Here is Barack Obama giving it another go explaining his comments on small town Americans clinging to God and guns to the reporters and writers from the Philly Daily News and Inquirer:

You can see what a difficult spot Obama is in, because the idea that he "mangled" his syntax or "conflated" issues just doesn't seem to jibe with the tone or logic of his initial remarks.

So far, we haven't seen much, if any evidence in the polling to suggest this event has damaged Obama badly in the primary. By and large, it seems Obama's supporters have been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt (as they did with Jeremiah Wright). We'll see if that continues.

The general election is obviously a different matter, and Obama's explanations thus far have not, and probably may never, put this to rest as an issue in November.