The dynamic of the back and forth between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is interesting, and I think that Hillary had the better of the exchange, which, according to sources in both campaigns is now officially over.

Obama’s campaign is designed around a goal, to prevent the voting public from thinking of him as an angry black man who cries “wolf” about racism.

As Ezra Klein and John Aravosis have said, this exchange undercuts Obama’s primary message, that he is a new kind of politician who can bring people together, because people are hearing what they see as the same old tired litany (it’s not really tired, because we are a bigoted society) of accusations of racism.

It also gives Charlie Rangel, whose civil rights cred is unassailable, an opportunity to call Obama’s comments stupid.

BTW, if these little digs are causing a hiccup in Obama’s campaign, just wait and see what would happen if he gets the nomination.

Republicans will take those accusations of racism as a badge of honor, and they will, as they have in the past, run a campaign of racist code words.

I fear that Obama would be dead meat in the general.