Mayor Mike Bloomberg spoke to Jewish voters today in Boca Raton, Florida, to assure the community that both presidential candidates have expressed a commitment to Israel, and believe that Iran poses a threat to the nation.

Bloomberg, the Independent mayor of New York City who has yet to endorse a candidate (and has appeared at events alongside both candidates), had another reason for addressing Jewish voters. “Let’s make sure that we, as Jews and as voters, keep the conversation focused on the facts and not let it descend into false rumor and innuendo.”

Barack Obama  has been fighting  rumors that he is Muslim since he announced his candidacy. Occasionally voters would ask Obama on the trail if the allegation was true, forcing Obama to try to dispel them, which only amplified the story in the mainstream press. Just a few days ago, the campaign announced a new website dedicated to “fight the smears,” including snuffing out the Muslim myth.

Mayor Bloomberg today lashed out against emails circulating that push that message. “There are plenty of emails floating around the Internet targeting Jewish voters and saying that Senator Obama is secretly a Muslim, and a radical one at that.  Let’s call those rumors what they are: lies.  They are cloaked in concern for Israel, but the real concern is about partisan politics.  Israel is just being used as a pawn,” he said, adding the religion question is “wedge politics at its worst,” and asked the Jewish voters to “reject it – loudly, clearly, and unequivocally.”

Moreover, he said, such tactics will only exacerbate relations between the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as with African Americans. “It threatens to undo the enormous strides that Jews and Muslims have made together in this country – and the enormous strides that Jews and African-Americans have made together,” he concluded.

Read his full remarks as prepared for delivery below the jump.

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The Obama camp unveiled its new plan to fight rumors that have dogged the candidate and his wife, Michelle, since the Dem jumped into the fray. The website, http://www.fightthesmears.com, is a forum for the campaign to contest notions that, thus far, the candidate has attempted to swat away along the campaign trail.

He was most recently had to assure Jewish voters in South Florida at a town hall meeting that he’s not a Muslim, for example. “If you get one of these emails that says I’m a Muslim, not true, never been a Muslim, this is just stuff that is designed to make people suspicious and I watch this - I’m amazed that people are reading this stuff. By the way, if you get an email from a Nigerian whose trying to, who says you can make a lot of money if you send him a thousand dollars, don’t send your money or your bank account,” he joked.

Since he announced his candidacy, Obama has on occasion been characterized as Muslim, unpatriotic, and worse in emails circulating online whose claims are false and often taken out of context. For example, many blogs cite Obama as having written in his book, Audacity of Hope, “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

The new site informs readers that this quote is inaccurate when placed in its original context. Referring to Arab and Pakistani Americans who, after 9/11 felt the affects of racial profiling, Obama the author wrote, “They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

While these emails may seem nefarious in nature - they are sourceless and their claims are often far-fetched - they often find their way into the mainstream media. Just one day after his securing the Democratic nomination, a reporter aboard his campaign jet asked Obama about a long-standing rumor that his wife spoke at their former church Trinity United Church of Christ, and used the word “whitey.” According to rumors, the moment is caught on tape.

An irritated Obama responded, “There is dirt and lies that are circulated in email and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about them. And then that gives legs to the story.
” He challenged, “If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it.
”

The new website is described by the campaign as “an action center” where web surfers can upload their address books and send emails to their contacts that distributes the truth. For example, of Michelle’s alleged use of the word “whitey,” the new site states, “No such tape exists. Michelle Obama has not spoken from the pulpit at Trinity and has not used that word.”

Said a spokesman of the new site, “The Obama campaign isn’t going to let dishonest smears spread across the Internet unanswered. Whenever challenged with these lies, we will aggressively push back with the truth and help our supporters debunk the false rumors floating around the Internet…It’s not enough to just know the truth, we have to be proactive and fight back.”

Check out what Obama Communications Director said about the site:

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Barack Obama dropped by a Boca Raton synagogue today, where during his town hall meeting, he was asked about his relationship with Israel and the Jewish community - something that has plagued his candidacy as rumors over his religion have caused concern. As he wrapped up his prepared remarks, Obama invited “the tough questions” - which was exactly what he got.

