Could 527 groups legally play ads with Rev. Wright's sermons in them?
So I've been thinking about the 527 situation. First of all, I don't think it's that big of a deal, because everyone will have already seen the clips of Rev. Wright's sermons, due to news organizations playing them 24/7. Therefore, I'm not sure it will be that big of an issue in the fall. Everyone will have already made up their minds on this issue by then.
However, I have a question. Wouldn't the 527 groups have to get permission from the church in order to play the clips in their ads anyway? If that's the case, then obviously that's some good news for Obama supporters.
I'm also wondering if the 527 groups could just get them from ABC. Is ABC in a position to grant them the rights? If they are, one would hope that ABC wouldn't allow it, as I'd think it'd be a huge conflict of interest for a news organization to grant rights for propaganda hit ads.
Anyway, this also leads to the question, why did the church allow ABC to air these clips? Unless I'm not understanding the law, I presume that the church granted ABC the rights to air the clips.
If that's the case, then one has to wonder why they were so stupid. It'd actually lend credence to the fact that these type of clips really aren't the norm from Wright. That they're so few and far between, that the church didn't even remember that a few of his sermons might have contained inflammatory remarks.
Obama's people should push these points out more forcefully.