Washington  - Race and religion moved to the fore of the bitter US Democratic presidential race Tuesday as candidate Barack Obama drew the strongest line yet against his controversial former pastor, calling new comments by him "outrageous," insulting and "a show of disrespect."

Speaking to reporters from the campaign trail in North Carolina, a somber and sometimes halting Obama called Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr's remarks over the past days "a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in truth."

He was referring to Wright's insistence on Monday at the National Press Club in Washington that the US government was involved in the spread of AIDS among the black community and had invited the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks through its own actions.

Obama said these remarks and others outraged him, and made him "angry" and "sad."

"His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church," Obama said.

Some weeks ago, recordings of the black minister's provocative remarks threatened to derail Obama's candidacy, but Obama - the first African American in reach of the White House - defended the close relationship yet distanced himself from such incendiary remarks.

At the time, Obama captured public support by using the controversy as a springboard to appeal for racial understanding and reconciliation.

But he took strong steps Tuesday to denounce Wright's remarks, which came as he faces Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the next set of party primaries on May 6 in North Carolina and Indiana.

Despite four months of state by state party voting, former first lady Clinton lags only slightly behind Obama in the overall delegate count and has resisted suggestions that she step out of the race.

Pundits on Tuesday worried that Wright's most recent remarks will damage Obama's candidacy.

"The Rev. Jeremiah Wright went to Washington on Monday not to praise Barack Obama, but to bury him," wrote Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist, who pointed out that Wright's remarks erode Obama's attempts to cultivate white working-class voters.

On Monday at the press club, Wright shouted "God Damn America" for its poor treatment of African Americans, and called minister Louis Farrakhan, a black separatist and leader of an African-American Muslim sect, one of the 20th century's greatest voices.

Obama said the was outraged and saddened "over the spectacle" of Wright talking "about conspiracy theories and AIDS and suggestions that somehow Minister Farrakhan has been a great voice in the 20th century."

Obama also denounced Wright's characterization of the politician's earlier attempt to distance himself as mere political posturing.

"That's a show of disrespect to me and it's also I think an insult to what we've been trying to do in this campaign," Obama said, stressing Wright did not speak for him and calling the whole incident distracting from the issues of the campaign.

"Anybody who knows me ... knows that I am about trying to bridge gaps and that I see the commonality in all people," Obama said.

The Democratic senator said Wright had shown "a complete disregard for what the American people are going through and the need for them to rally together to solve these problems."

"There was a sense that that did not matter to Reverend Wright. What mattered was him commanding center stage," Obama said. (dpa)