Obama takes heat over Farrakhan link

LAS VEGAS -- Following a column in Tuesday's Washington Post noting that a magazine linked to Obama's minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, honored Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Barack Obama said he condemned "the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan" and disagreed with a decision to honor him.

The column, by Richard Cohen, said Trumpet Newsmagazine gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to Farrakhan last year because he "truly epitomized greatness."

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Following a column in Tuesday's Washington Post noting that a magazine linked to Obama's minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, honored Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Barack Obama said he condemned "the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan" and disagreed with a decision to honor him.
(AP)

Cohen made clear that Obama has nothing to do with Farrakhan's anti-Semitic views. Cohen, however, called on Obama to distance himself from the award because, Cohen wrote, Obama had an obligation to speak out because he could be the next president. Cohen also wondered where Obama's "sense of outrage" is.

After the column was published, Obama said in a statement, "I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan. I assume that Trumpet magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree."

Obama's campaign sent the statement to several major Jewish organizations.