The first questioner wondered why he didn’t change his name back to Barry - the name Obama went by as a child. Obama acknowledged the name sounds Muslim and said he wanted to clear up the matter. “My father was from Kenya and Barack actually interestingly enough means the same as Baruch. It means one who’s blessed. And the reason—the reason that that’s interesting is that it’s the same Semitic root. The same source. My father was basically agnostic as far as I can tell, and I didn’t know him. He left as I said when I was two years old. So I was raised by my mother who was from Kansas. And it’s true they called me Barry when I was young, but as I got older, I thought it was important to acknowledge this other side of my heritage and so I was called Barack,” he explained.

For good measure, he observed, “You’ve had a prime minister named Barack in Israel. It should be pretty familiar to this audience.” The crowd applauded.

Two questions later, Obama was asked about his connections to a pro-Palestine scholar named Rashid Khalidi as well as proof that he has pro-Israel friends and advisors. The questioner rambled on a bit and as the crowd got restless, Obama cut off the man as diplomatically as he could. “There’s a question in there that’s important. Let me respond to the question,” he said.

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As of 6pm ET Thursday, the link to the Tennessee Republican Party’s controversial press release attacking Sen. Barack Obama for anti-Semitic ties was officialy dead. (See Web screenshot below)

The release, titled “Anti-Semites for Obama,” originally contained a reference to Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and the Drudge-promoted photo of the Democrat in a traditional Somali outfit. After receiving criticism from Sen. John McCain and the Republican National Committee, the state party stripped those elements from the release late Wednesday but defended the rest of the statement. The RNC publicly condemned the TN GOP’s conduct Thursday morning.

More background here…

And per local TN reporting, it looks like Sen. Lamar Alexander threw down the gauntlet.. 

***10am 2/28 UPDATE*** (((RNC issues official statement: “The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics. We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation.” -RNC Chairman Mike Duncan)))

After receiving a private rebuke from the Republican National Committee, the Tennessee Republican party removed online references to Barack Obama’s middle name as well as a photo attachment of Obama in a traditional Somali dress Wednesday evening.

A GOP official tells FOX that RNC officials chided TN state officials Wednesday for issuing the press release, titled “Anti-Semites For Obama,” which included the Democrat’s middle name, Hussein, as well as the controversial photo that was first publicized on the Drudge Report. Sen. John McCain also expressed his public displeasure with the state party’s conduct at a press conference in San Antonio, TX today.

In a follow up release posted late Wednesday evening, the Tennessee GOP remained unapologetic noting that the original statement was “twisted by Democrats who would prefer to scream “racism!” rather than deal with Obama’s real and worrisome record,” said Communications Director Bill Hobbs.

See the cleaned up version of the press release here…

Compared to the top of the original release below: (note the “Hussein” in the first sentence and the photo)

While the newest statement, titled “Tennessee Republican Party Remains Focused On Issue Not Race,” made no mention of the decision to remove the most controversial parts of the original release, there was an allusion that the TN GOP made the decision for party unity. “Attempts to put the Tennessee Republican Party at odds with Sen. John McCain regarding our Monday press release and his Tuesday comments are ineffective and vacant,” Hobbs added.

Full statement from Bill Hobbs:

Tennessee Republican Party Remains Focused On Issue Not Race

The Tennessee Republican Party expresses thanks to the numerous people who have called to express support for the strong stance that we have taken in defense of the nation of Israel.

Our Monday, Feb 25, press release alerting voters that Sen. Barack Obama has foreign policy advisers and endorsements rooted in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views has been twisted by Democrats who would prefer to scream “racism!” rather than deal with Obama’s real and worrisome record.

Attempts to put the Tennessee Republican Party at odds with Sen. John McCain regarding our Monday press release and his Tuesday comments are ineffective and vacant given Sen. McCain’s consistently strong record as a defender of Israel.

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San Antonio, TX — For the second time in as many days, Sen. John McCain was forced to rebuke members of his own party for over-the-top attacks on Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama.

