Insider Advantage is out with new numbers in the Tar Heel state (April 29, 571 LV) showing Hillary Clinton erasing a double digit deficit over the last two weeks and edging ahead of Obama:

Clinton 44 (+8 vs. last poll April 14)
Obama 42 (-9)
Undecided 14

Overall, Obama's lead in the RCP Average for North Carolina is now down to 7.3%.

According to a new New York Times/CBS News poll, half of Clinton's supporters would be dissatisfied if Obama wins the Democratic nomination.

From the New York Times:

More than six in 10 Democratic primary voters who support Mr. Obama in the poll say they would be satisfied if Mrs. Clinton wins the nomination. But among Mrs. Clinton's supporters, just 49 percent say they would feel satisfied if Mr. Obama wins, while 50 percent would be dissatisfied. Nearly a quarter say they would be very dissatisfied.

The poll also found that 56% of all respondents believed a Democrat would win the presidency in November, including 29% of Republicans polled.

A new Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll shows Clinton leading Obama by a small margin (April 28-29, 400 Dem LV, MoE +/- 5%).

Clinton 44
Obama 41
Und 7

Obama leads by 2.0 points in the RCP Nat'l Average

The poll also found Clinton leading McCain by 1 point in a general election matchup, and McCain leading Obama by 3 points (April 28-29, 900 RV, MoE +/- 3%).

Clinton 45 - McCain 44
Obama 43 - McCain 46

Clinton now leads McCain by 2.8 points and McCain leads Obama by 0.2 of a point in the RCP Nat'l Averages.

After building his name recognition, campaign war chest and overall credibility and all but securing the Democratic nomination for Senate in Minnesota, satirist Al Franken has stumbled in recent weeks as repeated revelations about his business dealings have made for splashy headlines. Now, Franken has paid $70,000 in back taxes and fines in 17 states where he earned money in recent years, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported today.

Franken blamed his accountant, with whom he has done business for eighteen years, of making fundamental errors that caused the oversights. Those oversights led to overpayments in Franken's two home states, Minnesota and New York, and non-payment in the more than a dozen other states where Franken earned money, usually through appearance and speaking fees. Franken maintained that, after the overpayment, he owed just $4,000 more in taxes, according to an early estimation by his new financial handlers.

The disclosure comes a month and a half after Franken's company, Alan Franken Inc., was charged a $25,000 penalty by the New York State Workers' Compensation Board for not buying workers' comp insurance, as the Star-Tribune reported in mid-March. After an internal investigation, Franken admitted the mistake and paid the fine.

Franken's candidacy was initially greeted with some skepticism from Minnesota Democrats, who wondered whether putting a comedian with a long history of raunchy jokes up against a sitting Senator was a good idea. But Franken raised a significant amount of money, outpacing -- and outspending -- Republican Norm Coleman several quarters in a row. Recent polls have shown the race close, with Coleman leading but near the margin of error.

But Franken's follies could bring a renewed sense of angst to the state's Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party, which since Coleman's election in 2002 has been itching for the opportunity to oust the Republican from office. Coleman won election after the death of incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone, whom Coleman had been trailing in polls.

While Franken retains a good chance at knocking off Coleman -- Minnesota is one of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's top targets -- he has seen his poll numbers slip in recent weeks. A rebound of some sort sooner, rather than later, is hugely important to Franken. Too, his research team, which might have caught the mistake before it was discovered by Republicans and the media, might want to go back and take a look at their candidate's record one more time to avoid future missteps.

MoveOn.org has the launched the first of a series of anti-McCain ads. This one will run in New Mexico and Iowa, according to CBS News.

I think a lot of the debate come the fall, assuming Obama is the nominee, will focus on what is less fair: Using McCain's "100 years" line or using Jeremiah Wright?

In any case, notice that the quotes MoveOn.org uses for McCain and Bush are about a month a part. That's because McCain said his while U.S. forces were still engaged with enemies troops over control of Baghdad, while Bush said his after the city had fallen.

Hillary rolls out Maya Angelou for North Carolina in, er, "Maya":

And Obama gets the support of the SEIU in Indiana:

To continue our earlier post, the Obama campaign has announced two more endorsements today.

