McCain Camp Insists Obama Is Playing Age Card

The McCain camp is taking offense at an appearance of Barack Obama on Wolf Blitzer this week, claiming that Obama is playing the the age card.

Obama told Blitzer that he was "disappointed" by McCain repeating a smear connecting Obama to Hamas:

"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."

The McCain camp released a memo in response, saying Obama using the phrase "losing his bearings" is a deliberate attempt to attack McCain's age:

First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama's attack today: He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.

You can read the whole memo below (and you should; it's quite a rant).

Obama's spokeman Bill Burton had this to say about the "age" memo:

Clearly losing one's bearings has no relation to age, given this bizarre rant that Mark Salter just sent out. It's clear why a candidate offering a third term of George Bush's disastrous economic policies and failed strategy in Iraq would want to distract and attack, but it's not the kind of campaign John McCain has promised the American people that he would run.

---

To: Interested Parties

From: Mark Salter, Senior Advisor
Date: May 8, 2008
Re: Senator Obama's Attack Today

First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama's attack today: He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.

We have all become familiar with Senator Obama's new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.

It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.

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Through their actions and words, Senator Obama and his supporters have made clear that ANY criticism on ANY issue -- from his desire to raise taxes on millions of small investors to his radical plans to sit down face-to-face with Iranian President Ahmadinejad - constitute negative, personal attacks.

Senator Obama is hopeful that the media will continue to form a protective barrier around him, declaring serious limits to the questions, discussion and debate in this race.

Senator Obama has good reason to think this plan will succeed, as serious journalists have written of the need for 'de-tox' to cure 'swooning' over Senator Obama, and others have admitted to losing their objectivity while with him on the campaign trail.

Today, Senator Obama is complaining about comments John McCain made about a senior Hamas advisor stating that Hamas would welcome Senator Obama's election as president. Indeed, on April 13th, senior Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef said, 'We don't mind - actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance.'

The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas' agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.

Just today, the president of Iran, whom Senator Obama wants to meet with unconditionally, called the state of Israel a 'stinking corpse.' Iran is the paymaster and state sponsor of Hamas.

In his victory speech this week, Senator Obama stated that 'wisdom' is meeting with our enemies, including Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea's Kim Jong Il, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. John McCain couldn't disagree more. Rather than giving tyrants and dictators the prestige of meeting with an American president, John McCain will instead meet with the champions of human freedom around the world and opposition leaders fighting for liberty .

We understand why Senator Obama doesn't want to engage in a debate over leadership and judgment with John McCain, but the American people demand that debate take place.

These are serious times that call for a serious debate on the profound issues facing our future. John McCain is ready for that debate and we hope Senator Obama will one day get serious and join it.

Comments

[MichaelDeane]

Actually I think Obama is raising the incompetence issue. McCain the maverick is a joke. Hagee is as big a problem as Wright. It should be interesting in live debates. McCain was 5th from the bottom in his class at Annapolis. He's a moron.

Looking for some laughs in the fall.

[dmsdude]

mccains age should be an issue he`s father lived to be 70,he`s grandfather 61.

[raw915]

What's wrong with raising McCain's age? His biological age may be as much as 83 to 89 years, http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/7902/

[Tropiholic]

Obama and Mccasket on the stage side by side will be an amazing sight. I'm looking forward to it.

[SpaceCadet]

McCain's whining about Obama's comment being an attack on his age is one of the stupidest things i've seen yet in this campaign, and there've been plenty of them. The word "bearings" means "direction­s." A Navy man like McCain should know that.

The term is commonly used in another sense to mean moral direction, and that is obviously what Obama was talking about. McCain was mud slinging by trying to link Obama to Hamas after promising a "respectful" camapaign. Either his lust for power is so strong that he's decided to throw ethics and morality away in order to win or he's just an old codger who's lost his marbles rather than his bearings.

[marika]

McCains's age is a VERY important question. He is much too old for the job especially now when the world is changing so radically. He proposes only ideas and solutions of a time gone by. I am older than he is and I would not like to see this man in charge of important decisions affecting the lives of young people and children who have their lives before them and deserve better.
Both McCain and Clinton garner votes from the old and for a reason - The repetion of yesterday has appeal for many people.

[frappe]

The McCain camp's argument that Obama's use of the phrase "losing his bearings" as an attempt to characterize McCain as getting too old and senile is absurd. Clearly, the context in which he made that comment had to do with McCain's apparent loss of a "moral compass" given that he has now resorted to those silly and outrageous Republican assertions that are designed to cause people to reflect on Barack's loyalties. The Republicans will be exposed for the lying frauds and deceivers that they are. They have built their party on a foundation of sand and it will all come crashing down in November.

