Final delegates have been allocated in Iowa at the state convention, and Barack Obama has picked up 7 more delegates as some John Edwards supporters switched to Obama. This is big news considering that Hillary only netted 9 delegates out of Ohio.

Hillary’s only hope is that the Wright controversy explodes the Obama candidacy. So far, there’s some evidence that Obama might be talking a short-term hit, as the Rasmussen poll narrowed his lead sharply in one day.

The key is whether Obama can recover and use Wright’s outrageous statements as a call for unity. He started that today when speaking in Indiana, invoking Bobby Kennedy and others who implored Americans to reject anger and hate and to unite around a common purpose.

This is the theme of his campaign. He just might be talented enough to turn this fiasco into a positive message of reconciliation.