I'll also say this: the point is not to “satisfy” McCain or Clinton partisans. By definition, they will not be “satisfied” until he loses. I felt the same way about HRC and the Tuzla comments. I'm not satisfied with her response until she drops out.

The issue is undecided voters. It should be obvious to anybody who isn't a partisan at this point that:

1) Obama is not a crude Marxist who thinks religion is just a way to dupe the poor
2) He could have explained his remarks better the first time, but any fair-minded reader of his follow-up comments knows that he's saying people come to faith because of their own personal spiritual reasons and traditions, BUT they often “cling to” that faith in times of trouble
3) Republicans have been adept at ginning up votes on culture war issues, knowing that many working class voters hold different economic views than the GOP.