Obama '08!

[Acebass]

Woooo they're playing cards again. LOL McCain I don't care who you play cards with your an old fart, don't be surprised when someone brings it up...

[lochnessmonster]

What does an age card look like? I don't think I've ever seen one in a deck of cards.

[JessWonderin]

Could it be the Joker?

'cause McSame CAN"T be serious!!!!!!

[Shozen]

As well he should! You will be older than Reagan should you take office. Remember the Soviet Union? It was run by aging dotards before it collapsed. One could say the "Conservative wing" of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union ran their economy into the ground because of their resistance to necessary change. The Old Conservative Dotard Wing of the Republican party are doing a damn good job of running America's economy into the ground too because they want to run America like it was in the "regulation free" 1920's. It's time for change!

[Trittydi]

"Senator Obama stated that 'wisdom' is meeting with our enemies, including Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea's Kim Jong Il, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. John McCain couldn't disagree more."

**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­***
I don't want a president who wasn't committed to these concerns. We have to talk to these people to make any headway with them. Acting like a 10 year old screaming at his neighbors and threatening to break their windows with his new baseball and bat -- from inside the safe perimeter of his own yard -- is not how you handle irrational dictators.

Regarding the "age" card that was supposedly played by Obama -- McCain's spokesman is just shooting off his mouth. Losing one's bearings has nothing to do with age.

HOWEVER -- I personally want the "AGE CARD" played. I think McCain's age IS an issue and I am very concerned about it. If the roles were reversed - you'd better believe the RNC would be playing the "age card".

I want to hear A LOT about McCain's age. Let them whine about it all they want - they'll only draw more attention to it. With McCain making gaffes every single day -- it'll only highlight the real concerns regarding the fact that McCain is "older than dirt."
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[Helzapoppin]

Yeah, Obama was taling about McCain's age. And I'm the friggin Pope.

But who was actually the first person to make John McCain's age an issue?
Why. . . John McCain!

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 24th, way back in the year 2000:
"Sen. John McCain says he is having a great time campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, but one presidential run is enough."
``I would never do this again. I'm too tired,'' McCain told reporters who surrounded him on his campaign bus yesterday. ``I think it's fun once. I don't see how it's fun twice.''

And from, of all places, The National Review's Washington Bulletin, March 13, 2000:
"John McCain has said he won't run for president again. "If I were 43 or 53, it might be different," McCain told his daughter, according to the Washington Post. "But I'm 63, a pretty old geezer. I can't see starting over with town meetings of 20 people."

[escapee]

Wow! For a big strong war hero he sure is a sensitive little thing!

[Obamapalooza]

The election deck of cards contains
an age, race, experience, hope, change, religion, finance, spouse, donor, attractive, ugly, fit, fat, fashion and anger management card.
They are are playable. The one with the best hand in November wins.
I say Hope and change is the royal flush.

--
"Save Trees. Print only when necessary.­"

[CaseyBabes]

Ain't gonna defend McCain, useless to try. But want to point out an important trait of Obama no one is discussing.
Barrack Obama is a Senate neophyte but he is hardly untested. He comes from a Chicago political background, possibly the most rugged and tough scenario possible. Is it that implausible he would preach "civility" yet throw the most numerous and well aimed blows below the belt? Take a close look at this guy's dirty tactics...­...lying, first of all.
Any criticism of Obama is met with charges of racism. His camp cleverly tee'd it up in the current primary for later use against McCain. Senator Clinton cited an AP pub showing how the white vote broke for her lately and the Obama camp claimed racism. Clever, but a lie. Senator McCain tied Iraq's,Japan's and South Korea's longterm presence of USA troops, yet Senator Obama stated Mc wants our troops in Iraq for 100 years. Perhaps this appears somewhat benign, but a lie. Now we have this "losing bearings", and a denial it does not hint at McCain's age. A lie, as it chips at Mc's lucidity which has not been an issue. But like racism it is been tee'd up and waiting to evolve into a weapon used against McCain.
Hiding behind Senator Obama's veneer is a vicious street fighter who will use every dirty tactic to survive. He did it in Chi, and McCain is just the naive target that fate seems to have delivered.

[novowel4me]

Sounds like the kind of crafty strategic and tactical thinking we need. To be able to plant ideas at a subliminal level on the fly while projecting a positive image of integrity and intelligence is a gift.