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Pastor Strife Forces Obama to Get Tough

Forceful break with Wright signals change in tone at crucial juncture

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 30, 2008 6:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama's angry break with his former pastor marks a dramatic change in tone for the Democratic hopeful—and the party's superdelegates are paying close attention, the New York Times reports. Obama's forceful handling of the furor has impressed many but the revival of thorny racial issues ahead of next week's primaries is causing some to fret.

“I’m a little surprised at how much traction it is getting," said one undecided superdelegate. "I do believe it is beginning to reflect negatively on Senator Obama’s campaign." Another said that he'd never seen a winning candidate get through the primaries without trouble and that Obama was getting better at dealing with it. "It’s challenging to him," he said. "I see this as a learning experience.”

Barack Obama folds his notes after speaking at a news conference in Winston-Salem N.C., Tuesday, April 29, 2008, about his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Barack Obama folds his notes after speaking at a news conference in Winston-Salem N.C., Tuesday, April 29, 2008, about his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ and former pastor of Barack Obama, addresses a breakfast gathering at the National Press Club in Washington.
Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ and former pastor of Barack Obama, addresses a breakfast gathering at the National Press Club in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses for a moment while campaigning at a town hall-style meeting in Hickory, N.C., Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses for a moment while campaigning at a town hall-style meeting in Hickory, N.C., Tuesday, April 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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