Their plan worked. Everybody is falling for it. You don't think that Jesse knew his mike was on. Come on. No matter what you think of Jackson he ain't stupid as far as playing the game of politics.
The backstory: Obama is trying to reach the center and in particular white working folk as well as the evangelicals. He is trying to portray himself as mainstream and not just a black candidate. So, who do the white people hate or see as the face of black america - Jesse Jackson.
So, Jesse saids these comments "off air on a live mic"

bashing Obama. Forget the fact, that Obama and Jackson are tight. Now, the media will run with it and the sheep will believe that Obama and Jackson are not the same and not on the same side. Obama is not Jackson, Obama is not just a black president. He's mainstream, he's for everybody. Obama will eventually distance himself from Jackson too just like he did Rev. Wright.
You don't think Rev. Wright's second round of comments weren't planned? After the initial firestorm, Obama made his speech but did not throw Wright under the bus because he didn't want to appear as another politican. However, he knew he had to distance himself. Rev. Wright is also no dumby to the political game. So, what does Rev. Wright conveniently do? He makes new outlandish comments. What does the able Obama to do? To distance himself from Rev. Wright, freeing him of the Rev. Wright controversy. "This is not the man I've known for 20 years."
Folks, I know we think these people are stupid and inept, but they really aren't that dumb. They're actually pretty slick. With very few exceptions (and the two guys running for the White House aren't in the exception category) they are all lying, theiving, corrupt, no good motherf-ckers.