HEY JOHNNY MAC! HOW'S THAT "RESPECTFUL CAMPAIGN" WORKING OUT FOR YA?

John McCain will get it sooner or later. He is going to find that his calls for a "respectful campaign" are going to fall on deaf democrat ears. Point of fact, those calls already are falling on deaf democrat ears.

In what is becoming almost weekly protocol, Sen. McCain condemned officials his own party for going over the line in attacking Barack Obama.

This time the North Carolina Republican party has launched a new TV spot tying local Democrats who support Obama to incendiary remarks made by the Democrat’s longtime preacher, Jeremiah Wright. (below)

The ad declares that Obama is “just too extreme for North Carolina,” noting that local officials should “know better” than to support the Democratic presidential frontrunner.

McCain repeatedly called on the state party to pull the ad Wednesday, vowing again to run a “respectful campaign.”

Meanwhile, Democrats have released the following campaign attack ad:

I'm not sure about the wisdom of a man who wants to be President if he's too daft to know that regardless of what he calls for with respect to campaign etiquette, the left is going to tear him to shreds between now and November. And this notion that Obama's relationship with Reverend Wright is off limits is just ludicrous. Especially when Obama himself says that his relationship with Wright is a legitimate issue. Obama is an unknown quantity. Accordingly, his character is an issue. And few things are more telling of a man's character than the thoughts of his church and his mentors. Of course, I suspect McCain is taking the high road publicly while allowing the right wing blogs to do his dirty work as it relates to Obama and his past dealings. This tactic, however, is going to fail. Sooner or later McCain is going to have to get down and dirty with Obama.

UPDATE: I had no sooner finished writing the above than I noticed the following from John McCain today:

“I’ve stated my position very clearly that I don’t like the ad. I was interested that this morning Senator Obama said it was a legitimate political issue. If he believes that, then it will probably be a political issue. I saw yesterday some additional comments that have been revealed by Pastor Wright, one of them comparing the United States Marine Corps with Roman Legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior, I mean being involved in that. It’s beyond belief. And then of course saying that Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags. So I can understand, I can understand why people are upset about this. I can understand why Americans, when viewing these kinds of comments, are angry and upset. Just like they view Senator Obama’s statements about why people turn to their faith and their values. He believes that it’s out of economic concerns. We all know it’s out of a fundamental belief, a fundamental faith in this country and its values and its principles. Again, Senator Obama, out of touch. I can’t control, and will not in future, control. I will voice my opinion. And I will continue to say that I think that ad should not be run. But I won’t continue to try to be the referee here.”

Translation: McCain's isn't concerned about what his conservative base thinks, but if the Messiah says it cool, than it's cool.
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