The McCain campaign has been forced to disavow inflammatory remarks made against Barack Obama by a top Virginia GOP official (see New York Times).  Over the weekend it was reported first by Time and then by the Washington Post that chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick of the Virginia Republican Party (pictured here) compared Obama to terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Clumsily associating Obama with 60s militant William Ayers - a man with whom Obama was only loosely acquainted within the context of legitimate charity work in Chicago - Frederick told McCain volunteers in Virginia that Obama and bin Laden "both have friends that bombed the Pentagon," concluding that this means Obama is "scary." These remarks were understood as talking points for the volunteers to convey to the voters of Virginia.

Virginia Republicans initially defended Frederick's remarks while John McCain declined comment. Following an outcry against Frederick's statements among progressive bloggers, however, the McCain campaign was forced to issue a statement disavowing Frederick's remarks while weakly attempting to maintain some imagined moral high ground against Obama: "While Barack Obama is associated with domestic terrorist William Ayers, the McCain campaign disagrees with the comparison that Jeff Frederick made and believes that his comment was not appropriate." Frederick himself, meanwhile, has stood by his statements.

Forcing the McCain campaign to respond to Frederick's remarks and to disavow them is a great demonstration of the power of progressive bloggers. It puts McCain on the defensive, and draws attention to the darkly negative nature of his campaign. Frederick's own refusal to apologize for his comparison of Obama to bin Laden, however, should not be given a pass. His remarks are an insult not only to Obama but to anyone who believes in honest, inclusive politics. Frederick should be forced either to apologize personally for his remarks or to resign as chair of the Virginia Republican Party. Obama supporters and other concerned parties are encouraged to contact the GOP and the McCain campaign and to demand either Frederick's apology or his resignation:

McCain national campaign: info@johnmccain.com

McCain Virginia campaign virginia@johnmccain.com

Republican National Committee (Mike Duncan, Chair): chairman@gop.com

Virginia Republican Party: info@rpv.org