remember, this is extremely important. It is these superdelegates in the opinions of many political experts who are going to be making the actual decision as to who will be the presumptive Democratic nominee.
So here, 45 seconds of Jeremiah Wright and then the superdelegates on the other side. Go ahead, Roger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WRIGHT: The linguists knew that nobody in here speaks English. But only black children 50 years ago were singled out as speaking bad English. In the 1961 it's been all over the Internet now.
John Kennedy could stand at the inauguration in January and say, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask rather what you can do for your country. How do you spell ask? Nobody ever said to John Kennedy, ask -- what's ask? Only to a black child was said, you speak bad English.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We are joined by two guests now. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Senator Dick Durbin I should say, as well as Debbie Wasserman Schultz who hails, by the way, from my hometown...
DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Yes, I do in South Florida.
SANCHEZ: ...in South Florida. Thanks.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Used to watch you down here, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thank you so much, Debbie. Listen, this is not what I think a lot of people expected tonight. Most people, I would think, thought he would be much more cautious, much less deliberate. After hearing what he has said, Dick Durbin, let me begin with you.
Do you think this will damage Barack Obama?
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, SUPERDELEGATE FOR OBAMA: Well, most superdelegates are political. And I don't think there's a politician alive who hasn't been asked to answer for a colleague, a contributor, a friend, someone in their life, for something they've said that you disagree with.
Barack Obama made it very clear that he disagrees with the things that have been said by Reverend Wright that have become a source of such controversy, but he went a step further, to say that he really disagrees with Reverend Wright's outlook on the future of racial relations in this country. Barack Obama has a much more positive and hopeful view of what America can be.
SANCHEZ: But Senator, as I'm hearing you talk, I'm almost hearing you say that you want to distance your candidate from the reverend and his speech tonight? Did you find the speech to be offensive either to you or others?
DURBIN: I didn't hear the speech in its entirety. I read portions of the transcript, they were edited. I'm going to have to listen to it very carefully, but put it in this context.
Reverend Wright lived through a different era and Barack Obama has made it clear that that era has given him a different view of the future than Barack Obama has. Barack has a very positive and hopeful view that we can come together as a nation and solve our problems.
Put party labels aside and put some of those ancient grievances aside and start looking to a more hopeful future. Fair-minded people will accept that. The others I'm afraid weren't going to vote for us, anyway.
SANCHEZ: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, you are behind at this point. Hillary Clinton. Do you think this will help Hillary Clinton?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well, I agree with Senator Durbin. All of us, as politicians and elected officials have supporters that perhaps we wish didn't say some of the things that they say, or weren't quite so supportive of us at various times during our political life. But you know, if it is critical that Senator Obama had distance himself from the negative comments that Reverend Wright has made previously.
SANCHEZ: Do you think Senator Obama knew that he was going to make these comments tonight?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well, I'm not referring to the comments that he made tonight. I'm talking about the sermons that he's given previously. I also didn't hear the speech in its entirety. But at the end of the day, the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is, is going to run this campaign on the issues that matter most to Americans, on the economy.
I'm making sure that we can bring our troops home from Iraq. I'm making sure we can expand access to universal health care and cover everyone. And Hillary Clinton continues to talk about those issues all across this country.
And when it comes down to the May 6th primaries, in Indiana and North Carolina, the voters will respond to those issues and not about the statements of someone who is not running.
SANCHEZ: Let me interrupt you in just a moment and put you guys both on the spot. You ready?
DURBIN: Sure.
SANCHEZ: If this were your candidate and you knew that this reverend was going to make this speech, would you have done everything possible to stop him? Regardless of what he said. Would you have made sure that he was no longer a part of the new cycle?
Dick, start with you.
DURBIN: Well, let me just say this, Rick. Understand for a moment, if you can, Reverend Wright's view of this. His entire life's work, his ministry, who is now been the object of ridicule by late- night cable television.
He has seen all of his work capsulized into a short video loop, which may or may not really capture what he believes he's done his entire life.
SANCHEZ: I understand, yes.
DURBIN: So for him to want to stand up and speak out, as to what he really believes it's understandable.
SANCHEZ: Wouldn't you have wanted to say, hey, it's fine, I get that. But can you just wait until I get the nomination?
