Wright's "Anti-Semitism"
This entry was posted on 3/17/2008 10:36 PM and is filed under 2008 Election,All Posts.
One of the memes that has been appearing in many corners of the web the past few days is the accusation that Sen. Barack Obama's controversial pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is an anti-Semite, and/or that he has made anti-Semitic remarks.
However, despite extensive web searching, I have not been able to come across a single statement by the man saying anything against Jewish, or otherwise Semitic, people. I'm not saying these statements aren't out there—I'm saying that I am coming across a lot of online journalists, columnists, pundits and reader comments calling Wright an "anti-Semite", without reference to a quote of any kind to back such a serious accusation up. And I can't locate one either.
The absolute closest statement I have found is one in his Wikipedia entry, as well as dozens of other places around the web: a claim by Wright that Zionism has an element of "white racism" in it.
An interesting feature of this "quote" is that no one posts the whole sentence. Everyone "quoting" it writes the exact same thing: "Wright said that Zionism has an element of 'white racism' in it." I can't locate the whole sentence in its entirety anywhere—all anyone offers is the "white racism" part as a quote. So it's extremely difficult to pinpoint this phrase's original context, other than that which these other writers have placed it in on their own.
It's even possible that the "white racism" phrase is just some random blogger's analysis of Wright's views on Zionism, repeated ad nauseum by lazy bloggers around the globe, until it morphed into a "quote" of Wright's. I see this kind of thing happen all the time in online "journalism". If I'm wrong in my theory, I will certainly post a correction.
That said, if it is his, it's hardly an anti-Semitic statement of any sort. Those who question Israeli occupation and settlement policy are not anti-Semites, no matter what neoconservative dogma dictates, or American mainstream media, for that matter. For what it's worth, Wright's Wikipedia entry also states that "the Anti-Defamation League says it has no evidence of any anti-Semitism by Wright."
There is no question Jeremiah Wright has made "controversial" statements about America's racial and military history, though I think almost all of them deserve more discussion that denouncement. But I have not come across any statements by him that are attacking Jewish or other Semitic peoples in any way. If any reader of Today's Lies comes across specifically anti-Semitic statements by the reverend, I would sincerely like to see them, and I will post them on this site, and condemn them and the man who uttered them.
That said, if there really aren't any out there, it is our duty as truth-tellers to prevent a rapidly multiplying lie from being solidified in the media as the truth. That's what's happening right now. 
