Obama Hits Hamas "Smear": McCain Is "Losing His Bearings"

Over the past few weeks, John McCain has pushed the idea that the terrorist organization Hamas is supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Today, Obama hit back at McCain for the smear by association.

"This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing," Obama told Blitzer, when asked his thoughts about McCain's comments that the terrorist organization Hamas wants Obama to be president. "Because John McCain always says 'I am not going to run that kind of politics,' and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his."

"I've said it's a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don't need name calling in this debate."

Will Thomas reported on the first example of McCain's camp passing the smear through a fundraising letter with the subject line: "Hamas Weighs In On U.S. Presidential Election." It also has a nice breakdown of McCain's repeated promises to run a respectful campaign.

McCain later repeated the Hamas smear himself, saying "It's clear who Hamas wants to be the next President."

Comments

[suntzu]

The other day, a 10-year old child briefly got lost in a shopping mall. Her upset mother wanted to know what happened. The child said, "Mom, I just lost my bearings."

So what the McCain camp is saying is that Obama is calling McCain a 10-year old child?

[trollsbwild]

I have a bulletin for the right wing. No country invading another has ever succeeded in nation building. So please do not believe that any additional time spent there will ever change that result. Be smart. Declare we won the war, and state that you have decided to give the people of Iraq the chance to truly govern themsefves.
BTW, why is it news that MyCane is old and having senior moments. The man is 72 years old. TOO OLD TO BE POTUS!

[RezidentBivrip]

ROFL, This reminds me of Chris Rock's movie "Head of State" where he runs commercials of the other guy getting endorsed by the KKK & Hitler. Hahahaha.

Unfortunately the McCain of 2000 is not the same guy in 2008.

And I love how so many of the right wing zealots see leaving Iraq as "Surrendering" ROFL, Like we're just like That's it! You beat us! We can't handle the might of your tiny country so we're going to go home with our tail between our legs!" it's that kind of idiot simplistic Bush-Like thinking that got us in this mess in the first place.

If only some of them were smart enough to realize how bad the repubs are hurting America, maybe they'd use some of their flag waving powers to stop blindly following the George "Lemming" Bush into the ocean to die and do some research.

[landmine]

Unfortunately, while most American's have heard the word "logic", many less can define it and only a very small percentage can employ it.

For the majority of the right, the definition of "logic" has morphed to mean any knee jerk reactive behavior or words that pop into their minds.
They have been conditioned by the very fine examples of this administration and it's enablers and media such as FOX, Savage, Rush, etc.

[mouselion]

Methinks Barrack Obama has become too desensitized by all the political-smear antics of this campaign. This is not simply "offensive" and "disappointing", it is outrageous. There are people with higher educations and large incomes out there who believe there are Islamic terrorist ties to Obama. People's understanding and beliefs about such things are just downright scary. Humanity hovers on the brink of extinction due to so many being duped by the truly elite, moneyed few.

[lucky54]

"There are people with higher educations and large incomes out there who believe there are Islamic terrorist ties to Obama" - these people are simply educated idiots and I agree there is plenty of them in America. Education has nothing to do with inteligence and money doesn't care where it goes...

[harriscrl3]

It should call into question McCain's SANITY for making such a ridiculous statement. How would he like it if someone call him angry senile old man. Those are facts too. Since it takes a lot to offend Obama and he is offended you know its bad and where the hell is the media letting him get away with something like that.

Carol

[mouselion]

The media is apparently right there perpetrating McCain's suggestive lies.

[CocteausTwin]

On 9/11 I roecognized it as the new "Red Scare." I would say most of the world's current problems, and thre are many, are the result of these extremely greedy few. Maybe we need to invade a country with group therapy. These people have to be making up for something, or have no morals in any way.

[mouselion]

These powerful few seem to have little or no conscience. Citizens are endless pawns on the chess board of politics,war and (their version of making) money. They'd feel no compunction at wiping swaths of humanity if it served their personal interests.

[elkabong]

It's clear from their comments that Republicans want the terrorists to dictate US policy.

Republicans are cowardly idiots.

[MajorKong]

McCain is such a flip-flopper who knows what he really thinks about Hamas?

[diamondmc]

The question I have is, does McCain even know who hamas is or does he think they are another group in Irag?

[BushBites]

Flip flopper or crazy loon?

It's so hard to tell.

[robodweeb]

They're not mutually exclusive.

[HumeSkeptic]

Flip-flopping comes later. I doubt he knows what Hamas is. He's still mixed up between Sunni and Shia.

[Stew118]

Lol was it not Mr and Mrs. McCain who attempted to campaign against (Barack+Hamas)? That was not only "typical politics" it was the same type of gutter trash typical of the Limbaughs, Hannitys and Coulters. Who gives a flying fk who Hamas Osama or the ex=KGB or AIPAC or Hezbollah or the Janjaweed or the Chinese or Iranians or the North Koreans "endorse" for US President? I didn't know they had a legitimate say in the matter. Start talking about that war of yours gramps- the Iranians helping Al qaeda or whatever it was LOL. He beat a bunch of nobodys in the GOP primary while Barack bested the premier brand name in Democratic politics over the past 40 years in a battle royale. He is gonna tear McCain apart- just wait for the visuals when they debate side by side lol

[Nyland8]

Wow ... they must have tapped the dregs from the troll keg this morning.