Indiana Rep. Baron Hill and California Rep. Lois Capps are both supporting Obama. Hill's vast 9th District is in the southeast corner of Indiana, and includes the university town of Bloomington. This area could play an important role in Obama's chances in the state in the May 6 primary. Capps's 23rd District includes coastal towns from Ventura, north through San Luis Obispo.

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have received superdelegate endorsements today.

Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley will endorse Obama later today, and the Clinton campaign announced this morning that Bill George is backing Clinton. Braley, a freshman lawmaker, previously had supported John Edwards. George is the president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.

Obama picked up endorsements yesterday from Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler and Iowa DNC member Richard Machacek. Clinton received yesterday the backing of Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton.

In the updated RCP Delegate Count, Clinton leads Obama among superdelegates 262-241. Obama leads the overall delegate count 1,730-1,595.

She may have won in Pennsylvania, but apparently nobody's feeling too threatened by Ms. Clinton at this point. The Politico reports on the GOP's Hillary "silent treatment":

Clinton, it seems, has been erased from the picture, Soviet-style. Republicans mostly act like she doesn't exist--an unusual turn of events considering her run of big-state victories and the fact that not so long ago Republican campaign plans were predicated on the idea of Clinton as the Democratic nominee.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has coughed up $500,000 for two anti-Obama ads, timed for two upcoming House special elections.

If the budget gets tight, of course, they could always just give Jeremiah Wright some more screen time.

Turning our attention away from the presidential race slightly, the US is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf as a "reminder" to Iran, said Def Sec Robert Gates yesterday.

The administration is concerned not only with Iran's escalating nuclear program, but also the country's support of the Taliban. The Associated Press reports:

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Mexican leaders, Gates said heightening U.S. criticism of Iran and its support for terror groups is not a signal that the administration is laying the groundwork for a strike against Tehran.

Still, he said Iran continues to back the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"I do not have a sense at this point of a significant increase in Iranian support for the Taliban and others opposing the government in Afghanistan," Gates said. "There is, as best I can tell, a continuing flow, but I would still characterize it as relatively modest."

His comments contrasted with those from Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said last week that he had not seen any new signs of Iranian support for the Taliban.

Gates played down the addition of a second carrier to the Gulf, saying that the number of ships there rises and falls continuously. He said he doesn't expect there to two carriers there for a long time.

Asked if the carrier move went hand in hand with the rising U.S. rhetoric against Iran, Gates said, "I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."

In the past, military officials have said that beefing up the Navy's presence in the Gulf was a way to show that that the U.S. remains committed to the region. And they have acknowledged it also serves as a show of force for other countries there, such as Iran.

Something to keep your eye on.

A new Hillary ad hits Obama on the economy.

"Trouble":

Fred Dicker talks to a source "deep roots in Wright's Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter" who tells him Rev. Wright's recent extravaganza was based on nothing more than revenge:

"After 20 years of loving Barack like he was a member of his own family, for Jeremiah to see Barack saying over and over that he didn't know about Jeremiah's views during those years, that he wasn't familiar with what Jeremiah had said, that he may have missed church on this day or that and didn't hear what Jeremiah said, this is seen by Jeremiah as nonsense and betrayal," said the source, who has deep roots in Wright's Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter. [snip]

"Jeremiah doesn't care if he derails Obama's candidacy or not . . . He knows what he's doing. Obviously, he's not a dumb man. He knows he's not helping."

The source noted that the roots of Wright's disillusionment with Obama began last year after the Illinois senator unexpectedly yanked him from participating in the public announcement of his presidential campaign. [snip]

The source added, "After 20 years of loving Barack like he is one of their own, after he was embraced by this congregation as a brother in Christ, after his pastor was a father figure to him and gave him credibility in a city he had not grown up in and in a black community that was suspect of someone from Hawaii and Harvard, he thanks him by not allowing him to speak publicly at his announcement last year?

"A lot of people in the church believe they were there for this man when no one else was, and a lot of people don't believe it any more when Obama claims he loves the man who did so much for him," the source added.

If this report is true and if Wright is actively trying to derail Obama's presidential bid out of spite and for revenge, doesn't that seem very "un-Christian" of him?

