*Obama says Wright "legitimate" issue
*Rev. Wright keeps on talking
*Watch the controversial NC ad
*Ethanol backlash continues to grow
*U.S. Chamber's pro-illegal alien agenda
*Miley Cyrus exposed in Vanity Fair

04.25.08 Briefing • Steve Elliott, Grassfire.org • Subscribe here • RSS

Meanwhile, Barack Obama -- making his first appearance on Fox News in 772 days -- finally admitted that Rev. Wright is a newsworthy issue. "The fact that he is my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue," said Obama. Read the interview transcript here. Since many in the Democratic base agree with Wright (or at least accept his racist rhetoric), I'm not sure Wright can do much more damage to Obama in the nomination process, but it certainly will not ease what the New York Times is calling a "superdelegate stalemate." Now, Howard Dean is calling for either Clinton or Obama to quit by June. Maybe he should ask Wright to shut up at least until December.

McCain throws Bush the bus.
Did you notice last week how easy it was for John McCain to hurl President Bush under the Katrina/New Orleans bus? Compare this to how McCain rebuked fellow Republicans in North Carolina for running an ad that dared to link Obama with Pastor Wright. Why is it so easy for McCain to trash fellow Republicans like his President while he allows the Left to get a free pass? To his credit, McCain did later raise the Wright issue himself, indicating that he will make this a topic of the campaign if he faces Obama in the fall. Here is the ad, which has not yet been cancelled:

Ethanol backlash continues to grow.
The Washington Times is continuing to beat the growing drum of opposition to the ethanol mandates. These mandates are being blamed in part to rising food prices worldwide. From the Times:
The fivefold increase in the use of biofuels mandated by Congress must be jettisoned. Currently, about a fifth of the U.S. corn crop is converted into fuel. Congress failed to realize when it acted that the conversion of corn into fuel matters hugely on the margin in global markets for foodstuffs. Thankfully, a global backlash against ethanol is developing in Europe. It would be welcome news if it soon reaches the United States.

U.S. Chamber's Illegal Alien Agenda.
You'll find on our Grassfire Immigration Blog two very good reports that expose the U.S. Chamber's illegal alien agenda and challenge the misconception that cracking down on illegals will crush the economy. The Chamber just released a report indicating that a crackdown on illegals would cost US employers $1 billion. This conflicts with what's happening right now in Oklahoma, where unemployment is down and the economy is up following implementation of stricter laws on illegal immigration.

Obama on Abortion.
Found a good article on Obama's abortion position. It's time to call it what it is -- extreme and radical. Do we want a president who voted against the ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure? Obama also voted against the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act. Obama also opposed an effort to make sure minors do not cross state lines to have an abortion without consent of their parents. You can access Grassfire's presidential candidate issues backgrounder here.

On the Web Today:

Miley Cyrus exposed by Vanity Fair
Pulpit plaigiarism a growing problem
Blackberry (40% and falling) v. iPhone (18% and climbing)
TIME under more criticism for Green Iwo Jima cover here and here
Obama adviser uses video of Gay Jesus getting run over by a bus