Axlerod basically admits that Obama knew about his mentor/pastor being controversial

[jackson_dem]

The logical conclusion is the reason he knew Wright was controversial is because he knew of his views regarding whites and the country that Obama's wife is finally proud of (I wonder where she got such an opinion from? :sarcasm: ).

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was an early concern, Obama aide admits

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But more than a year ago -- long before some of Wright’s more incendiary sermons became hot-button videos on YouTube, forcing Obama to publicly renounce his pastor last week -- the Obama campaign had a sense that Wright's sharp tongue might spell trouble for the Illinois senator. (For a sermon sample, click on the Read more line below.)

-snip-

“There was no doubt that there was controversy surrounding him,” Axelrod said Sunday. “And we didn’t want to expose him … make him the target and a distraction on a day when Sen. Obama was going to announce his candidacy.”

So if the savvy Obama campaign knew Wright was a problem a year ago, why did the Illinois senator, a parish member for two decades, wait until last week to disassociate and denounce the minister's inflammatory statements?

The topic is clearly uncomfortable for Obama and his aides, personally and politically. Axelrod's comments came only after prodding from a reporter and after he had initially suggested that Wright’s absence that day was due merely to the fact that the temperature was in the single digits.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/throughout-his.html