NBC's "The Today Show"

Andrea Mitchell does the post-denunciation wrap:

MSNBC'S "Morning Joe"

Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs, on whether McCain or Clinton mention Wright in the future: "I think the most important thing here is what Barack Obama said and did. I think whether others decide to play political games with this time will only tell."

On Obama's timing in denouncing Wright: "I think people that saw what happened on Monday saw somebody repeat and validate said earlier ... and I think that Barack believed that what he said was outrageous and indefensible."

"I think obviously this was a very personal decision for Sen. Obama; this wasn't a political decision," said Gibbs. "What he said, he said from the heart."

Former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, on which candidate he'd rather run against: "I think I'd take Barack Obama today...Because I think he his not well known, therefore we can give an awful lot of definition to him."

CBS's "The Early Show"

Juan Williams, on the impact of the Wright controversy on Obama's electability: "It goes beyond to the fall election, state parties are already using this."

Bob Schieffer: "There's this uneasiness even among people who really like him...This has really, really hurt him."

ABC's "Good Morning America"

George Stephanopoulos: "Rev. Wright emerged as the single greatest threat to Barack Obama's candidacy."

Talking about the campaign's decision to have Obama speak out against Wright yesterday: "For the first time they actually thought this could prevent Obama from becoming President so they had to act."

He also noted the positive turn this has had for Clinton: "She's been talking about jobs, jobs, jobs in Indiana...I've noticed a real change in the Clinton campaign in the last 48 hours. For the first time since that 11 state losing streak, you're starting to see signs in the campaign that they actually think they can win this thing."

Video here.

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Update.)

To the North, Canada succumbs to food-buying panic. Across the pond, Britain is hit with its first decline in housing prices in 12 years.

Jay Leno on the Reverend Wright and Obama:

Craig Ferguson on Hillary Clinton and O'Reilly:

New SurveyUSA poll (April 26-28) confirms Clinton's big lead in Kentucky:

Clinton 63 (+1 vs. last poll April 12-14)
Obama 27(+1)

Speaking at University of South Florida, John McCain unveiled his health-care proposal to lower cost and increase coverage. "We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are covered," McCain said earlier today.

Stressing the importance of choice over mandates, McCain proposed a system where Americans could buy their health care from anywhere in the country, not just in the state they live.

"Americans need new choices beyond those offered in employment-based coverage. Americans want a system built so that wherever you go and wherever you work, your health plan goes with you," said McCain.

On a conference call with reporters following the event, senior economic advisor Doug Holtz-Eakin former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talked about some of the details of the program, including the emphasis McCain would put on innovation.

McCain's plan, said Holtz-Eakin, "is a tribute to the best of medical science in America and the power of innovation. The Senator talked about harnessing that power and provide a more responsive system at lower cost."

McCain's plan would also include a $5,000 tax credit for families (and $2,500 for individuals) who choose to leave their company's health-care plan. This, said Fiorina, would "create a national market for health insurance."

"Clinton and Obama would propose the federal government would be in charge of your health care," said Fiorina. "McCain's plan puts the choice in the hands of the individual and the family, which depends on the powers of the free market."

There are some questions, however. McCain supports the idea of reimporting generic drugs from Canada to reduce the cost on seniors, which critics say would eat into the pharamaceutical companies research and development efforts. McCain also stresses the importance of prevention and "healthy living" as where lowering costs begins.

Whether McCain favors legislative efforts to promote "healthy living" remains unclear. Fiorina said there are models the senator is looking at that would offer incentives for consumers to live a healthier lifestyle.

These incentives, said Fiorina, would come in the form of "price breaks to focus people of prevention and wellness."

The campaign timed McCain's speech to the release of this new ad, "Health Care Action":

Here's the big question, and it's one that Barack Obama simply can't answer effectively: what did Reverend Wright say yesterday that was any different from what he's said before? For Obama to be so "outraged and saddened" now, and to suggest that the man he saw yesterday was somehow different from the man we saw in the clips on YouTube simply strains credulity.

It doesn't help matters that Obama seemed significantly less outraged last night by Rev. Wright's tour de force at the National Press Club than he was today, which would lead any thinking person to conclude that today was less an expression of sincerity than one of political expediency.

