Washington, D.C. (Right Commentary.com): In Winston-Salem today, Sen. Obama sharply attacked his former paster and mentor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and the substance of his remarks yesterday before the National Press Club. Today’s press conference marked a far sharper disavowal than the speech of “A more Perfect Union” he gave last month in Philadelphia.

The core of his message during the press conference was clear : Wright was not only offensive, but his views are completely opposite that of Sen. Obama.

This is a very - VERY - difficult argument for him to make, given his writings, and his past speeches. Nevertheless - that was his argument today. As Sen. Obama spoke, I was reminded of a line between the comical News hour skit between Dan Aykroid and Jane Curtain on Saturday Night Live - simply, “Jane, you’re an ignornat slut!”

Obama was speaking today with about the same intensity of meaning.

“I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That’s in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That’s who I am, that’s what I believe, and that’s what this campaign has been about,” Sen. Obama said.

“I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” Sen. Obama stated.
“The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago,” he said. “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.”

“They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs,” he said.

“If Reverend Wright thinks that’s political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn’t know me very well and based on his remarks yesterday, I may not know him as well as I thought either.”

In other words - BRING IT ON REV! Clearly - the falling out has occurred.

“I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church,” Sen. Obama said. “But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS; when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century; when he equates the U.S. wartime efforts with terrorism – then there are no excuses. They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans. And they should be denounced, and that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.”

“It is antithetical to my campaign. It is antithetical to what I’m about. It is not what I think America stands for,” Obama concluded.

I think, something very significant may have happened in the last 48 hours. I am now beginning to wonder if the SS Obama just hit an iceberg and the hull has been torn open.

I took out my pen and paper - and recalculated the delegates. Even if Hillary starts to pull off like 80-20 margins, she won’t get there… she still won’t eclipse Sen. Obama. So my original analysis on paper seems correct still.

But my one caveat was - unless Sen. Obama commits political suicide. I guess I didn’t count on his crazy uncle committing political homicide - but that seems to be what has happened in the last couple of days with Rev. Wright on TV. Wright completely blindsided Obama - and Obama punched him back - HARD - right in the head.

It will take time to sort it all out - and the consequences - but I’d watch his lead erode in Indiana.

In order to win Indiana, Obama needs to show not only that he can attract the kind of blue-collar, “Reagan Democrat” vote that has kept Clinton afloat in the race but also demonstrate to those all-important superdelegates who will decide the nomination that he has what it takes to win in November. Part of that is proving that he can handle the kind of crisis that Wright has become for his campaign.

In taking such an aggressive stand Obama may succeed in publicly distancing himself from the spectacle that the Rev. Wright has become, but his newfound outrage raises some further questions. In his Philadelphia address, Obama stood by his friend. “As imperfect as he may be,” he said of Wright a month ago, “he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. … I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community.”

I think for Sen. Obama - Rev. Wright may be the Gordian knot. The harder he pulls away - the tighter the grip gets.