WASHINGTON — Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, says the negative tone of the Republican presidential campaign reminds him of the hateful atmosphere that segregationist Gov. George Wallace fostered in Alabama in the 1960s.

In a statement issued yesterday, Lewis said John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin were "sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." He noted that Wallace also ran for president.

"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights," said Lewis, who is black.

McCain yesterday called Lewis' remarks "shocking and beyond the pale." The Obama campaign said he doesn't believe McCain is at all comparable to Wallace.

OBAMA-ACTIVIST LINK CRITICIZED

Republicans have alleged that Barack Obama has close ties to an activist group accused of compiling fake registration forms.

Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain, told reporters Friday that Obama's connections to The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, should be investigated. The group says it has signed up 1.3 million poor and working-class voters in a mass registration drive in 18 states this year.

Some of those registration cards have become the focus of fraud investigations in Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five other states.

ACORN accused Republicans on Friday of playing dirty politics to keep America's less fortunate voters from the polls.

Obama and two other lawyers in 1995 represented ACORN in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois to make voter registration easier. During this year's primary, Obama hired a firm with ties to the group for a massive get-out-the-vote effort.

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor called the attacks "false claims (that) are nothing more than another dishonorable, shameful attempt to divert voters' attention from the unprecedented challenges facing their families and our nation."

PALIN LAWYERS: REPORT A 'SMEAR'

Lawyers for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin assailed the legislative inquiry released Friday that found the governor abused her authority in a campaign to remove her former brother-in-law as a state trooper, saying the report misconstrues the state ethics law in an attempt to "smear" the Republican vice presidential nominee.

In response to the report by Alaska's bipartisan Legislative Council, attorney Thomas Van Flein said the ethics law is intended to address cases in which a public official has a financial interest, not merely a personal one.

"There is no accusation, no finding and no facts that money or financial gain to the governor was involved," Van Flein said in a letter released late Friday in reference to the firing of former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan.

The Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act states: "The Legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust." Palin's lawyers yesterday did not return calls seeking elaboration on their letter.

FAKE NAMES LITTER OBAMA DONATIONS

The number of fake names attached to Barack Obama's campaign contributions continue to pile up as news outlets and political researchers go through thousands of pages of donor listings.

New discoveries include Edrty Eddty, who donated $250 in July 2008 and Es Esh, who gave $325 in July. Esh's address: "fhdfhdfh, Erial, NJ 08081."

"Every campaign faces the challenge of screening and reviewing its contributions," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said. The campaign returned all the money.

Campaign finance experts say the notion that someone would donate under a fake name is not as surprising as it might seem. Some don't want to be identified to avoid getting inundated with future requests. Others are pranksters.