DAY’S END ROUNDUP

John McCain’s campaign has irked liberal bloggers by rethinking its decision not to attack Barack Obama for his ties to his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. McCain isn’t getting much help from his old friend, the press, notes a McCain aide. And some voters have faced heckling for already casting ballots for Obama, according to the Democrat’s blogging backers.

McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, said on a radio show Monday that Rep. John Lewis’s (D-Ga.) remarks comparing McCain to segregationist George Wallace have caused the McCain camp to rethink its reluctance to use Wright, the controversial pastor, notes The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein. Attacking Obama for Wright this late in the campaign would backfire against McCain since many people already know about Wright and since such attacks would reinforce the idea that McCain is erratic, writes Political Animal Steve Benen. Resorting to Wright would make the Republican seem desperate, writes MyDD’s Josh Orton.

McCain aide Mark Salter told The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg that the press uses a different standard for Obama than it does for McCain. Salter also said the press, which used to be in McCain’s corner, has changed while McCain has not. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) are correct to note that reporters haven’t done much to look into Obama’s past drug use, according to Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey.

McCain backers are heckling Obama supporters voting early in North Carolina are undermining democratic norms, writes Political Animal’s Benen. Other Obama backers in North Carolina have had their tires slashed, but the Democrat’s supporters are undeterred, notes Lisa Derrick at The Campaign Silo.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Campaign Rethinking Playing Wright Card – S. Stein, HuffPo
Wright Redux? – Steve Benen, Political Animal
You Made Us Do It! – Marc Ambinder
You Think Fox News Is Bad Now? – Josh Orton, MyDD
Mark Salter on the Press and McCain – Jeffrey Goldberg
Huck, Rudy Cite Obama’s Drug Use – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The Ayers Cover-Up Cont. – J. Hinderaker, Power Line
N.C. Voters Heckled Early – Lisa Derrick, The Campaign Silo
Heckling Voters – Steve Benen, Political Animal

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Bernanke Says He Supports New Aid for Economy – NY Times
Momentum Building For New Economy-Boosting Package – AP
Optimistic McCain Camp Unloads New Lines of Attack – The Hill