From glowing praise to growing distance to — as of Friday — strong criticism: “‘I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue,’ he wrote in a campaign statement that was his strongest in a series of public disavowals of his pastor’s views over the past year.

Earlier in the week, several television stations played clips in which Mr. Wright, of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, referred to the United States as the ‘U.S. of K.K.K. A.’ and said the Sept. 11 attacks were a result of corrupt American foreign policy.” (New York Times )