DURBIN: Well, of course, he's looking at it in terms of his own life. He's retiring now from the ministry and he wants to stand in defense of his life's work and he believe he has been treated unfairly. He wants to clear. And I think what Barack has said is he disagrees with the statements that had been made. Fair-minded people will understand and accept that.
SANCHEZ: Debbie, let me turn this around. Let us suppose it was the pickle not for Barack Obama but for actually Hillary Clinton. Would you have moved heaven and earth to make sure that this reverend did not deliver this speech tonight?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Look, Rick, at the end of the day, this is still a free country. And we pride ourselves on our First Amendment freedom to speak out and stand up for what we believe in.
It does make it more difficult for Senator Obama, and it will be incumbent upon him to continue to make sure that he repudiates the statements that Reverend Wright makes when they are significantly offensive to broad swathes of the American public.
SANCHEZ: You say it makes it difficult for him, yes.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: It does. But Senator Obama does not control the statements of Reverend Wright, but he does control his own ability to say, I don't agree with Reverend Wright and I'm hopeful that he will continue to do that, because we certainly don't want to be --
SANCHEZ: Are you saying he'll have to do that again tomorrow? He'll have to give a news conference where he says I don't agree with much of what he said last night?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: I think Senator Obama is going unfortunately, because as we saw with the North Carolina Republican Party, Senator Obama is going to face throughout the rest of this campaign, until either he or Hillary Clinton are the nominee of our party. He's going to continue to face questions, particularly made more difficult if Reverend Wright continues to speak out.
SANCHEZ: I got it. And by the way, Senator Dick Durbin, you are still with Barack Obama I presume, correct?
DURBIN: Well, I'm the national co-chair of his campaign. You bet I'm with him.
SANCHEZ: And Debbie Wasserman-Schultz with Hillary Clinton continually?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Yes, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Nothing changes as far as the speech with you two. Will it with others? We'll continue to ask that question. My thanks to both of you for being with us tonight.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Thank you very much.
DURBIN: You're welcome. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Republicans voting in mass for Hillary Clinton? The GOP pundits urging them to do so. It's apparently happening started by Rush Limbaugh? We'll cover that as well as we stay on top of the comments tonight by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
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SANCHEZ: I can't recall when I've gotten so many e-mails. I've been checking my e-mails over the last half hour. So many people have been watching our news cast and watching the comments by Reverend Wright and they wanted to comment as well.
Let me just share a couple of them with you. This one says, "Isn't there something in the bible about bearing false witness?" This comes from Sharon Taylor. She says "There are differences between blacks and whites." And this one says, "Bravo, CNN, for having the courage to air the speech, and not just a snippet."
So we are getting a lot of reaction from you at home on this speech tonight that may or may not end up being controversial by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
I'm Rick Sanchez. Welcome back, everyone. The key issue for John McCain, by the way, tonight is campaign finance reform. He backed legislation last year requiring presidential candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets. What was the reason for that? That's an important question as you consider this.
What about if it's your wife's plane? There's a loophole that has the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in hot water tonight, at least according to "The New York Times." Let's be fair, not all. It's the first of two topics that we've asked Chris Plante to weigh in on.
He's a conservative talk show host. He joins us from Washington, D.C.
Chris, what about it?
CHRIS PLANTE, HOST, "THE CHRIS PLANTE SHOW": Well, I've got to say it's sort of another ridiculous "New York Times" attack on John McCain. You know, when John Kerry was flying around in his wife's jet, I didn't see any front page story in "The New York Times" about that.
John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone and "The New York Times" tried to disqualify him for his presidential candidacy because his father was serving in the navy at the time.
"The Washington Post," Sunday, had a headline he is on the front page claiming that because he had a temper. John McCain has a temper that he should be disqualified from being the president.
Bill Clinton had a temper. Hillary Clinton has a temper. You've heard about the lamps flying and the ashtrays flying. You've heard about George Stephanopoulos having to take antidepressants because Bill Clinton berated him so regularly. He broke out into a case of hives or something because of Clinton berating him.
SANCHEZ: Chris, let me stop you there, because here is what this really comes down to. I think the spirit of the law, the way it was written on Campaign Finance Reform was, which makes sense, by the way.