(UPDATE: Readers suggest I'm being unfair to Obama with this last comment, since Obama said he didn't see clips of Wright's performance until after he held his hastily arranged press conference in North Carolina last night. The flip side to that argument, however, is that 1) Obama's folks should have made time for him to view Wright's performance sometime yesterday, given how important it was, and/or 2) Obama should never have held a press conference unless and until he'd seen exactly what transpired with Wright earlier in the day.

The fact he called a press conference last night specifically to reissue a standard "he doesn't speak for me" kind of comment and then called another one today to communicate that he was "outraged and saddened" was either a strategic blunder or, again, Obama trying to take another at bat after realizing he'd whiffed the first time around.)

Here are the key clips:

SurveyUSA is out with new numbers (April 26-28) showing Clinton gaining on Obama:

Obama 49 (-1 vs. last poll April 19-21)
Clinton 44 (+3)

Overall, Obama's lead in the RCP Average for North Carolina is 10.3%.

Hillary Clinton's new television ad that will go up throughout the state of Indiana:

For the fifth day in a row, the Gallup Daily tracking poll shows Obama and Clinton separated by a point or less. Today, however, Clinton finds herself 1 point ahead, after Obama had led by as much as 10 points over the last 10 days.

Clinton 47
Obama 46

Obama leads by 5.4 points in the RCP Nat'l Average

Asked yesterday how he felt about being "uninvited" to give the public invocation at Barack Obama's announcement for president back on February 10 of 2007, Reverend Wright responded:

Oh, I was not invited because that was a political event. Let me say again: I'm his pastor. As a political event, who started it off? Senator Dick Durbin. I started it off downstairs with him, his wife, and children in prayer. That's what pastors do.

So I started it off in prayer. When he went out into the public, that wasn't about prayer. That wasn't about pastor-member. Pastor- member took place downstairs. What took place upstairs was political.

To the contrary, we know, thanks to an interview Wright gave to Jodi Kantor of the New York Times in March 2007, that Wright fully planned on giving the invocation in Springfield before Obama rescinded the offer just hours before the event:

After all, back in January, Mr. Obama had asked Mr. Wright if he would begin the event by delivering a public invocation.

But Mr. Wright said Mr. Obama called him the night before the Feb. 10 announcement and rescinded the invitation to give the invocation.

"Fifteen minutes before Shabbos I get a call from Barack," Mr. Wright said in an interview on Monday, recalling that he was at an interfaith conference at the time. "One of his members had talked him into uninviting me," Mr. Wright said, referring to Mr. Obama's campaign advisers.

There is a contemporaneous report from Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times that Wright was in Springfield that morning and led the family and Senator Dick Durbin in a private prayer just before the event started. But Wright's explanation yesterday about some private/political dichotomy of the event is evasive and disingenuous.

In the Times interview, Wright was even more specific about why he was disinvited:

Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in the announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, "The Radical Roots of Barack Obama."

According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, "You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we've decided is that it's best for you not to be out there in public."

That Rolling Stone article, authored by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, appeared in the February 22, 2007 issue (incidentally, at some point the title of the article online was changed from "The Radical Roots of Barack Obama" to "Destiny's Child"). It's not clear whether the magazine had just hit news stands or whether Obama had gotten a sneak peek at the piece, but it doesn't take long to find the part that gave Obama heartburn:

And there is the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a sprawling, profane bear of a preacher, a kind of black ministerial institution, with his own radio shows and guest preaching gigs across the country. Wright takes the pulpit here one Sunday and solemnly, sonorously declares that he will recite ten essential facts about the United States. "Fact number one: We've got more black men in prison than there are in college," he intones. "Fact number two: Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run!" There is thumping applause; Wright has a cadence and power that make Obama sound like John Kerry. Now the reverend begins to preach. "We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional KILLERS. . . . We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. . . . We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. . . . We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means!" The crowd whoops and amens as Wright builds to his climax: "And. And. And! GAWD! Has GOT! To be SICK! OF THIS SH*T!"

