Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama turned down an invitation from Tavis Smiley to attend his "State of the Black Union 2008" conference on Feb. 23 in New Orleans – and all hell has broken loose.
The controversy was been played yesterday across black radio, with Smiley's regular appearance on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" directly addressing the situation.
It all started when Sen. Obama sent a letter to Smiley explaining that his hectic campaign schedule in advance of critical primaries in the coming weeks will not allow him to make the annual conference, but Michelle Obama would attend in his place.
Smiley wasn't having that.
"I believe this is a critical miscalculation and a missed opportunity," Smiley reiterated Thursday on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Furthermore, Smiley says he was never contacted by the Obama camp with an offer to send Michelle Obama to the conference.
"It never happened," Smiley said. "No letter, no fax, no e-mail, no phone call, no document whatsoever to my office ever regarding Michelle Obama. She was never offered, it was never discussed."
Smiley said he would've respectfully declined the Michelle Obama offer anyway.
"Just as we would have declined had Hillary Clinton offered Bill Clinton, had John McCain offered Cindy McCain, had Mike Huckabee suggested Janet Huckabee," Smiley said.
Meanwhile, Michelle Obama appeared on the "Michael Baisden Show" to address Smiley's comments and explain her husband's decision to remain on the campaign trail.
"We believe in what Tavis has been doing and are obviously supportive, but as people know, we're at a critical juncture in this bid for Barack to become the next President of the United States. He's in a position that no one could've ever anticipated. But it's not over, and every single vote and every delegate is going to count. That's why Barack has made the decision to spend every minute that he has trying to reach voters who don't know him in states that have still remaining primaries."
As for Smiley's decision to turn down Michelle Obama's offer to stand in for her husband at the conference, she says: "All I can do is respect his decision not to accept my participation, but I think that Barack can do far more in moving the principals of the covenant forward by becoming the next President of the United States."
Out of all the presidential candidates, including Republicans Sen. John McCain and Mike Huckabee, only Sen. Hillary Clinton has accepted Smiley's invitation to appear.
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