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Barack Obama’s one-time pastor Jeremiah Wright and the controversial statements he’s made haven’t been much of a campaign topic since Obama renounced his comments in a widely hailed speech on race last spring. John McCain has said that the Wright issue is off-limits but many Republicans disagree with him. His running mate, Sarah Palin, has even said that she considers Wright to be a legitimate topic of discussion.

In the waning days of the campaign, Wright’s comments have shown up in some limited advertising by groups and organizations not directly affiliated with McCain’s campaign. An ad by the National Republican Trust PAC revises Wright’s comments and question’s Obama’s relationship with him. The Pennsylvania Republican Party reportedly began airing a similar ad over the weekend but the size of either buy has not been confirmed.

“For 20 years Barack Obama followed a preacher of hate and said nothing is Wright raged against our country,” the National Republican Trust ad begins, followed by the a clip of wright, saying, “not God bless America, God damn America” and “U.S. of KKKA!" A quote from Obama is shown on the screen, reading, “I don’t think my church is particularly controversial.” Announcer: “He built his power base in Wright's church. Wright was his mentor, adviser and close friend. For 20 years Obama never complained until he ran for President. Barack Obama. Too radical. Too risky.” Watch it:

The Huffington Post has flagged comments by John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, that suggest the McCain campaign might bring up Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, in the final weeks of the campaign.

McCain has previously declared Wright off limits.

"Look, John McCain has told us a long time ago before this campaign ever got started, back in May, I think, that from his perspective, he was not going to have his campaign actively involved in using Jeremiah Wright as a wedge in this campaign," Davis said on conservative host Hugh Hewitt's radio show. "Now since then, I must say, when Congressman Lewis calls John McCain and Sarah Palin and his entire group of supporters, fifty million people strong around this country, that we're all racists and we should be compared to George Wallace and the kind of horrible segregation and evil and horrible politics that was played at that time, you know, that you've got to rethink all these things. And so I think we're in the process of looking at how we're going to close this campaign. We've got 19 days, and we're taking serious all these issues."

Lewis compared crowds at Republican rallies to those at the rallies of George Wallace, a prominant segregationist in the 1960s. McCain called on Obama to repudiate the remarks at the last presidential debate.

Some Republicans, including GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, have suggested that Wright, the pastor whose controvertial statements (among them "God Damn America") were widely publicized during the primary campaign, should get more attention. As Sam Stein notes, Palin at one point said she doesn't know "why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said."

In recent weeks, the McCain campaign has instead tied Obama to former Weather Underground member William Ayers, with whom Obama's relationship is far more tenuous.

CBS News’ chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports that a group called the Judicial Confirmation Network will spend over $1 million on a TV and print advertising campaign in a smaller markets in the key swing states of Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania featuring some controversial figures Barack Obama has been associated with. Here’s the text of the television ad, narrated by the Judicial Confirmation Network’s Wendy Long:

Wendy: “With the help of hundreds of thousands of Americans, the Judicial Confirmation Network fought for the nominations of Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Sam Alito. The next President may nominate 4 new Justices. So we'd like you to see this.”

Voice Over: “Choosing the right Justices is critical for America. We don't know who Barack Obama would choose, but we know this: He chose as one of his first financial backers a slumlord now convicted on 16 counts of corruption. Obama chose as an associate a man who helped to bomb the Pentagon and said he "didn't do enough." And Obama chose as his pastor a man who has blamed America for the 9/11 attacks. Obama chose to associate with these men, while voting against these men.”

Wendy: “Please join the Judicial Confirmation Network. We need a Supreme Court that respects the Constitution and Justices who won't legislate from the bench. Judicial Confirmation Network paid for this message and is responsible for it.”

An ad by Republican Greg Davis in Mississippi made news earlier this week because of its use of the controversy surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The ad from Davis, who is battling Democrat Travis Childers in a special election in the state’s 1st Congressional district linked Childers to Obama – and Wright. “When Obama’s pastor cursed America, blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing," the ad claimed. "When Obama ridiculed rural folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing. Travis Childers – he took Obama’s endorsement over our conservative values. Conservatives just can’t trust Travis Childers.”

Childers attacked the ad and today began running one of his own. “This campaign has been one for the books,” Childers says in the ad. “My family has heard the lies and attacks linking me to politicians I don’t know and have never met. But keep this in mind: I’ve never raised taxes, Greg Davis has. I don’t have a taxpayer-funded car, Greg Davis does. I’m pro-life and pro-gun. I’m Travis Childers and I approve this message because I’ll do on Congress what I’ve done in Mississippi – work with both parties, balance budgets and create jobs.” Watch it:

Five straight days of Rev. Wright headlines have undoubtedly taken a toll on Barack Obama’s campaign. After another disappointing loss in another large state, he was already laboring under the pressure of proving that he has what it takes to deliver that knockout punch in North Carolina and, more importantly, Indiana on May 6th.

At the moment, it seems as though he’s locked in a battle with at least four different opponents – Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Jeremiah Wright and the media. What better time for a stunning blow?

For the first time in a long time the expectations game may be working in Obama’s favor. Although expected to win comfortably in North Carolina next Tuesday, Indiana is where most of the attention will likely be focused. Polls show the race there to be a near dead-heat, with Clinton claiming a lead most recently. But the state is hardly a slam-dunk for either candidate. And Obama has perhaps as many things going for him in the state that borders his own as he has going against him.

Next Tuesday is yet another in a series of critical days for both Democrats but for once, it’s Obama who’s operating with the burden of expectations – can he finish this race off? After the loss in Pennsylvania, all the discussion about his failure to attract those blue-collar voters and, now, the re-emergence of Wright as an issue, he looks to be the underdog, at least in Indiana.