With a bit of digging you can find a fuller version of the Wright sermon Wallace-Wells references which includes the full list of 10 Essential Facts about America. Missing from the Rolling Stone article is Fact #3 (America is still the number one killer in the world), Fact #5 (we supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians, and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic), Fact #8 (we started the AIDS virus), Fact #9 (we are only able to maintain our level of living by making sure the Third World people live in grinding poverty), and Fact #10 (we are selfish, self-centered ego egotists, who are arrogant and ignorant).

At the last debate, Barack Obama was asked specifically about disinviting Rev. Wright to his presidential announcement. Here is the exchange:

MR. GIBSON: Senator Obama, since you last debated, you made a significant speech in this building on the subject of race and your former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. And you said subsequent to giving that speech that you never heard him say from the pulpit the kinds of things that so have offended people.

But more than a year ago, you rescinded the invitation to him to attend the event when you announced your candidacy. He was to give the invocation. And according to the reverend, I'm quoting him, you said to him, "You can get kind of rough in sermons. So what we've decided is that it's best for you not to be out there in public." I'm quoting the reverend. But what did you know about his statements that caused you to rescind that invitation?

SENATOR OBAMA: Well --

MR. GIBSON: And if you knew he got rough in sermons, why did it take you more than a year to publicly disassociate yourself from his remarks?

SENATOR OBAMA: Well, understand that I hadn't seen the remarks that ended up playing on youTube repeatedly. This was a set of remarks that had been quoted in Rolling Stone Magazine and we looked at them and I thought that they would be a distraction since he had just put them forward.

But, Charlie, I've discussed this extensively. Reverend Wright is somebody who made controversial statements but they were not of the sort that we saw that offended so many Americans. And that's why I specifically said that these comments were objectionable; they're not comments that I believe in. (emphasis added)

Obama initially declared he didn't think "my church is actually particularly controversial" and said that he was never in the pews when Wright made any of the comments captured on video. Then, in his big speech on race in Philadelphia in March, Obama offered the following vague admission:

Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes.

We now know from Obama's answer at the last debate that he had seen Rev. Wright's remarks in Rolling Stone in Feburary of 2007 and deemed them to be enough of a problem to deep six the Reverend from speaking at his announcement. At the same time, Obama is now characterizing those remarks as "not of the sort that we saw that offended so many Americans." Go read the quote from the Rolling Stone article again. I doubt most Americans would agree, which only lends itself to the notion that Obama hasn't been fully forthcoming about what he knew about his pastor's incendiary language and when he knew it.

Barack Obama picked up a superdelegate of his own this morning. Politicker reported this morning that Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler will announce his support for Obama today. Chandler is the second of Kentucky's two Democratic congressmen to endorse Obama. Freshman Rep. John Yarmuth previously announced his support for the Illinois senator.

Chandler is in his second full term representing the state's 6th District, which includes Lexington and its surrounding counties. Chandler is well-known around the state: he's been elected statewide three times, and his grandfather, A.B. "Happy" Chandler, served as governor and senator, and was the second ever commissioner of baseball.

Kentucky has 51 pledged delegates and will hold its Democratic primary May 20.

At a morning press conference in Raleigh, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley is expected to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

Easley, a Democrat, is popular in this southern state. He won re-election in 2004 by 13 points, and succeeded in lowering taxes and balancing the state budget.

Easley is finishing up his second and final term as governor. He previously served eight years as attorney general. Many expected Easley to run for higher office this year -- perhaps challenging GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole -- though he declined to do so.

ABC's "Good Morning America"

Newt Gingrich, on who he thinks will win in November: "McCain may be the one Republican who can win this year."

"The Dems have not resolved yet how they're going to deal with Michigan and Florida," said Gingrich. "I don't see how they're going to hold a convention and have the fourth biggest state in the country, Florida, not represented."

Commenting on Wright: "Rev. Wright's a very angry person...He went out of his way to weaken Sen. Obama."

Video here.

Fox News' "Fox and Friends"

Dick Morris, on Wright; "You mentioned the tornadoes in Virginia, they're nothing compared to what's going on in Washington with guy. I think it's just horrific the stuff that he's saying, and Obama's handling it as ineptly as Kerry handled Swift Boats and Dukakis handled Willie Horton. But unlike Willie Horton, this guy [Wright] keeps talking."

