Wright Blasts 'Attacks on Black Church'

Jeremiah Wright gave an impassioned speech this morning, calling the controversy around his theology and statements "an attack on the black church, not an attack on Jeremiah Wright." He said the press "made a fool out of itself" over black church traditions, which he called "different," not "divisive." The Navy vet dismissed charges he's not patriotic, saying, “I served six years in the military, does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?”

In a combative question-and-answer session at the National Press Club, Wright defended many of his statements. “God damns some practices,” he said, explaining one of his more famous soundbites. “You can not do terrorism and expect it never to come back on you.” He refused to distance himself from Louis Farrakhan, and minimized the distance Barack Obama has attempted to put between himself and his pastor, saying Obama did what he had to do to get elected. (More Jeremiah Wright stories.)