Rev. Rivers: Wright throwing Obama campaign under the bus

The Rev. Eugene Rivers of Boston gave harsh reviews this afternoon to the defense that Barack Obama's former pastor presented for himself today.

On MSNBC's "Hardball," Rivers called the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. "a good man" who has done lots of good in his 40 years in the ministry.

But Rivers said, "His public performance in the last 24 hours has had the unintended consequence of throwing Senator Obama's campaign under the bus."

While Obama tried to be loyal to his spiritual mentor by not disowning Wright even as he denounced his most controversial remarks, Wright has now become an albatross for Obama and is undermining his message, Rivers said.

Obama now must divorce himself from Wright and realign with other black religious figures who have more mainstream views of racial reconciliation, Rivers said.

Wright was only speaking for himself, and does not represent other black churches, Rivers said. "There are other voices," he said.