"This is going to be a Democratic year," said Morris. "The only way a Republican can win is if the Democrat just completely self-destructs. And that's what's beginning to happen with Barack Obama. But he has an opportunity here. What he should do is he should go after the stuff that Rev. Wright is saying. He should be ferocious in saying the United States not only didn't create the AIDS virus; it helped cure it."

NBC's "The Today Show"

Tim Russert on Rev. Wright: "I don't find anyone in either campaign who doesn't think this is hurting Barack Obama... We're a week away from North Carolina and Indiana and we're talking about Rev. Wright...Wright is dominating the political dialogue."

CBS's "Early Show"

Joe Trippi, on Rev. Wright's impact on Obama in the upcoming primaries: "I think it's a big problem for him and I don't know how they get past it ...He's got to somehow get this behind him and talk about issues again."

"He's got to score in Indiana and I think he's gotta win in North Carolina," said Trippi. "If one of these candidates can win both these states it's going to be a big problem for the other one."

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

Carly Fiorina, on John McCain mentioning Jeremiah Wright: "It was pretty hard not to talk about Rev. Wright yesterday. I think he was asked a very direct question and as usual he gave a direct answer."

On what Barack Obama can do about Wright now: "I do think there are a whole lot of people out there who want to hear more from Sen. Obama about who this man is and what role he played in [Obama's] life. And what does that really say about Sen. Obama. I think the big issue is people's minds is who is Sen. Obama....Given his speech yesterday I think people are less concerned about who Rev. Wright is -- I think we know who Rev. Wright is -- and more concerned now about who is Sen. Obama."

Rep. James Clyburn, on Wright: "I know that politics for African-Americans in this country must move to a level where I cannot take it ... It would seem to me that Rev. Wright would be proud to have a parishioner who could take it to the next level. A lot of times we have pastors who may bring us in to the fold, and they cannot get us to where we need to go. I suspect that we see a little of that taking place at this moment."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Update.)

Is this a smart political move for Clinton?:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has requested nearly $2.3 billion in federal earmarks for 2009, almost three times the largest amount received by a single senator this year.

If she somehow manages to eke out the nomination, this is a hanging curve for McCain in the general.

With his "speaking tour" over the last three days, Jeremiah Wright has managed to do the impossible this political season: unite pundits from the left and the right in agreement about how badly he's hurting Barack Obama's quest for the White House.

For a brief tour of the landscape, start with Bob Herbert, who asks the question that is on everyone's mind: why is Wright doing this?

All but swooning over the wonderfulness of himself, the reverend acts like he is the first person to come up with the idea that blacks too often get the short end of the stick in America, that the malignant influences of slavery and the long dark night of racial discrimination are still being felt today, that in many ways this is a profoundly inequitable society.

This is hardly new ground. The question that cries out for an answer from Mr. Wright is why - if he is so passionately committed to liberating and empowering blacks - does he seem so insistent on wrecking the campaign of the only African-American ever to have had a legitimate shot at the presidency.

In the Los Angeles Times Jonah Goldberg says with his performance yesterday Wright exploded the "I was taken out of context" excuse:

Wright is every bit as radical as his detractors claimed and explodes Obama's messianic rhetoric about standing foursquare against divisiveness. Which is why that chorus you hear rising up from the John McCain and Clinton campaigns sounds an awful lot like this: "God damn Jeremiah Wright? No, no, no: God bless Jeremiah Wright!"

Eugene Robinson says he's "had it" with Rev. Wright and his "egocentric" response, and deconstructs the false claim, made four times yesterday by Wright at the National Press Club, that this was not an attack on him but an assault on the black church. Robinson writes:

Historically and theologically, he [Wright] was inflating his importance in a pride-goeth-before-the-fall kind of way. Politically, by surfacing now, he was throwing Barack Obama under the bus.

Sadly, it's time for Obama to return the favor.

Rich Lowry called Wright's performance yesterday "majestically awful," and said he took Obama's "critically acclaimed race speech in Philadelphia, ripped it into bits and tossed it in the air to serve as confetti for his parade through the media."

George Will chastises McCain for his flip-flopping on whether Wright should be an issue in the campaign :

When North Carolina Republicans recently ran an ad featuring Wright in full cry, McCain mounted his high horse, from which he rarely dismounts, and demanded that the ad be withdrawn. The North Carolinians properly refused. Wright is relevant.