The presumptive GOP nominee said he disapproves of a Tennessee Republican Party press release that used an infamous photo of Obama in traditional Somali dress, called the Democrat “Barack Hussein Obama,” and alleged that he consulted with anti-Semitic advisers.

“All I can say is that I have made my position very clear and I have made it time after time and I made it yesterday,” McCain said at a San Antonio press conference, alluding to his condemnation Tuesday of a local radio talk show host who also referenced the Democrat’s middle name at an Ohio rally.

McCain noted that given that he is still not the official GOP nominee and has little control over the entire party, but added that, “if I am the nominee of the party, I will obviously assure that everyone within my party knows that this has got to be a respectful debate.”

The Arizona Senator also noted yesterday that he is worried that outside groups like 527s, which he has no control over, may put up ads or use rhetoric that he does not support during the general election.

The GOP is not alone in having to deal with the problem of potentially over-zealous allies. Liberal groups could also pose problems for the Democratic nominee this fall by running spots like the “General Betray-us” that September MoveOn.org ad.

While some Democratic leaders felt compelled to rebuke the group forthe ad, neither Obama or Clinton voted to condemn the Petraeus ad.

A Rudy Giuliani campaign volunteer has resigned 48 hours after making derogatory comments about Muslims.

Aides said Saturday morning that John Deady, co-chairman of New Hampshire Veterans for Rudy, is no longer associated with the campaign after telling multiple media outlets this week that he believed Giuliani was the best candidate to drive Muslims “back to their caves.”

Deady, an 80-year old WWII veteran, told the British newspaper, The Guardian, earlier this week that Giuliani has “the knowledge and the judgement to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history and that is the rise of the Muslims…we need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them.”

Asked to clarify what he meant by “the Muslims,” Deady told the Talking Points Memo blog that he did not distinguish between “good muslims and bad Muslims.” Below is a video excerpt of the Guardian interview.

Official Statement from Rudy Giuliani New Hampshire Chairman Wayne Semprini:

“Mr. Deady offered his resignation from his volunteer position in the campaign and I accepted his resignation.”

At an “OTR” stop in Pleasantville, Iowa, today, Senator Barack Obama dropped by the Smokey Row coffee shop to meet with unsuspecting voters, drink a hot tea, and eat a slice of pumpkin pie (yes, with whipped cream).

The senator obliged a few questions from reporters on the day’s events (his allegations that John Edwards doesn’t “walk the walk” when it comes to denouncing 527 groups in politics) before heading off to what he thought would be a more enjoyable conversation.

He sat down in a booth with four older area residents to eat his pie and had about a ten minute conversation with the potential caucus goers, who asked him questions on such topics as health care and outsourcing. Then 58-year-old Becky Michael wanted to know how his “Muslim background,” would affect his presidency.

In a low voice with cameras hovering near the booth, Obama stated that he was glad she asked the question, because it is often “misreported” that he is Muslim. His father was from Kenya, a Muslim country, but “he didn’t practice Islam,” Obama said.

“I’ve always been a Christian,” he explained. “The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country. I have never practiced Islam,” Obama told her.

But, he also said that he lived in a Muslim country as a child. That, he said, “gives me insight into how these folks think, and part of how I think we can create a better relationship with the Middle East. And that would help make us safer if we can understand how they think about issues.”

Michael followed up, “Define what being a Christian is.”

“Somebody who believes in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,” Obama said in no uncertain terms.

That was good enough for Michael, who said later he gave her an “excellent” answer. “It’s not so important that he is a Christian, although I’m very thankful he is. But it’s very important that he’s not a Muslim,” she said. “I want to know that the next president of the United States, if it’s Barack Obama, will be fighting for the freedom that America has fought for years.”

At a media availability Sunday at a Des Moines diner, Senator Obama was asked if the Muslim issue dogs his candidacy.

Obama replied, “I don’t think the issue dogs me,” he said to the small group of traveling reporters. “It doesn’t seem to have slowed us down. And I think that the people of Iowa, like the people of America, when they get good information, they’re going to make a good decision.”