Truth as a prohibited campaign weapon

Kudos to the Washington Examiner for criticizing John McCain's weakness in the face of idiocy. McCain caved to the whiners and fools on the Left who complained about the factually correct ad produced by the North Carolina GOP:

The ad makes three points: Obama attended Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years, Wright said the Almighty should damn America and, because of his apparent comfort with his pastor's extremism, Obama is "too extreme for North Carolina."

Considering that the first two points are simply facts, and the third is a conclusion that North Carolinians could reasonably draw from the first two points, what's wrong? This isn't mudslinging. There are no charges that Obama would fraternize with terrorists as President (even though he's said he would meet with Iran's leaders) or that he's a foolish socialist (imminently reasonable given his economic policies), and those are easily defensible "negative" claims.

McCain needs to smarten up: there are three facts in any campaign situation -- the press wants to see the candidates debate issues only and will side with the liberal; the public will say it wants a positive, issues-based campaign; and NEGATIVE ADS WORK.

Finally, McCain has to realize that there is, has been, and will be a double standard at work for him because he is a Republican. On top of that, there will be a second double standard because he is white, as the Examiner demonstrates:

. . . none of the critics point to factual inaccuracies in the ad, so they hide behind a parade of accusatory generalities about tone and tenor. As for [DNC Chairman Howard] Dean's observation, we look forward to hearing his explanation – delivered, please, without his usual opportunistic bombast - of precisely what in the ad is "racially divisive." Otherwise, it's difficult not to conclude that what is really going on here is an attempt by Obama and his sympathizers to put all discussion of his relationship with Wright off-limits by branding it somehow "inappropriate" or vaguely racist. Ditto his relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers and Chicago political bagman Tony Resko. For clarity on this point, simply ask yourself how these same people would react if the tables were turned and McCain had sat passively in the pews for 20 years listening to an unreconstructed Southern Baptist bigot in the pulpit damning America for seeking racial equality, accusing the government of inventing AIDS to punish sinners and extolling KKK Imperial Dragon David Duke for defending the superiority and purity of the white race. The double standard at work here is absolutely breath-taking.