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

[likeicare]

Seems like Karl Rove has lost his touch, if this is the best he can do.

Obama in a landslide in November!

[SaddieMcCall]

Any one noticed how McCain has continued to postponed releasing his medical records? From his taxes, we've learned that he was paid nearly $60,000 last year in disability payments from the military. His disability payments are 100% tax free. I might be uninformed him but I would think the fact that you are receiving so much in disability would implied that you are not fit to work; yet he gets disability pay, a military pension, and his Senator's salary.

Wouldn't the fact that he is ABLE to work as a Senator for so long indicate that he is NOT physically or mentally disabled? I thought there are people who got in trouble for claiming disabilities and are caught working and then had to pay back the disability payments.

[likeicare]

saddie --

Excellent points!

Why aren't the issues you raise being brought up more by the MSM?

I guess they don't want to "spoil" the warm & fuzzy atmosphere surrounding Jenna's wedding -- and their advertisers' plugs to sell laundry detergent & Viagra during their coverage of the nuptuals.

[CaseyBabes]

Disability payments are, basically, for what permanent harm was caused through serving in the military. In effect, "thank you for serving and here is money to compenstae you for being unable to lead a normal rest of your life because you have been harmed while in the military." If anyone fits within this scenario I'd say Senator (Commander) McCain does. Even the MSM recognized this so give Mc some slack.

[JessWonderin]

Actually he receives $58,000 as Military Retirement from his rank and years in service, the Disability is additional, ADDED to the $129,600 Congressional Pension drawn - currently tied to 80% of his salary due to his "over 62 and over 20 years in office" . . . . AND let's not overlook the $28,000 he is CURRENTLY drawing from what he describes as the "bankrupt Social Security System"

Seems McSame blows it out both ends and scoops it up with BOTH hands . . .

[applehead]

lost his marbles would have been a reference to his old age. lost his bearings meant he's sold out his principles. he didn't want people to think he was being called ethically challenged so he pretents the remark was about his age to distract everyone from the truth, for he HAS lost his way. i used to love mccain --- in 2000. then after he endorsed bush after what bush did to him i realized he was just another weasil who'd sell his own principles for power. once i saw through him his motives became clear as a bell. the only thing that makes sense is that he'll do whatever the people who own bush want him to do so that he can be president. he probably plans to betray them a little bit --- but i think they know that --- that's why they want condi rice or bob barr to be his running mate. i think if he is smart he will pick hillary as his running mate. .

applehead

[MildenHall]

Like Ed Koch, it's time to change McCain's Depends. How are you going to be the leader of the Free World when you are always smelling like a paper plant?

Get outta tha way, Colonel Sanders!

[StandingStill]

MCSame,

Your a@@ is OLD! Get over it and retire already, grandpa!

[vinny]

New Campaign Slogan: Get Bent Ol'Man

[zizi]

Aah...the English language. McCain's staff is a little lacking in English, we can see. Just goes to show you what kind of educational system GOP policies have gotten us, if people are no longer well versed in English idiomatic expressions. Sad, sad...

[CaseyBabes]

Educational system dominiated by Unions, ergo, Democrat Party, so it sucks.

[SaddieMcCall]

“I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain's bearings. He has not lost any of them," said [Senator Joe Lieberman]. "They are all in really great shape."

---This is a little more than odd.

[vinny]

whats it with the republicans and their fetishes?

[clintfatigue]

And then Lieberman took off his light green latex glove and deposited it in the waste basket.

[escapee]

LOL, clintfatigue!

[cubs325]

the age card - is in fact an important card unlike race and gender - AGE and metal facilities are very much important in selecting a president, as is health. Age card is not discrimination unless it is applied with thought but to deny that someone who is 72 has the same short term memory, physical stamina etc as someone in thier 40-50's is simply medically wrong

[Donk]

McCain's odds of victory is the same as a snowball in hell... All of those photos showing him hugging and otherwise sucking up to 27% GWB will doom him. Such a shame he has to take the public's anger that BungleBush and his lackeys have created through their arrogance and incompetence.

[loki]

You know what this is. This is like when Hillary tried to invent a Race problem when there was none. McWar is trying to create an age problem, when it has not happened , yet. Once its down to the wire, I am sure McWar will use race, just as Rove did against McWar when they spread that McWar had adopted a black baby in the southern states. And I am also sure that McWar will try to make his age be a factor when trashing Obama. McWar will have to pull out all the stops to beat Obama. Its not like the cake walk when they thought Hillary was going to be the competition. Rethugs and Neo Cons were foaming at the mouth to bring her down, and they would do that easily. Because Hillary and Bill has helped them in dragging themselves down over the last 18 months. Which I have to admit, saddens me a lot as I really use to respect Bill and his presidency. I guess age and sudden wealth, and greed, has turned him into a jelly brained bastard. Hillary, she was already there.

[Sixtwo]

GIVE ME A BREAK!!! For those of us who have been listening and reading in recent days, a lot of writers have been sharing evidence which indicates that McCain is losing his bearings. Obama happens to be the only person who was brave enough to call it what it is-losing his bearings! McCain has denied ever saying that he did not vote for Bush in 2000 even though three people said that they witnessed him making the statement; he connected Hamas with obama even though the two of them shares the same position; has denied a slew of other statements/actions as reported in the media. How many "senior moments" will he be allowed if he becomes the Commander-in-Chief:? How many of these moments can America afford to let him have when the country is at war; economy continues to decline; health care for all Americans continues to be beyond reach; health care costs continue to escalate; a college education continues beyond the reach of average Americans, etc, ect, ect,?????

[reggieb]

McCain must be over sensitive about his age. When I heard the statement I thought Obama meant that McCain was flip flopping from his vow to run a clean campaign. Lost, in a moral way, not a senile way.
Maybe McCain would rather be thought to be senile?

[Sloane7]

McCain? Oh, right, I forgot he's even running.

[genia]

I think McCain needs to fire his writers...all of them