Obama's More Perfect Candidacy

Rev. Jeremiah Wright's incendiary comments forced Barack Obama to finally address race. A candidate whose success is powered by Americans' hope for a post-racial, united "United States of America" stood in the shadow of Independence Hall and told America: race still matters.

"The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect."

Sure, progress has been made but there are racial disparities in access to traditional home mortgages, health care and quality education. The black unemployment rate is twice that of whites and one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars.

In an eloquent and wide-ranging speech, Obama used this teachable moment to contextualize the anger and resentments on both sides of the racial divide. "But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality."

And because race matters, "if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American."

While Obama "condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright," he refused to "disown" him. That refusal, coupled with the "constant loop" of Wright's sermons, will make it hard to "get beyond our racial divisions."

Only time will tell whether voters will embrace Obama's candidacy to send the message: "Not this time." A CBS poll found that among voters who heard about the controversy, 30 percent "said it made them have a less favorable view" of Obama.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is riding high. The latest Quinnipiac poll shows "momentum in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary battle has shifted back" to Clinton, who now leads Obama 53 percent to 41 percent among likely primary voters. Whites back Clinton 61 percent to 33 percent, and blacks favor Obama 76 percent to 18 percent.