By Michael Fauntroy

In a rather public breakup, Democratic presidential frontrunner Senator Barack Obama took severed ties today with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, contending that his former pastor’s words were outside the bounds of decency, calling them wrong and destructive.  I think Obama’s public denunciation of Wright was a necessary, albeit poll-driven, step that may keep his campaign from being derailed by the controversy surrounding Wright.  However, Obama may be kidding himself if he thinks he’s putting this issue to rest.  While it won’t keep him from the nomination, it will prove to be political poison in November.  Obama runs the risk of being seen as disingenuous by contending that he didn’t know what Wright was about.  After all, he disinvited Wright from his campaign announcement speech in February 2007.  Obama and his campaign knew then, and now, what Wright was about.

This may prove to be a seminal moment in the campaign that may cause a problem for him in the Black community.  Obama has essentially thrown a very popular Black minister under the bus.  That may not mean much to the larger society, but Black, church-going people may see this for what it is: poll-driven political expediency.  That may damage Obama more than we now know.

Michael K. Fauntroy is an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University and author of the recently published book Republicans and the Black Vote.  A registered Independent, he blogs at:  www.MichaelFauntroy.com.