Wright has been using black community leaders and churches to move quickly into politics.  Barry is a user.  Barak is a uniter.  So who is who?

A majority of American voters say that the furor over the relationship between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor has not affected their opinion of Mr. Obama, but a substantial number say that it could influence voters this fall should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

In other words, poll respondents seemed to be saying that their opinions of Obama had not been changed, but believed that the Wright controversy might affect other voters in the fall:

But nearly half of the voters surveyed, and a substantial part of the Democrats, said Mr. Obama had acted [to break with Rev. Wright] mainly because he thought it would help him politically, rather than because he had serious disagreements with his former pastor. The broader effect of the controversy on Mr. Obama's candidacy among Democratic primary voters was less clear in the poll, but enough of them expressed qualms about Mr. Obama's relationship with Mr. Wright to suggest it could sway a relatively small but potentially important group of voters in the remaining primaries.

The relatively small number of Democrats surveyed limits the conclusions that can be drawn about the poll's findings regarding sentiment in the party. Moreover, as a national poll, it does not necessarily reflect the thoughts of voters in Indiana and North Carolina.

[snip]

Still, the survey suggested that Mr. Obama, of Illinois, had lost much or all of the once-commanding lead he had held over Mrs. Clinton, of New York, among Democratic voters on the question of which of them would be the strongest candidate against Mr. McCain, of Arizona.

if "just Democrats" are slightly favoring Obama, but "Democrats and leaning Independents" are giving Clinton a big lead, what does this tell us about Obama's appeal to Independents?

Had he been 'honest' from the get-go, and not exploited the Wright controversy by trying to turn it into a national race issue, he had a shot at sounding credible.

He could have said that he affiliated himself with Wright when he was young and trying to figure out what it meant to be "black in America" -- that his understanding of that had matured and moved beyond's Wrights views, but that he'd remained with

the church

Clinton Steals One Show, While Obama Endures Another

Senator Barack Obama sat hunched on Sunday across the desk from Tim Russert on "Meet The Press" on NBC and wearily endured question after question about his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton stood up from her armchair on Sunday to tower over George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" on ABC and merrily took on all critics, even the king of the Clinton-bashers, the talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh.

"He's always had a crush on me," Mrs. Clinton said with a sly smile.

Talk shows, even the more serious news programs, are never really about talk; they are about image and demeanor. Together, "Meet the Press" and its rival "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" provided an arresting tableau of the reversal of fortunes in the Democratic race. Mrs. Clinton was forceful, confident and at times even frisky as she easily deflected questions from Mr. Stephanopoulos and members of a town-hall-style meeting in Indianapolis. Mr. Obama, usually the one to see the humor in politics, instead looked grave and dispirited.

Clinton has neutralized the gas tax issue if she is the nominee, in fact she has turned it in her favor by tacking on the windfall profits tax. It may not make policy sense but it will never pass anyway.  I think it's rather smart politics to take the issue off the table rather than having our millionaire nominee (either one of them) having to explain over and over in the fall that paying high prices is good for people.

You said it exactly.  And Obama and his campaign have done nothing -- NOTHING -- to rein this in.

One problem of this Clinton campaign against Obama is that none of it addresses some of his extraordinarily detailed, nuanced, and intelligent position papers that never manage to squeeze Reverend Wright out of the headlines and get exposure in the media.  

Maybe Obama should use his time in the spotlight to introduce an issue he cares passionately about.  (Something that isn't about what is wrong with Hillary).

Not a big deal, really. Except that Obama would have done himself a great big favor if he had spoken to these associations and events in his "I never heard those sermons" speech.

Telling the truth after the information goes public is not the best policy. He was given a really great opportunity to ask us to understand these things were done during his personal discovery years (a bit later than most people), and it's best we hear about them from him.  But, nope, he pulls the blankets up over his head and calls us racists.

I think he has shown the judgment of a confused teenager for most of his life. Where's the judgment in forcing the media to get him vetted tabloid style?

Its interesting how ideological perceptions alter reality.  

You know, that only goes so far.

There is also such a thing as fact. Reality is not just a matter of what you believe.

I was all set to vote for whichever candidate the Dems picked.

My initial reaction to sexism against Hillary after that infamous debate was, "if she wants to run with the big boys, she'd better be able to take whatever they toss at her".

But ever since I learned more about Obama's actions and statements and associations and so on - the more I have become absolutely convinced that I will not participate in helping this man become elected.

Seth is talking about what some polls have said that respondents said.  And yes, shocking as it may be, some fans will find good in anything.  That's why fan is short for fanatic.  

Seriously, some polls are asking not about Obama for 20 years but Obama for a week -- the last two weeks and whether he has handled it well, rejecting Wright, and some respondents think that Obama has.

1. people lie.  They think they aren't supposed to be influenced by such things, so they say they aren't.  (I mean, among African Americans who said that race played no part in their decision in Pennsylvania, 92% voted for Obama.)

2. the wrong question is asked -- questions like "Will the Wright controversy influence how you vote?"  People who have already made up their minds to support someone other than Obama will say "no", and that is reported as having "no impact."