Oprah Criticized For Comments On Obama

LOS ANGELES -- Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action, is taking issue with Oprah Winfrey's recent comments on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where she called on President Obama's critics to show him more respect and talked about how she believed in Obama's "integrity." Winfrey, who supported Obama's 2008 presidential bid, said that everybody complaining ought to try it [the job] for once. She claimed that the presidency "holds a sense of authority and governance over us all" and that "even if you're not in support of his policies, there needs to be a certain level of respect." 

Rev. Peterson said, "Barack Obama was elected president, not appointed king!" "Obama chose to run, and unfortunately for us, he was elected to be the leader of the free world. I don't recall Oprah calling on people to respect former President George W. Bush when he was viciously attacked and compared to Hitler for eight years. If Obama can't take the heat, he needs to get out of the White House!" 

Oprah is considered a close friend of the Obamas. She featured then Senator Barack Obama on her show during the 2008 presidential election and was criticized by independent-minded women and conservatives for not extending equal time to the McCain-Palin ticket. 

"Criticism of Obama doesn't mean that people are disrespecting the office, but it does mean that they don't respect the current occupants socialist agenda," said Rev. Peterson. "The only authority Obama or any other president has is that enumerated by the Constitution. And despite what Oprah says, Barack Obama lacks integrity, and I believe he will go down as the worst and least respected one-term president in American history!"