But a win in the Hoosier state would be the ultimate remedy for what is ailing his campaign. It would all but knock Clinton out of the race, put questions about his ability to attract support in the heartland to rest and demonstrate to the party’s superdelegates that the Rev. Wright controversy doesn’t render him unelectable. A Hoosier State victory isn’t out of reach and in this race, almost seems like a fitting ending. Stay tuned.

We have extensive coverage of this story on the politics page, but in case you've yet to see it, here's a short video of Barack Obama criticizing his former pastor at a press conference today:

There remains one dominant issue in the presidential campaign today, one week before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries – Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Barack Obama’s former pastor is making headlines for yet one more day. And they’re not pleasant ones for the Illinois Senator. There are the tabloid headlines like the one in the New York Post proclaiming a “Pastor Disaster.”

Then there is the serious advice, like that coming from the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page: “Early in his campaign, Senator Obama earned support from many voters with the notion that he wanted to transcend racial politics. Rev. Wright is exacerbating them in a way not seen in recent years. Barack Obama cannot remain on both sides of this. He has to make a decision. He is not running for national Mediator. He is running for President. In time, that job brings tough decisions. He's there now.”

It’s the fodder for the morning papers and talk shows that opinion-makers (and superdelegates) are waking up to this morning: “Mr. Obama seems more and more like someone buffeted by events rather than in charge of them,” writes New York Times columnist Bob Herbert. “Very little has changed in the superdelegate count, but a number of those delegates have expressed concern in private over Mr. Obama’s inability to do better among white working-class voters and Catholics. Rev. Wright is absolutely the wrong medicine for those concerns.”

The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson weighs in as well on Wright’s recent comments and appearances. “I’m sorry, but I’ve had it with Wright,” he writes. “Politically, by surfacing now, he was throwing Barack Obama under the bus. Sadly, it’s time for Obama to return the favor.”

What real impact all this might have on the Democratic nomination battle remains unknown. The initial round of Wright controversies took place in that gulf of time between the Texas/Ohio primaries and Pennsylvania and Obama performed about the same among demographic groups most likely to be affected by it, in some instances marginally better.

But it’s not pure Democratic primary voters those superdelegates are most concerned about, it’s those “Reagan Democrats” and independents who’ve shown a proclivity to vote Democratic in 2008 they want to keep in their column. It may take a while before the total impact of Wright is felt, so why should Democrats be in a hurry to get this race over with?

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Last week we saw the first ad of the campaign cycle linking Barack Obama and his controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who is once again making headlines today.

This week brings the second such spot. This new ad, like the last one, uses the Wright/Obama connection to attack a local Democrat. This time around, it's House candidate Travis Childers of Mississippi, who, the ad notes, was "endorsed by liberal Barack Obama."

“...when Obama’s pastor cursed America, blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing," an announcer says in the spot. "When Obama ridiculed rural folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing. Travis Childers – he took took Obama’s endorsement over our conservative values. Conservatives just can’t trust Travis Childers.”

Watch it:

Whether you think he’s right or wrong, the public speaking tour by Barack Obama’s former preacher Jeremiah Wright is going to dominate the political discussion heading into a very pivotal week in the presidential campaign. And there are few positives for Obama’s campaign to be found in that reality.

In a combative appearance at the national press club this morning, Wright provided more ammunition for critics who contend that his brand of theology is divisive at best, troubling at worst. In his prepared remarks, Wright contended that such criticisms were not an attack on himself or Obama’s campaign but on what he called the “black church.”

And he did nothing to distance himself from earlier comments that have been looped and replayed over and over again. He praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as an important voice for black Americans while insisting that he did not agree with everything the controversial leader has said. Wright described Sunday mornings as the most segregated time in the nation, blasted the U.S. government and, asked whether he believes that it spread the AIDS virus within the black community, insisted, “I believe our government is capable of doing anything.”

Obama’s campaign says their candidate has said all he’s going to say about his former pastor but that’s not going to stop the questions he’ll get as he stumps in North Carolina and Indiana this week in advance of very important contests in those states.

Rev. Wright has made a point of insisting that his role is not that of a politician but of a religious and community leader. That’s not going to be of much comfort to Obama’s campaign. Whether he sees himself as a politician or not, Wright has thrust himself right back into the middle of the political conversation – and has done so in a very confrontational manner.

Wright insisted that he’s not Barack Obama’s spiritual adviser, but the two are linked in the minds of voters and provides an opening for political opponents to use in or out of context. “Maybe now an honest dialogue about race in this country will begin,” Wright said according to prepared remarks. “Just maybe now as that dialogue begins the religious tradition that has kept hope alive for a people struggling to survive in countless hopeless situations will be understood." The dialogue will certainly continue – and not in the way Obama’s campaign would like.

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As we noted in a story today, John McCain has called on the Republican Party of North Carolina not to run a controversial ad criticizing two state Democratic gubernatorial candidates for endorsing Barack Obama.

The spot, which you can see here, calls Obama "too extreme" for the state and shows Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, exclaiming "God Damn America." The North Carolina branch of the NAACP has suggested the ad is injecting "racial sentiments" into the campaign.

Now the Charlotte Observer is reporting that two of the state's television stations are refusing to air the ad, which the state party says it still plans to run.

"I just don't think it's appropriate to be on our air," the general manager of one of the stations told the paper. "I think it's offensive, and I'm not real comfortable with the implications around race."

The stations have a legal right not to air the ad, but Brent Woodcox, the state party's spokesman, told the Observer the decision was disappointing.

"You're going down a very dark path that could end up saying, 'these are the kinds of things you can say in a political debate, and these are the kinds of things you can't,'" he said. "Those aren't the principles this country was founded on."