Barack Obama has a running mate -whether he wants one or not.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was thrown into the bright white hot lights of the national spotlight last month and discovered something. He liked it.

And that is very bad news for Obama.

The Wright controversy exploded into our consciousness last month with incriminating quotes about that anyone with a television set or a radio have memorized by now.

And then Obama gave a speech about race and everything was said to be hunky-dory. Then Obama lost Texas and Ohio. But even the the Wright thing was believed to be fading into the rearview mirror. Then Obama lost Pennsylvania.

Commercials began airing about Wright’s comments in North Carolina and McCain denounced them as racist which made the national media focus on it even more.

And now the talk has started. Hey, Obama hasn’t won in a while. Can he close the deal? In fact, Obama hasn’t won anything since the Rev. Wright scandal started.

And now the Rev. Wright is back and feeling wronged. He’s got something to say. A PBS interview. A nationally televised speech at the NAACP.

And now, this: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that he will try to change national policy by “coming after” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) if he is elected president. That means Obama and Wright are a package deal.

Like I said. Bad news. Obama and Wright will not be seeing much of each other over the next few months but they’ll be seen together by anyone and everyone with a television set or a radio.