In a recent blogpost for The Daily Beast conservative pundit Tucker Carlson argued that John McCain’s campaign should attack Barack Obama for his ties to Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity Church Chicago. As is well known, Wright is a radical anti-American preacher, yet Obama attended his church for 20 years. Wright is the man who ‘brought Obama to Christ.’ The latter even went so far as to call Wright his ’spiritual mentor’ in his autobiography.

But he is a radical. Shortly after 9/11 Wright said: “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye…America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”

In another sermon the good reverend had the following to say: “God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”

He also is in the habit of refering to America as AmeriKKKa, which is undoubtedly not a terminology most Americans would feel comfortable about.

There are enough videos out there which the McCain campaign could use to attack Obama over his ties to Wright – Hillary Clinton’s campaign did so with magnificent results. She was trailing Obama in the polls before her campaign attacked Obama over Wright, but made a comeback once the attacks started. In the end, Obama was forced to quit his church, and to distance himself from Wright, even though he had tried to defend Wright initially.

Although I agree with Carlson that McCain should have the courage to address this issue – for it is yet another sign that Obama is not the moderate he says he is – I think that it would be a mistake for him to focus on it solely. Attacking Obama alone is not going to make McCain victorious. Rather, he needs a combined effort; attack Obama over his ties to radicals, present an alternative vision (and thus plans) for America. Only then may voters consider voting for McCain; they will not vote for someone without a vision, and who limits himself to talking about how bad the other guy is.

McCain, meanwhile, seems afraid to use Wright against Obama. He fears that doing so will result in the Obama campaign and the mainstream media once again playing the race card. Although that would almost certainly happen, it is not a good reason not to use it; recent weeks have shown that race will be used against McCain no matter what. At the same time, most voters will realize that the Wright connection has nothing to do with race, but something with radicalism and Obama’s trustworthiness.

As said, only going after Obama won’t be a winning formula for McCain but ignoring Rev. Wright constitutes malpractice on McCain’s part. It’s an association Obama does not want Americans talk about, but he said in this man’s radical, hateful, anti-American church for 20 years, and never raised his voice in objection to any hateful smears his ’spiritual mentor’ uttered.

It’s worth reminding voters of that. Not just to win, but to show them that Obama is not the man he says he is.