In John McCain's view, using Barack Obama's former pastor against him in a campaign ad is hitting below the belt. But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Wednesday did not let Obama's comments on ''bitter'' Americans slide.

McCain has asked the North Carolina GOP not to run a television ad that brings up Obama's controversial retiring pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The ad shows Obama and Wright together and features a clip of Wright cursing America. Earlier this year, Obama was forced to disavow some of Wright's more incendiary comments about race and American "terrorism."

But McCain welcomed a question Wednesday about Obama's comments that some Americans ''cling'' to guns and religion because they are ''bitter'' and frustrated over their economic plight.

Asked to comment at a town hall meeting in Inez, Ky., McCain asked the state senator who questioned him whether the remarks reflected the views of his constituents. Sen. Brandon Smith said he believed it reflected the views of someone ''who doesn't know this neck of the woods.'' That drew the cheering crowd to its feet.

McCain said he finds Obama's comments ''elitist,'' to say the least. He noted that some of the people Obama was talking about lived through the Depression and fought in World War II.

This same group of Americans ... went out and fought the Second World War and made the world a safer democracy. Those are the values that they had then and they have today. So yes, I think those are elitist remarks to say the least," he said.

But McCain told voters that the ad running in North Carolina is not the message he wants for his campaign.

''I want to be the candidate of Republicans and Democrats and independents and people across the political spectrum and I think that by traveling America and listening and learning as well as portraying my vision for the future, I'm going to attract a large number of independents and Democrats into our cause because right now the cause is America and right now the cause is that Americans want us to work together to solve these enormous challenges that we face today,'' McCain told reporters Wednesday.

North Carolina Republicans say they won't pull the ad, arguing that it's about a statewide race and not the national election. The ad actually targets Democratic gubernatorial candidates who have endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Responding to the comment, Obama said the Republican National Committee and McCain have both called the North Carolina ad inappropriate, and the presumptive GOP nominee should have the authority to get the ad pulled.

"I take them at their word and I assume that if John McCain thinks that it is an inappropriate ad then he can get them to pull it down since he is their nominee and standard bearer," he said.

One day after his primary loss in Pennsylvania, Obama said he remains confident that he will win the Democratic nomination over Hillary Clinton and looked ahead to the North Carolina primary by announcing the endorsement of 49 prominent supporters of former candidate John Edwards. He argued that he is the better candidate to take on McCain.

Obama's advisers also note that he handily won newly registered voters in Pennsylvania, which they say puts him in a good position to win former independents and even disaffected Republicans in the general election. The latest polls give Obama a slight edge over McCain in a head-to-head match-up but they are in a statistical dead heat.

"As far as these states I am not supposed to win if you look at the polling ... I do I think if not as well (as) than better than Senator Clinton relative to Senator McCain," Obama said while campaigning in Indiana.

FOX News' James Rosen contributed to this report.