Look, you can't be borrowing Exxon's plane. You can't be borrowing major corporation's plane and flying around, because guess what? If they're doing it for you it's because they want to influence you, my friend. I get that. But your wife's plane?
PLANTE: Hey, your wife's got plane, I think you should be aloud to fly on your wife's plane. John Kerry flew on his wife's plane. I've got to say it's a ridiculous bit of journalism. John McCain gets attacked for everything and for nothing at the same time. Apparently, they have nothing to stick -- that they can have stick on him so they go after everything.
SANCHEZ: You're saying that the media is harder on John McCain than they are on Hillary Clinton and --
PLANTE: No. Oh, no, not a chance of that. No. Not possible.
SANCHEZ: You know, because it's funny. There's many who say that John McCain has essentially been getting a pass from the media? PLANTE: Yes. Well, I mean, you know, Barack Obama is carried around in a velvet chair by the news media. You know, John McCain is attack for his temper, he's attack for using his wife's plane. Where was the attack on John Kerry for flying in his wife's plane?
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you something else. This operation -- what is it? Operation, what?
PLANTE: Operation chaos.
SANCHEZ: Chaos. And the idea with operation chaos is to get a lot of Republicans to go out there and vote for Hillary Clinton?
PLANTE: Well, that seems to be the idea. You know, Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. He's a masterful entertainer. People are getting a kick out of it. There may even be a few people participating, but not enough to make a difference in terms of percentages. You're not buying that, are you?
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you a question. There's something deceitful about that, isn't it? I mean -- isn't that throwing a wrench in something that we hold so sacred? And that is our Democracy. Voting your, you know, your heart?
PLANTE: If significant numbers of people are coming out and participating and taking Rush Limbaugh's recommendation. But I thin CNN's own numbers showed the exit polling, indicated that about three percent of people who have voted in Pennsylvania in the Democrat primary indicated that they were Republicans.
Many of those may not have been responding to Rush Limbaugh, but coming out to vote for Barack Obama, coming out to vote for Hillary Clinton. And as long as they're open, you know, it's legal. It's within the rules. And I got to tell you, the Democrats don't need any help creating pandemonium.
They are plenty capable of creating pandemonium to themselves. They created this Iranian election system that they have for their primaries, where this -- these elitist process where the bosses in a smokeless room at end of the day can throw out the candidate that the people chose and they can pick the guy that the bosses want.
SANCHEZ: Chris, we're out of time. But you know what, you make your points very well and very passionately I might add, my friend. Reminds me of somebody I know. Me! Thanks, Chris. I certainly appreciate it.
PLANTE: So long, Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right. We want to let you know from a programming note. At 11:00 sharp, that would be about 4-1/2 minutes from now, we're going to let you hear the Reverend Wright's comments tonight in its entirety once again, from eleven to midnight. You'll see it right here on CNN.
Meantime, another story that we've been following this weekend. His grandma says that she wants to kick his butt. And you would, too, if your grandkid took your SUV for a joy ride and ruined it. By the way, did I tell you, he is 7 years old?
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SANCHEZ: Before we leave you tonight, I just have to introduce you to this unlikely car thieve and his grandma, really. I think you're going to chuckle on him. This little sought off guy here, who is 7-year-old, decided to take his grandmother's SUV for a joy ride with one of his friends. He managed to mow over mailboxes, cars, just about everything but police.
Florida police think grand thief charges are in order. His granny she says this is what I would like to do if I was aloud to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZIKKITA STRATFORD, GRANDMOTHER: I want to whip his behind. That's what I want to do right now. If I thought they wouldn't take me to jail, I'd whip his behind right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: By the way, police are saying that he drove the car until one of the wheels broke off, or else they wouldn't have been able to catch him when they did.
All right, here we go. Straight up at 11:00, we are going to be replaying the comments that surprise so many of us tonight by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. They obviously have hit a nerve. I can't tell you how many e-mails. I can't -- I'm looking at my e-mails here as they continue to come in, and it's like one after another.
With people, really, with a lot to say. They're writing paragraphs and paragraphs to me on their take on this. So obviously, a lot of people are thinking about it, and they'll be a lot to say as well. I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll leave you now with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Straight up at 11:00.
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