Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Says His Son Is Still Struggling

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., says his son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., is "still struggling to regain his strength" and "under medical supervision" after a recent illness that caused him to take a leave of absence from Congress and miss the Democratic convention.

"He wishes to be here, but his health is a priority," Jackson said Tuesday afternoon on POLITICO Live.

Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) said last month after visiting Jackson at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota that the Ilinois Democrat is suffering from "serious depression -- deep, deep depression."

Jackson also spoke about the connection he believes President Barack Obama has to the history of African-American leaders, despite those who have at times criticized him for not being sufficiently grateful.

"He built upon that legacy. He is a result of -- he did not come down vertically. He came out of the process," Jackson said. "The '54 decision, the '55 boycott, the '64 Civil Rights Act, the '65 Voting Rights Act and its fulfillment, and the martyrs all along the way -- he comes out of that process. He acknowledges that."

Obama has also been bombarded by lingering racial strife, Jackson said.

"He has faced unusual levels of obstruction" and a wide range of "toxic" attacks, that he is a liar, not a Christian, not born in the United States.