Palin Wants Rev. Wright as an Issue

Bill Kristol did a phone interview with Sarah Palin and brought up the issue of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who John McCain has put off-limits:

I pointed out that Obama surely had a closer connection to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright than to Ayers — and so, I asked, if Ayers is a legitimate issue, what about Reverend Wright?

She didn’t hesitate: “To tell you the truth, Bill, I don’t know why that association isn’t discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that — with, I don’t know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn’t get up and leave — to me, that does say something about character. But, you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up.”

I guess so. And I guess we’ll soon know McCain’s call on whether he wants to bring Wright up — perhaps at his debate with Obama Tuesday night.

Right now McCain needs to use every bit of ammunition he's got, and Rev. Wright's statements and his 20-year mentorship of Obama should be fair game. It goes to the issue of Obama's core beliefs, what he's been willing to listen to and support during these years, and what he's likely to believe even today.