Eyewitness News spoke to black pastors and politicians who watch Tuesday's speech with great interest.
It was billed as the most important speech in his political career. Tuesday morning Senator Obama addressed racially charged comments made by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright.
Reverend Joseph Brown is the pastor at Evan's Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Fayetteville. Marvin Lucas in a North Carolina state representative. They believe politicians should not be held accountable for comments made by their pastors.
"I don't know if I should be held accountable for things that my pastor says in church," Rep. Lucas said. "But certainly I would expect a pastor to, though to say things that are virtuous in nature."
"Pastor Wright may have agitated some folks a little bit in his force, but then at the same time I think Senator Obama addressed that quite well because he talked about Reverend Wright talking out of the anger and frustration," Brown said.
Speaking about his long-time pastor, Obama said, "He strengthened my faith, officiated at my wedding, baptized my children, not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms."
Obama went on to say he could not more disown pastor wright than he could disown the black community.
Now Senator Obama will be making a private visit to Fayetteville Technical Community College Wednesday at 10 am. But long after he leaves Fayetteville, there are many who believe he will still be answering questions about the comments his Pastor made.
The Obama campaign says the senator's speech will be a major address on the War in Iraq.
The speech is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. at the Tony Rand Student Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College.
The speech is not open to the public, but you may watch live on ABC11.com.