He is a demagogue with whom Obama has had a voluntary 20-year relationship that implies, if not moral approval, certainly no serious disapproval. Wright also is an ongoing fountain of anti-American and, properly understood, anti-black rubbish. His Monday speech demonstrated that he wants to be a central figure in this presidential campaign. He should be.

Even Mary Mitchell, a fervent supporter of Obama and defender of Wright, sees what a disaster this has been:

And fair or unfair, if Obama loses the Democratic primary, all fingers will point to Wright.

I can't blame Wright for fighting for his good name.

But while he may feel vindicated, his new words will do nothing to repair the damage his old words caused the Obama campaign.

In this circumstance, Wright needed to be a pastor more than he needed to be a man.

Wright even has his hometown papers on the same page. The Chicago Tribune editorializes today:

By the end of Wright's performance, you had to wonder if he was trying to torpedo Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. He surely didn't seem troubled by that possibility. "Nothing can get in the way if God wants Obama to be president," Wright said. Maybe not. But the pastor seemed interested in testing the theory.

And the Trib's more liberal counterpart, the Chicago Sun-Times opines:

When asked why he had waited until now to defend himself, Wright recalled his mother's advice: "It is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

We saw Wright on Bill Moyers' show on public television this weekend. The man is no fool.

But maybe he should have followed his mother's advice.

Obama holds an edge over Clinton in Wisconsin in a new Badger Poll by the University of Wisconsin (April 15-24, 521 A, MoE +/- 5.3%). Obama led McCain by 4 points, while McCain led Clinton by 6 points.

Obama defeated Clinton by 17 points in the Feb. 19 Democratic primary in Wisconsin. The state has voted Democrat in the last five presidential elections, though the last two have been decided by 1 point or less.

Obama 47 - McCain 43
Clinton 41 - McCain 47

In the RCP Averages for Wisconsin, Obama leads McCain by 4.3 points, and McCain leads Clinton by 3.3 points

Senator and superdelegate Jeff Bingaman came out in support of Obama today with the following statement:

"Today, I am announcing my support for Barack Obama for president and declaring my intention to vote for him at the Democratic convention.

Our nation faces a daunting number of critical challenges: reasserting America's leadership in the world, meeting our needs for energy independence, addressing global warming, making healthcare accessible and affordable, positioning our economy to effectively compete globally, and extricating ourselves from the war in Iraq, to name a few.

To make progress, we must rise above the partisanship and the issues that divide us to find common ground. We must move the country in a dramatically new direction.

I strongly believe Barack Obama is best positioned to lead the nation in that new direction."

Jonathan Weisman notes Bingaman's announcement now gives Obama more Senate support than Clinton, 14 to 13. Obama's lead in the total delegate race is 135.

A day after mentioning Jeremiah Wright, John McCain in Florida reiterated his view that he does not associate Obama with Jeremiah Wright:

"I am not going to be a referee. I have made my position very clear on this issue. And that I do not believe that Senator Obama shares Reverend Wright's extremist statements or views," McCain said a media availability after a health care round table. "I'll make my position very clear and then I'll run my campaign on health care challenges, on all of the great challenges we face, including the economic difficulties we are facing today, the challenges of a recession and providing available and affordable health care to all Americans."

Yesterday, following Obama's appearance on Fox News Sunday, McCain had this to say:

"I saw yesterday some additional comments that have been revealed by Pastor Wright, one of them comparing the United States Marine Corps with Roman legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior," said McCain, responding to a question only about the North Carolina GOP ad, at a news conference in Coral Gables, Fla, He also cited comments Wright made that seemed to compare the United States and Al Qaeda....

"But Senator Obama himself says it's a legitimate political issue, so I would imagine that many other people will share that view, and it will be in the arena," McCain said.

For that, the Obama campaign quickly responded:

"By sinking to a level that he specifically said he'd avoid, John McCain has broken his word to the American people and rendered hollow his promise of a respectful campaign. With each passing day, John McCain acts more and more like someone who's spent twenty-six years learning the divisive, distracting tactics of Washington. That's not the change that the American people are looking for."

