After threatening to drop his neutral stance in his state's Dem primary in reaction to recent comments by Hillary and Bill about race, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn confirmed last night that he will remain neutral, after all:

On Friday evening, Mr. Clyburn, who is traveling overseas, issued a statement saying he intended to remain neutral in the early race. Mr. Clyburn, who aides said spoke with Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama, said he wanted to make sure all candidates had an equal opportunity.

“I encourage the candidates to be sensitive about the words they use,” Mr. Clyburn said “This is an historic race for America to have such strong, diverse candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.”

Clyburn released a statement last night that you can read after the jump. Despite Clyburn's neutrality, there is a very real backlash underway in the black community towards the Clintons for their recent remarks that could present a real problem for Hillary, and her campaign is working overtime to repair the damage.

Separately, in some good news for Obama, The New York Times reports that the New York primary is shaping up as the most competitive one in 15 years, a show of Obama's surprising strength in Hillary's home state.

Clyburn's statement:

“There are many things I have fought for in my life, and first and foremost is my belief that every man, woman and child should be given an equal opportunity to succeed. That is my guiding principle in the upcoming South Carolina Democratic Presidential primary. I told the D.N.C., the South Carolina Democratic Party and the South Carolina General Assembly that I would do everything I could to ensure this first in the South primary is a success. My position and my focus remain the same, and I have conveyed that to the campaigns of Senators Obama, Clinton and Edwards.

“I encourage the candidates to be sensitive about the words they use. This is an historic race for America to have such strong, diverse candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

I want what is best for South Carolina and the nation – a successful South Carolina primary and a strong Democratic nominee.”