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Not long ago, Barack Obama was successfully selling himself as a sort of postracial candidate - a man capable of leading Americans forward in common purpose. But courtesy of the continuing firestorm around Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Mr. Obama's pastor, a candidacy that once promised to bridge centuries-old racial divides now seems just as likely to reinforce them.
Rev. Wright himself does not bear all the blame. A prospective presidential candidate should have known better than to closely and continually associate with someone so radical, and Mr. Obama should have moved more decisively to distance himself from Rev. Wright's poisonous public statements - among them the suggestion that the United States had brought 9/11 upon itself, and propagation of the conspiracy theory that the U.S. government had been involved in spreading AIDS to black communities. And supporters of Hillary Clinton, Mr. Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, have not helped by trying to keep the controversy alive.
Until a few days ago, the campaign appeared to have moved on. In a remarkable speech last month, Mr. Obama neutralized the issue by placing Rev. Wright's anger in broader context while explaining how the country might be able to move beyond it. Then Rev. Wright stepped back into the spotlight on Monday, defiantly claiming that criticism of his remarks "is an attack on the black church." Despite yesterday's firm denunciation of Rev. Wright, in which he said he was "outraged" by his pastor's "divisive and destructive" words, Mr. Obama has been done irreparable harm. And he is not alone.
A comeback victory by Ms. Clinton, fuelled partly by growing unease with the Obama-Wright relationship, would leave many black voters more alienated than they already are. Although he initially struggled to win their acceptance, Mr. Obama's candidacy has engaged communities previously far removed from the democratic process. To lose his seemingly insurmountable lead over his involvement in a black church would lead many of those voters to stay home on election day, and cause a lingering resentment afterwards.
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Even if Mr. Obama wins his party's endorsement, as remains probable, he is damaged goods. No longer can he draw upon his multiethnic roots to rise above race; instead, as a result of his association with Rev. Wright, his racial identity now confronts and divides Americans. This may not preclude him from being elected president, although it can hardly help. But it will likely prevent him from being the uniting force he aspired to be.
Perhaps that aspiration was always too ambitious to be realized. Whether Mr. Obama's lofty rhetoric could be translated into action was uncertain. But through his interventions, Rev. Wright seems to have brought this hope to a premature end.
