Now the big media, thanks in part to the sanction of the savior of American politics, has no argument for downplaying Wright’s publicity tour of the NAACP, the National Press Club, and PBS, which has numerous pundits talking about the “sinking” of Obama’s campaign and Obama distancing himself from a man who Monday reiterated his assertion that Obama’s only repudiating him for political reasons and thinks Louis Farrakhan is “one of the most important voices” of the last century.

It’s becoming clearer every day that Uncle Jeremiah is the one who should have gotten that one-way ticket on the underside of the bus in Obama’s historic speech on race, instead of Obama’s grandma.

The fact that Obama had to repeat again today, “he does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign and so he may make statements in the future that don’t reflect my values or concerns,” has got to have Obama thinking he, too, used his Sister Souljah moment on the wrong person.

Though very different men, the unique strength of both McCain and Obama lies in reaching out to independents and moderates with a well-defined brand that says, “I’m not really one of them (the base).” Both are surprisingly successful at selling that image despite having some views on the Left and Right, respectively, that are far enough Left and Right on polarizing issues to be bothersom to independents.

In a general election, the GOP’s goal will be to illustrate to voters that Obama really is hard left, using his associations with the likes of Wright and Bill Ayers and his policies to paint. The goal of the Democrats has to be to make voters see a clone of Bush in McCain by playing up their association and shared positions.

For a week now, McCain and Obama have been committing gaffes that, by turns, undercut their principal arguments against their opponents and give sanction to their opponents’ arguments against them. Up next: McCain’s ‘You Know, Come to Think of it, I am Kinda Old,’ Tour

Perhaps it’s the pace and frequency with which these candidates of vaunted bipartisanship are asking others to repudiate, asking each other to denounce, and all the time wondering if they’re rejecting enough to remain “independent” that has them mixed up about just what’s worth apologizing for these days.

Now, if McCain as the more experienced campaigner, can combine his unique appeal to independents with the ability to stay on message, I believe we might be able to count on Obama choosing the wrong Sister Souljah moments all the way until November, and that’d be a pickle we'd be glad to be in.