With a racially charged video of Barack Obama spiritual advisor Jeremiah Wright making waves today, lots of folks are asking, what was he thinking? The video features Wright giving a sermon from last December. “Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,” Wright roars, while noting that “Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger.” One of the country’s highest profile black preachers, Wright must have known the sermon would put serious heat on Obama. And God-o-Meter wonders if that’s exactly what he was hoping for. It’s no secret that Wright, who led Obama to Christ and has been an outsized force in his life for two decades, feels like he’s been shunted aside by Obama since he began running for president.Last spring, the New York Times reported:

Mr. Wright’s assertions of widespread white racism and his scorching remarks about American government have drawn criticism, and prompted the senator to cancel his delivery of the invocation when he formally announced his candidacy in February….In March, Mr. Wright said in an interview that his family and some close associates were angry about the canceled address, for which they blamed Obama campaign advisers but that the situation was “not irreparable,” adding, “Several things need to happen to fix it.” Asked if he and Mr. Wright had patched up their differences, Mr. Obama said: “Those are conversations between me and my pastor.” Mr. Wright, who has long prided himself on criticizing the establishment, said he knew that he may not play well in Mr. Obama’s audition for the ultimate establishment job.

So maybe this sermon is just Wright being Wright. But could it also be his way of pushing back at Obama, even while sermonizing in support of his church’s most famous member?7