Now that Barack Obama has finally and unequivocally denounced Jeremiah Wright, the next move is up the rantin' Rev himself.

How is he likely to respond?

It seems obvious that the Obama camp would greatly prefer an angry attack-- featuring insults like "Judas" and "Uncle Tom" and "Zionist Tool." If anything, Obama's comments today seemed designed to provoke Rev. Wright and to produce the kind of bitter (to use one of Barack's favorite words) reaction that would do more than anything else to separate the pastor from his former protege', once and for all.

If Al Sharpton and other race-baiting radicals and extremists joined in with their own condemnations of Senator Obama, it would be all the better for his campaign and his candidacy.

Then, and only then, would Obama be able to get back on track as the "post racial unifier" who stood up to hate-mongers on all sides and spoke directly to the broad American middle.

If Pastor Wright remains uncharacteristically silent -- with no angry words about the "anger" which Barack explicitly aimed at him -- then it's a sure sign that he's so deeply enraged by his former friend's betrayal that he wants, above all, to damage the Obama campaign.

Ironically, if he maintains any remaining affection for the Junior Senator from Illinois, he'll speak up within the next few days and attack him as a sell out.

It's precisely the sort of verbal assault that will help assure primary victories in both North Carolina and Indiana on May 6th.
 
Every Hollywood producer knows that the best way to build up a hero is to provide him with a compelling, charismatic villain as his chief enemy. At the moment, in political terms, Jeremiah Wright qualifies as the most useful enemy in the world.