If you listen carefully...

...you'll hear the distinctive sound of a toilet flushing.

It's the sound of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign circling the bowl, thanks to Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Sure, the First Amendment to the Constitution grants each of us the right to free speech. Unfortunately for Sen. Obama, that right extends to -- and over the last several days was exercised fully by -- a narcissistic and arrogant old preacher.

Like sheep, Rev. Wright appears to have only two speeds: graze and stampede.

Make no mistake, Rev. Wright is a spellbinding orator and a brilliant theologian. And, truth be told, I have no quarrel with many of his substantive points. But he's at least smart enough to have predicted the effect of his re-emergence on Sen. Obama's aspirations.

Cynics may say that the sabotage was intentional, on the grounds that Rev. Wright's stock-in-trade is appealing to his downtrodden race, and it'd be difficult to claim oppression with parishioner Obama in the Oval Office.

This time, the cynics may be right.