Sen. Barack Obama' speech in response to the controversy over his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright was well crafted and, no doubt, well delivered (I did not see the speech, but read the transcript in its entirety). I suspect that those who want to see Obama win will like the speech and declare the controversy closed, those who do not want Obama to win will say just the opposite. The problem for Obama, it seems to me, is that nothing Obama can say or do can undo the damage done. The fact of the matter is that Wright was Obama's pastor for nearly 20 years and it strains credulity to believe that Obama never heard or knew about Wright's most egregious views and yet, while it was not politically necessary to do so, did not explicitly and publicly reject them. I think a lot of white, working class voters who were starting to come over to his side, have now been lost to him, which will benefit Hillary Clinton in the short term, and may benefit McCain in November.

Victor Davis Hanson doesn't think the speech addressed the core issues.

The editors of the Wall Street Journal are not satisfied by the speech.

Writing in Time, James Carney says the speech was a bold gamble.

Before the speech, noted African-American conservative commentator and thinker Shelby Steele had these thoughts about Obama and Wright. Joseph Laconte writes that Wright is The Wrong Reverend. Richard Cohen wonders why it took so long for Obama to condemn Wright's views.