Masterfully, Barack successfully distanced himself and his team from ACORN's current troubles while not throwing the organization under the bus. 

First he reminded all that he did work with ACORN 13 years ago when they and the Justice Department were implementing the Motor Voter law.  Second, he made clear that the fraud has been perpetrated on ACORN by paid contractors, not by ACORN on the public, noting there has been no vote fraud as no one expects Tony Romo (of the Dallas Cowboys) to show up in Ohio to vote (let alone Mickey Mouse who Matt Drudge gleefully highlighted all day today on his site).

Obama then addressed head on the suggestion that ACORN is allied with his campaign.

"We've got the best voter registration and turnout and volunteer operation in politics right now and we don't need ACORN's help."

Finally he pivoted beautifully to drive home the point that this whole "scandal" is nothing but smoke, confusing people about what is going on while the Right makes ready for what will most likely be its biggest vote suppression operation ever:

"So this is another one of these distractions that gets stirred up in the course of a campaign," Obama concluded. "But what I want to make sure of is that this is not used as an excuse for the kind of voter suppression strategies and tactics that we've seen in the past. Let's just make sure everybody is voting, everybody's registered. Let's make sure that everybody's doing it in a lawful way."

Perhaps that will be the take on the evening news - "Obama counsels vigilance to assure lawful exercise of right to vote."

Take that FOX the 24/7 ACORN News Channel...