Sen. Barack Obama’s graph of popularity plunged little down last week, when he got into the whirlpool of controversies due to his association with the indicted Chicago real estate developer, Antoin "Tony" Rezko and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who made some biting statements on United States. The USA TODAY/Gallup Poll last week showed Sen. Hillary Clinton leading nationwide.

But, Obama is the leader who knows how to swim out of whirls of controversies. The recent gallop poll articulates that Obama has surged nationwide after he made his high sounding speech on race and after he won the surprise endorsement of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

According to Gallup's daily tracking poll, Obama topped Clinton, 48% to 45%, over the weekend, reversing a more than week-long dip that saw Clinton leading by a statistically significant 7 points.

Meanwhile, the war of words between both camps goes on. Commenting on Richardson’s endorsement, James Carville, one of Clinton’s supporters said in The New York Times, "Mr. Richardson's endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate."

Responding to the remark, Richardson said Fox News Sunday, "Well, I'm not going to get in the gutter like that. And, you know, that's typical of many of the people around Sen. Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."
Obama adviser retired Air Force Gen. Tony McPeak accused BillClinton of practicing "McCarthyism" by allegedly suggesting Obama is less patriotic than Hillary Clinton or presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.