Just ignore the fact that he associated with an America-hating, conspiracy theorist for 20 years. Don’t let it become a long-term “distraction”.

“What we want to do now, though, is to make sure that this doesn’t continue to be a perpetual distraction,” he said.

“It is true that part of the job when you’re running for president is that anybody who is tangentially, you know, even remotely, associated with you is somehow fair game. And that’s unfortunate because most of us in our lives, you know, we meet people, we know people, some people we work with or we sit on a board with. We don’t really go vet them and find out all the terrible things they might have done because, you know, we don’t know, or what they said to see if it’s politically correct. Look, the truth is when you are running for president, that’s part of the deal. And I accept that because I think it’s important for the American people to know who I am and what my values are and what I stand for.”

Obama was more than “remotely” associated with Wright, as has been documented in the blogosphere for weeks. This is a man he chose to listen to for 20 years, baptize his children, marry him and his wife, and advise his presidential campaign. Wright was even responsible for the title of one of Obama’s best-selling books, The Audacity of Hope.

Obama suggested the Wright controversy and others are getting in the way of solving problems.

“Unfortunately, I think, over the last couple of months, instead of focusing on how do we can make everybody’s lives better, and how do we make sure that everybody can make their kids achieve the American dream, there’s been a lot of distractions and negative attacks,” he said. “We want to get back to talking about you. This campaign is not about me. It’s not about John McCain. It’s not about Hillary Clinton. It’s about you.”

The campaign is very much about you, Barry. We’re choosing our next president, and we need to examine his positions, judgment, and honesty. You have no experience, instead running your campaign solely on your “judgment”, which is apparently bad considering your long-term, willful association with Wright, Ayers, etc.. Simply calling any questioning of your past judgment a “distraction” isn’t acceptable.

Appearing at his side, Michelle Obama also stressed that her husband should not be judged by the words or actions of others.

“Don’t judge Barack by anything other than what he does and says. Just measure it by the choices he’s made in his life,” she said. “If anybody looks over the course of this year, you won’t have a question about who Barack is. He has been very consistent, not just this year, but throughout his entire life.”

He is being judged by the “choices he’s made”. He’s chosen to associate with an  America-hating, conspiracy theorizing, hate monger. He’s chosen to associate with an unrepentant domestic terrorist.

The Obamas seem to demand you judge Barack by the “choices he’s made”, but once you bring up the litany of bad choices, you’re only bringing up “distractions”.

The question is: Will this man actually succeed in pulling the wool over the eyes of the American electorate?