McCain did exactly what he had to do to remain on the high road. NC did what they thought was best. Obama IS too far left for most Americans and that really is the message that needs to get out. McCain can delineate specifics on Obama's public record. But we DO have a right to look into what makes Obama tick, and Wright is definitely one of the fly wheels in Obama's inner works.

There CAN be two legitimate views about any issue, including this one. Isn't that what respect and reaching out is all about?

I believe the RNC North Carolina Ad on Obama is valid. It simply points out Obama's association with radicals and questions the judgment of NC Dem candidates who support Obama knowing of those associations.

I know Sen. McCain has condemned the ad, but I believe they have a right to run the ad and I disagree with Sen. McCain on this point. In my view, it would be far better for Sen. McCain to simply say he has nothing to do with the ad and will not be running ads on that subject. But he does not have to go out of his way to condemn others who believe strongly these associations are a critical issue of judgment and character. Sen. McCain has hit Obama hard on his association with Domestic Terrorist William Ayers, as well he should. But Obama's relationship with other radicals such as Jeremiah Wright is just as much fair game in this campaign.

[Gas] FUELING THE PAIN
In Light Of Record High Gas Prices, Why Does Barack Obama Oppose Gas Tax Relief For American Families?
______________________________________________________________________

Americans Are Feeling The Squeeze "As Gas Prices Hit All-Time High":

USA Today Headline: "Drivers Cut Back As Gas Prices Hit All-Time High." (James R. Healey, "Drivers Cut Back As Gas Prices Hit All-Time High," USA Today, 4/22/08)

The Associated Press Headline: "With Gas Hitting Record Highs, Drivers Feeling Squeezed." (Adam Schreck, "With Gas Hitting Record Highs, Drivers Feeling Squeezed," The Associated Press, 4/22/08)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Has Proposed Immediate Gas Tax Relief For American Families, Saving Over $6 Billion:

Under Sen. John McCain's Plan, Families Would Save 18.4 Cents On Every Gallon Of Gas. "Hard-working American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day." (John McCain For President Website, www.johnmccain.com, Accessed 4/22/08)

"A USA TODAY Analysis Showed That McCain's Gas-Tax Proposal Could Save Motorists $6.8 Billion In Taxes During The Summer." (Kathy Kiely, "Gas-Tax Holiday Among McCain's Plans For Economy," USA Today, 4/16/08)

But Obama Has Rejected Gas Tax Relief, Calling It A "Bad Idea":

Obama Opposes Gas Tax Relief. "Earlier Monday at a community college in the Philadelphia suburbs, Obama rejected a tax holiday as bad economic policy. 'I've said I think John McCain's proposal for a three-month tax holiday is a bad idea,' Obama said, warning consumers that any price cut would be short lived before costs spike back." (Nick Timiraos, "Clinton Joins McCain On Gas-Tax Holiday," The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, blogs.wsj.com, 4/21/08)

* Despite His Opposition, Obama Outlined Reasons Why American Families Need Gas Tax Relief. Obama: "Now I don't want to jack up the costs. I'm not going to impose an additional tax on gas because consumers just can't bear it right now. I meet too many families who unfortunately, because of some long-term decisions that we've made, they are driving 30-40 miles, they don't have a mass transit option that can get them to work. And so this is just money out of their pockets." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Town Hall Event, Blue Bell, PA, 4/21/08)

As Of April 22, 2008, The Average Price Of Regular Gasoline In Indiana Was Over $3.47 Per Gallon.
(AAA Website, www.fuelgaugereport.com, Accessed 4/22/08)

As Of April 22, 2008, The Average Price Of Regular Gasoline In North Carolina Was Over $3.49 Per Gallon. (AAA Website, www.fuelgaugereport.com, Accessed 4/22/08)

In Senate, Obama Has Voted For Higher Energy Taxes That Would Have Driven Up The Cost Of Oil And Gas In America:

Obama Voted In Favor Of An Amendment To Add A $32 Billion Tax Hike Package To The CLEAN Energy Act Of 2007 (H.R. 6). (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #223: Motion Rejected 57-36: R 10-34; D 45-2; I 2-0, 6/21/07, Obama Voted Yea)

* A Heritage Foundation Study Found The Tax Increase Would Have Raised Gas Prices To Over $6 By 2016. "A study by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank showed that the proposed tax increase would boost the average price of regular unleaded gasoline from $3.14 per gallon to $6.40 in 2016." (S.A. Miller, "Senate Votes To Raise Auto Mileage Standards," The Washington Times, 6/22/07)

In Illinois State Senate, Obama Voted Against Permanently Eliminating A Portion Of The State Tax On Motor Fuel And Gasohol:

