By ANNA SCHECTER,ERIC LONGABARDI,and BRIAN ROSS
ABC NEWS
Even as his campaign fell far behind in the polls,Sen. John McCain refused to authorize the use of a fully-produced 30-second television commercial that criticized Barack Obama for his relationship with the controversial pastor,Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
A copy of the spot,obtained by ABC News,indicates the campaign spent the time and money necessary to produce a polished final tape,even after McCain publicly said the pastor should not be made a campaign issue and that he wanted to run a “respectful”campaign. His aides told ABC News that McCain simply decided “he did not want to touch”the Rev. Wright issue.
