John Lewis and John McCain

DEMOCRAT John Lewis is resorting to the usual DEMOCRAT election ploy of calling the opponent a racist. It's a pattern. The Dems punctuate campaigns with charges of racism.

From FOX News:

Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights-era icon , invoked segregationist Gov. George Wallace of Alabama in accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of fanning the flames of hatred at Republican campaign events.

"What I am seeing reminds me of too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement released to FOX News. "Senator McCain and Governor Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."

"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights," Lewis added. "Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."

He then accused McCain and Palin of "playing with fire" in a way that "disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy."

McCain immediately responded, calling on Obama to denounce Lewis' statement.

"Congressman John Lewis' comments represent a character attack against Governor Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale," McCain said in a written statement. "The notion that legitimate criticism of Senator Obama's record and positions could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign."

John McCain and Sarah Palin are not creating "the climate and the conditions that [encourage] vicious attacks against innocent Americans who [are] simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights."

Lewis' remarks are truly shocking.

Time for Obama to condemn Lewis. It's time for him to note how dangerous and divisive his rhetoric is. Time for him to douse the flames of the fire that the irresponsible Lewis has set.

After all, Obama is taking the high road, right?

Wrong.

Obama's camp shot up a flare to disassociate itself from the worst of Lewis' statement, while not really rebuking the political ally who had turned his back on the Clintons so helpfully at just the right time during the primary season. But it added a qualifier to allow the odor of Lewis' remarks to linger.

"Sen. Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies," said the campaign statement. But wait! There's more:

"John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night."

This is so sleazy. Obama can't have it both ways.

Oh, that's right. He can. The lib media won't stand in his way. In fact, they'll clear the path for him.
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UPDATE, October 13, 2008: Mark Levin's comments on John Lewis and the real Barack Obama are worth reading.