In 2000, Obama Voted Against Legislation To Make "Permanent The Elimination Of The State's Portion Of The Tax On Motor Fuel And Gasohol." "Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Makes permanent the elimination of the State's portion of the tax on motor fuel and gasohol (now, the tax reverts to 6.25% on January 1, 2001). Exempts the elimination of the tax from the sunset provisions. Amends the State Finance Act and the Motor Fuel Tax Law to reflect the permanent elimination of the State's portion of the use and occupation taxes on motor fuel and gasohol. Effective immediately."
(S.B. 1867: Senate Floor Third Reading, Passed, 46-12-0, 11/15/00, Obama Voted Nay)

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however you are all acting like blind partisans if you think it should run. There is an old rule in politics that says leave your opponent alone when they are destroying themselves. Jeremiah Wright is destroying Obama just fine without our help. This ad is opportunistic and its incendiary, and McCain is right it has no place in good political discourse. Let the Democrats reach into the mud for each other, while McCain maintains the high ground and defines each as classic liberals.

The Reps have no business bringing up Wright. He is getting plenty of play in the media without the Reps adding to it. Instead of focusing maximum media attention on his upcoming interview with Moyers some of that oxygen is now directed back at the Reps. This is not only classless but totally politically tone deaf.

...believing reason and common sense would prevail which worked on the young before and who eventually outgrew the sniveling for we know a child who's not a liberal has no heart but, an adult who's not a conservative has no brain.

We are in a new time of apathy, a new time of wrongful entitlement where our silence has resulted in the encroachments of judicial activism, an over-reaching government and a dependent, incapable, selfish and highly dysfunctional group that includes much more than just children. We can not afford to continue losing what we know works for their promised pipedreams which predictably will cause more damage then they ever hoped to fix just as they have already done from which they take absolutely no responsibility.

Run the commercial and create new ones which directly address the whines and snivels, such as this one;

Are You Better Off?
http://conservativesuperiority.com/

Yes, it's time to take the gloves off as lies allowed to go unchallenged are believed in the absence of the truth.

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill disciplined, despotic, and useless. Liberalism is the philosophy of sniveling brats." - P.J. O'Rourke

I posted it on my blogs.

As long as neither John or the RNC has control over who is running it what does it matter?

The Truth is out there.

The North Carolina has a right to decide whether it wants to run the ad or not. I personally would not run it- the contention that Obama is too extreme suggests he agrees with the views of his pastor which he has maintained he did not hear. IMO, the focus would be better put on his totally inconsistent position with regard to Iraq.
I do not think McCain had ulterior motives, but him condemning the ad and Obama and Howard Dean jumping all over it ensured that an ad that would otherwise have gotten little attention gets National exposure, puts more focus on Wright & shows the Democrats is a very unfavorable light- Obama responded to a noble action by McCain with negativity and implied accusations & Howard Dean accusing McCain of lacking leadership (a claim that is ludicrous on its face) for not bullying the state GOPs into a goosestep, reveals himself for the power tripping authoritarian he is.

Andrea

I can understand the desire of John McCain for a positive campaign however to ignore the weaknesses of the opposition in the face of an unethical campaign by his opponents is political suicide. Unethical campaigning by opponents include the recent articles in the Washington Post and NYT, both of which were done as mouthpieces for the Democrats.

Obama had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the podium just to get some sort of retraction of his support of Wright in relation to the "God damn America" and "Chickens coming home to roost" statements. These are however only the more obvious statements taken in by Obama.

Wright works at a much more insidious level as well as can be seen in the following statements from 'The Audacity of Hope' sermon which has had a profound effect on Obama. The first is: -

Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the “Great Emancipator” of the slaves, but in reality, he did not see black Africans as equal with whites. (The issue of slavery was paramount for him because it threatened the unity of the country. The primary reason that the Civil War was fought was not to free the slaves, but to save the United States...

While I am not in a position to judge whether Lincoln believed in actual equality, this is a blindly bigoted statement. Ask yourself " What was Lincoln trying to save the US from?" Wright conveniently ignores the fact that the issue dividing America at the time was slavery. This is basically a claim that whitey is not capable of using a sense of decency and that only an ulterior motive will inspire him.

The next one is about MLK: -

.....he was iced and isolated by all the establishment blacks. And in order for him to hang in and hold on, in order for him to have the audacity to hope, he had to have a vertical hookup that assimilated Negroes had forgotten all about.

Note the attempt to create a divide, not just between black and white, but to isolate those of his own race who are not 'his', those who have risen above race and worked as Americans to make a life for themselves. These people are the ones that he has no appeal for, those who reject Wrights appeal to victim hood, those who stand up for themselves and are on equal terms.

To him and his acolytes they are therefore, "establishment blacks" or "assimilated Negroes".

I say yes, this man is as much relevant to the campaign as Obama is.