Republican Sen. John McCain's campaign suspended a staff member who sent out a provocative video linking Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama to the comments of his spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

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The video, "Is Obama Wright," splices together footage of incendiary comments by Wright, Malcolm X, three former U.S. athletes using the black power salute at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City, and "Fight The Power," by controversial rappers Public Enemy.

The staffer, a low-level aide named Soren Dayton, sent out a link Thursday to the YouTube video, titled "Is Obama Wright?" on the social messaging Web site Twitter.

The campaign suspended him a few hours later, although it wouldn't say for how long.

"We have been very clear on the type of campaign we intend to run and this staffer acted in violation of our policy," campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said. "He has been reprimanded by campaign leadership and suspended from the campaign."

Last month, McCain swiftly denounced the comments of a radio talk show host who, while introducing McCain, repeatedly called Obama by his middle name of Hussein.

Lee Habeeb, a former producer for the Laura Ingraham radio talk show, was an author of the video and posted it on YouTube.

He told the Web site, Politico, "I didn’t do this to make him like a scary black man."

Habeeb is now the director of strategic content at Salem Radio Network, the company that airs programs hosted by other conservative talkers such as such as Bill Bennett and Hugh Hewitt.

"We’re allowed to comment on race because Barack Obama is allowed to comment on race," he told Politico.

On Tuesday, Obama tried to stem damage from divisive comments delivered by Wright, his pastor, while bluntly addressing anger between blacks and whites in the most racially pointed speech yet of his presidential campaign.

Obama expressed understanding of the passions on both sides in what he called "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years."

"But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races," he said.