“I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” Obama told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.

His strong words come just six weeks after Obama delivered a sweeping speech on race in which he sharply condemned Wright’s remarks but did not leave the church After weeks of staying out of the public eye while critics reviewed his sermons, the former pastora few public appearances  to defend himself.

On Monday, Wright criticized the U.S. government as imperialist and stood by his suggestion that the United States invented the HIV virus as a means of genocide against minorities. “Based on this Tuskegee experiment and based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything,” he said.

And possibbly even worse for Obama, Wright suggested that the church congregant secretly concurs.

Obama stated that he does not share the opinions of the pastor who officiated at his wedding, baptized his two daughters and been his pastor for 20 years. The title of one of Obama’s books, “The Audacity of Hope,” came from a Wright sermon.

Barack Obama said of Wright’s statements Monday: “All it was was a bunch of rants that aren’t grounded in truth.”

“Obviously, whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed,” Obama said. “I don’t think he showed much concern for me, more importantly I don’t think he showed much concern for what we’re trying to do in this campaign.”

“He has done great damage, I do not see that relationship being the same,” said Obama.

Obama said he didn’t vet his pastor before deciding to seek the presidency. He said he was particularly distressed that the furor has been a distraction to the purpose of a campaign.

“I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia explaining that he’s done enormous good. … But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS. … There are no excuses. They offended me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced.”

“There wasn’t anything constructive out of yesterday,” said Obama. “All it was was a bunch of rants that aren’t grounded in truth.”

“I think he felt vilified and attacked and I understand him wanting to defend himself,” Obama said. “That may account for the change but the insensitivity and the outrageousness of the statements shocked me and surprised me.”