The Wright Effect

Gallup's daily tracking poll offers some lousy news for Barack Obama as Hillary Clinton seizes a 7-point lead, 49% to 42%.

The poll was taken after videos of the Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, hit the airwaves, but before Obama's well-received Tuesday speech about race in America. The poll also offers bad news for the Dem Party, as GOPer John McCain overtakes both Obama and Clinton in head-to-head match-ups. He opened up a four-point lead over Obama and a three-point lead over Clinton.

The survey was conducted between March 16 and 18.

As other polls have indicated, Obama has indeed suffered from the news of Wright's incendiary remarks. He aimed to stanch the bleeding Tuesday in Philly, but by not divorcing himself from Wright, will we continue to see Obama's steady erosion in state (PA?) and national polls. And the obvious follow -- Does it matter? Without MI and FL, does Clinton have a path to the nom?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)