Obama battles to transcend toxic race row

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WASHINGTON, Mar 19 (AFP): Democratic front-runner Barack Obama battled to defuse the most serious threat yet to his presidential hopes after incendiary, racially tinged sermons by his former pastor triggered an uproar.
The mixed-race Illinois senator Tuesday condemned the sermons while standing by his black spiritual mentor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and appealing for America's divided communities to pursue a "more perfect union."
Wright, who has now retired from the Chicago church, resigned last week from an Obama campaign committee when videos emerged of him appealing to African-Americans to sing "God damn America" and condemning US "terrorism."
New polls suggested that non-stop airings of the sermons on television networks and the Internet had dented Obama's support, with independent voters who had been excited by his promise of change especially put off.