For the fourth day in a row, Obama and Clinton are within a point of each other in the Gallup Daily tracking poll. The gap between the candidates began just after the April 22 Pennsylvania primary.

Obama 47 (nc vs. yesterday)
Clinton 46 (-1)

Obama leads by 5.8 points in the RCP National Average

Obama's 25-point lead in North Carolina a week ago has now been cut in half, according to the latest PPP poll (April 26-27, 1,121 LV, MoE +/- 2.9%). Clinton led 56%-35% among white voters, and Obama led 83%-9% among black voters. Obama led among both men and women, though his margin was three times greater among men. He also led by double digits among all age groups.

Obama 51 (-6 vs. last poll, April 19-20)
Clinton 39 (+7)
Und 10

Obama leads by 12.3-points in the RCP Average for North Carolina

Listening to all of the talk about reducing emissions these days, one would think it's just a matter of making a decision. Not so fast, writes Steven Hayward in today's Wall Street Journal:

The usual chorus of environmentalists and editorial writers has chimed in to attack President Bush's recent speech on climate change. In his address of April 23, he put forth a goal of stopping the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2025.

"Way too little and way too late," runs the refrain, followed by the claim that nothing less than an 80% reduction in emissions by the year 2050 will suffice--what I call the "80 by 500" target. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have endorsed it. John McCain is not far behind, calling for a 65% reduction.

We all ought to reflect on what an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050 really means. When we do, it becomes clear that the president's target has one overwhelming virtue: Assuming emissions curbs are even necessary, his goal is at least realistic.

The same cannot be said for the carbon emissions targets espoused by the three presidential candidates and environmentalists. Indeed, these targets would send us back to emissions levels last witnessed when the cotton gin was in daily use.

In other words, Americans should prepare for a whole lot of cold showers, political and otherwise: Hayward notes that "to stay within the magic number...In our current electricity infrastructure, this would mean using no more than about 2,500 KwH per year. This is not enough juice to run the average hot water heater."

Reality has a way of mugging these projects, of course, and leading to all sorts of fun, unintended consequences. Exactly when this mugging will occur is the is the 1,000,000 kilowatt question, but it's probably safe to say it won't be before November.

SurveyUSA has new numbers in Indiana (April 25-27) showing a slight down tick for Clinton and a slight up tick for Obama:

Clinton 52 (-3 vs. last poll April 11-14)
Obama 43 (+3)

Overall, Clinton and Obama are now tied in the RCP Average for Indiana.

The Clinton campaign's call for a series of non-moderated debates in the style of the Lincoln-Douglas debates seems to be a nice move as it puts Obama on the spot.

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today, Howard Wolfson described the debates:

We'd have a huge audience. There's enormous interest in this. So, Barack Obama, if you're listening, let's do it. It'll be fun, it'll be informative. It'll be important for the American people, a good discussion of the issues, no difficult questions from moderators. Just real issues.

Everybody wins! Except, does anybody, when they really consider this, expect the Clinton-Obama debates to get anywhere near the the level of intellectual depth that was the hallmark of the Lincoln-Douglas debates? Lincoln and Douglas were debating slavery, but more specifically, the spread of slavery into new states, the intention of the founders with regards to slavery, and the future of the union.

Now, what would define the Clinton-Obama debates? When previous debates focused on the "issues," viewers were treated to the same argument over the minutiae of the candidate's painfully similar health-care proposals. On Iraq, more of the same. On foreign-policy, with the exception of Obama's willingness to meet with America's enemies, where's the difference?

So what we would be left with are questions of character, as in questions about Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, and whatever issues Obama wants to mention about Clinton. As Obama has admitted, these are legitimate issues -- but Lincoln-Douglas?

It's smart for the Clinton campaign to call for more debates, but when it's clear what they're really after is not a high minded discussion of the issues but another chance to whack Obama and watch him stumble, it's an insult to invoke a comparison to Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

Clinton holds a 9-point lead over McCain in a national general election matchup poll by AP-Ipsos, outpacing Obama by 7 points in terms of winning margin. Obama and McCain are statistically tied.

Clinton 50 - McCain 41
Obama 46 - McCain 44