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Will Rev. Wright's radical views harm Obama's chances? They already have.
The honeymoon is finally over. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama has finally been hit with mud that sticks, and the press is all over it.

The situation gets worse by the day. Barack Obama's former Pastor and mentor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright recently went on a three day publicity tour that seemed designed to derail the Obama candidacy. Billed as his opportunity to defend himself, Rev. Wright spoke at an NAACP event, a National Press Club event and made several other stops along the way. He has a right to "defend" himself and explain remarks taken out of the context of his sermons. At times he sounded more sincere and honest than Barack Obama to tell you the truth, as he pointed out that Obama's meager attempts to distance himself were done for "political expediency." Ouch.

The Wright controversy began prior to the Pennsylvania Primary, which Obama lost. Since then, polls are showing that Hillary Clinton has gained momentum against both Obama and McCain. Today the Associated Press National Poll indicates that Clinton beats McCain by 9 points. "Helped by independents, young people and seniors, Clinton gained ground this month in a hypothetical match with Sen. McCain, the GOP nominee-in-waiting. She now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent," according to the AP.

Barack Obama, although he has a gift for words and obviously is charismatic and despite his Harvard Education, didn't renounce Rev. Wright's politically offensive sound bites immediately. Anything he does or says now appears to be insincere.

Now, the pundits are all over the talk shows talking about Rev. Wright's "unpatriotic" remarks, and "radical" sound bites. Over the din, there is the occasional "If Barack Obama can't do a better job of fighting this controversy, how can he convince voters he is strong enough to be President." Followed by, "If Hillary Clinton has proved one thing during this campaign it's that she is a fighter, she perseveres."

None of this bodes well for Candidate Obama. Not at all.

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