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of the New York Times in March 2007, that Wright fully planned on giving the invocation in Springfield before Obama rescinded the offer just hours before the event: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 Obama called him the night before the Feb. 10 announcement and rescinded the invitation to give the invocation.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.