They're spilling all over the place.

8

[thebanana]

They know the repuke party is sliding into oblivion, and will become ever more desperate as Nov. approaches.

[CocteausTwin]

They did seem to show up all of a sudden. Did they just start work, are they hard working for their pay check or just loafing on the job?

[BushBites]

Wrong Obama!

McCrazy lost his bearings years ago.

[in4success]

anyone so naive, so stupid or so delusional to accept the premise that if hamas really wanted a candidate to win the presidency they would publicly endorse them will obviously be voting for john mccain or hillary clinton.

if hamas truly wanted obama to be the next POTUS, the last thing they would do is endorse him.

the urgent issue here is the mccain camp's certainty that their base is ignorant and thoughtless enough to swallow such flawed logic. particularly, it's mainstream media base.

[Nyland8]

The "hamas" nonsense is code to the Israel-Uber-Alles crowd that McCain is the one in the race with the larger AIPAC funding.

His comments are targeted to play to a specific constituency - in this case, probably for fund raising reasons.

8

[lizr]

YES there needs to be more coverage of AIPAC and more light shone upon them and their disproportionate effect on our legislators, AS WELL AS their role in getting us into the Iraq war, pushing war with Iran etc.

They are in league with the neocons and we will never end this war mentality until we take them DOWN!!!

[CocteausTwin]

Wow I don't know your views, but I think you might right on this one. Nice gleaming!

[MajorKong]

I thought it was only us hippie left wing surrender monkeys who cared what our enemies thought?

[HumeSkeptic]

No only that. McCain seems to believe evrything that Hamas say. He must really trust and like them.

[robodweeb]

Bush always says (and McClone too) that we should listen to al Qaeda when they say that Iraq is the "central front in the war on terror" (whatever that means).

Because Bush, McClone and al Qaeda want the same thing... 100 years of war.

[Raymondf]

I want to say something. All this name calling does nothing but make people look small, I've been called Nazi, dumba--, and a few other names that actually hurt. Like most of you I'm an American. Some of you call me neo-con, I don't mind that really (I sort of like that name) and don't mind it , but the others I do mind, they hurt. Most of you may think I'm misguided, and thats ok also, because I think some of you are Misguided. We can all make our point without calling people names, or using bad language. all that stuff is uncalled for, and although somehow I don't think it will. Politics, and religion brings out the worst in some people. So lets all agree to disagree, and leave out the name calling, and the bad language.

[MPeter]

CNN) — Barack Obama won two more superdelegate endorsements Thursday, narrowing his deficit with Hillary Clinton to seven.

North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen both announced they will cast their superdelegate votes for the Illinois senator.

"The decision was not easy," Miller, a two-term congressman, said in a statement. "Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns to working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation.

"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president," he added.

Miller's district, which includes Raleigh, overwhelmingly voted for Obama Tuesday, 63 percent to 35 percent.

Larsen, a three-term congressman whose district lies in the northwest area of Washington state, praised Obama as the "best candidate to turn our country's hopes for a better future into reality."

[Detestable]

Thats the problem with the anonymity of the internet. It allows anyone to be a bada$$. If everyone posting here was sitting in front of each other, it would be a completely different conversation. Just picture the ones that talk the most trash sitting in their Mom's basement, drinking a diet coke, scratching a huge, pasty white belly. It'll remind you where you're at.

[CocteausTwin]

Thank you for being reasonable. I apologize if I get roped in by the empty banter of some. Read my short bio for clarification. I promise I will be respectful of you as you have me.

Thank you and I do look forward to an intelligent discussion. My mind can be changed as far as how I see things.

[iBgood]

But it's jolly fun! : p

[bfbenn]

I don't disagree with your assesment, Raymondf. I'm more than a little dismayed myself regarding the ugly direction of the comments here, and on other liberal sites/blogs. However, I must say that my perception of the source of the problem is the trolls that do nothing OTHER than name calling, who post nothing but rightwing/authoritarian talking points.
I've been watching this for years now - the level of discourse has definitely gotten much worse over the last year. On HuffingtonPost, for example, I rarely venture beyond the first page of comments, because the level of discourse declines so dramatically. I certainly don't claim to know all the facts, but I've become convinced that there are some number of people who are paid to act as disruptors (although I'm also sure there are a goodly number of twisted individuals who are happy to do it for free - it's the nature of right wing authoritarian followers). I would sure love it if one of the few remaining investigative journalists would look into this...
It's getting harder and harder to sift through all the chaff to find nuggets of insight - you have my sympathy.

[BOBONDE]

GIVING $ TO BOMB BOMB MC CAIN WOULD BE LIKE FUNDING AL-QUEDA.

[Nyland8]

McCain is losing his bearings ...

... and his landing gear ... and his canopy ... and his cockpit ... and his fuselage ... and his empennage ... and his fuel tank ... and his

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_mccain_lost_five_u.htm

Losing his entire aircraft is more than a habit with McCain -

It's a tradition.

8

[vippy]

McCain is embarrassing to himself. What do some voters see in him but a man that says
anything, forgets what he said yesterday, probably wears DEPENDS. Wants to permanently put
in place the Bush Tax Cuts that got us into this problem in the first place. The man has lost it.
One should feel sorry for this old fart.

[lizr]

I'll be so happy when he starts to get a grip on the difference between the Sunnis and the Shiites~

Unbelievable!