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.

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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

[jkpcguru]

Come on McSame Campaign, talking about your age is not a personal attack, its a legitimate POLITICAL ISSUE!

When will we see your health records? You've be refusing to give them up! How do we know your not going to croak on us before your term is out?

My other concern:

They say Obama could be the Manchurian Candidate.....

Isn't McCain the one who is the the POW from a war in South Asia? How do we know your not brainwashed????

[Ivar]

Nixon lost his bearings......did that make him old???

[LouisPWu]

We have already seen McCain's problems with remembering things accurately. He has difficulty with things like Shia and Sunni, Iraq and Iran. What will he do in a real debate where he has to think quickly and accurately? The debate sponsors aren't going to allow Joe Lieberman to share the podium with McCain. But the Republican party may draft Lieberman as McCain's running mate.... Oh, my...

[eurydice]

McCain is older and dumber than dirt. He still thinks there is a country called Czechoslovakia!

Plus do we really need a President who was a PRISONER. Who knows what the North Vietnamese planted in his feeble head while he was still young.

Pretty soon he'll be dribbling into a bib. With his finger on the button.

[ChiGuy]

Sounds to me like the McCain camp is trying the failed Hillary "How dare you Barack Obama!" schtick a bit early.

My theme for this summer: "Keep talking, John!"

[IndependentMeans]

It is the same old saying........"me thinks he protests too much" Obviously he is way too sensitive because he knows he is old. Admit it, be proud of it. Instead, he is acting like a taciturn ass.

[shelobo]

When will McCain release HIS Medical records? When will Cindy McCain release HER income tax records? As the wife of a potential president ,HER INCOME IS OUR BUSINESS .The President of this country WORKS FOR US ,so we do have a right to know EVERYTHING about the president AND his family members.AGE is a concern when someone can't even get it straight WHO we are fighting on national TV !!

[disqo21]

for some reason, people think that mccain is gonna get a free ride on the way to the election. look at the funding, we're gonna see some NASTY mccain headlines that do significant damage to his campaign. my only reservation is that they are using the age card a little early, save it for july, when it will do permanent damage.

[Relax08]

This guy has had a stroke or something. Sometimes he's on, but frankly more often than not he's a little off. There is something in those records. There is no way that this guy can handle the stress of the White House. What he was able to do in Viet Nam has nothing to do with how he could handle the Presidency. Don't forget folks, this is a guy who thinks we should still be in Viet Nam! How out of touch it that?

[Independent voter]

I think that 'losing his bearings' is very appropriate. A few days ago McCain didn't knw what state he was in and he wanted to give aid to a country that no longer exists.

Everybody gets old, but some retain their faculties as they age. The professional POW has not.

[disqo21]

he can't even tell where he is anymore. he IS losing his bearings!!

[hillgiant]

Wait a minute. Is the McCain campaign honestly trying to imply that having a Palestinian leader with a favorable opinion of the President is a bad thing? I the McCain campaign that opposed to middle east peace process?

I am tempted, but I wi

[FirstShirt]

think about that just a minute. why would a middle east terrorist organization like Obama?

[bilmardre]

Perhaps because maybe they are not killing people and being killed just for the fun of it. Maybe they don't really like all the killing and would perhaps end it if they had someone who would deal with them fairly. Just a thought.

[jhink465]

The Hamas leader also has a favorable opinion of JFK. So by inference, McCain is saying that voters can make of JFk what they will because of Hamas' high opinion of him. I am tempted to say...... aw what the hell, I'll say it anyway. There is no fool like an old fool.

[brocko]

Here is Obama on Puerto Rican TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntOgQY-hcXk

[robXdion]

Larry Sinclair has already been debunked with 2 lie detector tests. He's a loon.

[MrKINOKO]

Give me a break. This is hogwash, and has no business on a legitimate political forum. E-mail it over to FAUX NEWS, I'm sure they can spend a few weeks on it.

[Bertha40869]

I actually talked with someone who just came from Puerto Rico, and he said that the people are Obama crazy over there, and he can't understand why everyone thinks Hillary is going to win there.

[Wheatstraw]

Obama said:
is "losing his bearings" as he pursues the presidency.

If you are traveling from point A to point B and somehow you get a little off track because you read the map wrong...then you are said to have "lost your bearings" a bit and need to get back on track.

This sounds like a big to do about nothing.

[oldwiseone]

Isn't there a saying about let the sleeping dog lie? I mean all one has to do is look at McSame and it becomes clear that he is old. What the Replublicans should do is use the age card on Obama and imply that he is too young. Actually, I think the comment was a ploy to divert attention from the real issue of how does one communicate without talking? This thread should be about communication with those who hold opposing views and not age, I mean he is old, that is a fact. And wasn't Hamas elected in a democratic process? So by not talking with them are we not dissing the people who voted for them? And if we are dismissing all of them, wouldn't they be angry with us? And act that anger out? And the more we ignore them the angrier they would get, right? Besides, if one does the research, google jews against Zionism for example, Hamas is not angry with the Jewish people, they are fighting the Zionists. The Zionists are a secular pollitical party, and to compare them to Israel is lke saying America are the necons. Which is probably what Hamas thinks. So what we have is evil fighting evil, but when we fight the Devil with the Devil's tools, the Devil wins. The entire situation is the result of the lack of communication.

[FirstShirt]

Hitler was also elected as were most communist dictators. Age will be the democrats achilles heel. If Barack continues to harp on age and use that type of prejudicial language he will certainly annoy a large group of older americans to his peril politically.

[MelDel7365]

Oh god - put the Hitler nonsense away...it has nothing to do with this conversation...Hamas WAS democratically elected - whether we like it or not - the more apt comparison would be with the IRA in Ireland - they had a militant arm and they had a political arm that did a lot of good. Hamas' terrorist and anti-Israel actions should NOT be supported at ALL - they should be condemned...but we need to understand that they also have a political/social arm that provides a lot of socially good services to their people...and we need to deal with them accordingly - easy as it may be to characterize people, groups, or countries as good and evil - it is not always so clear cut...and that kind of absolutist thinking is what got us into the mess we are in now.

[babybabybaby]

And you all thought Hils was a story. McCain is gonna bring the lulz.

[Sctt859]

age is different than race or gender when age is a issue its a serious one because people get more senile and more forgetful and they usually older people have bad tempers.

[steamboat]

So does that go for Teddy Kennedy, John Murtha, Robert Byrd, Jimmy Carter, and others, also?

[Supermatter]

I think its obvious what's going on here. McCain is trying to make Obama second-guess everything he says to avoid insulting the elderly, a key group of voters. He's also trying, in a rather pathetic way, to start a narrative about how Obama is taking cheap shots at his age, again hoping to to drive any of the elderly vote away from Obama.

It's petty, pathetic, old-school politics. It didn't work for Hillary and it sounds just as disingenuous from McCain.

[KMKY]

Sorry for the repeat post, but this is more appropriate here than where it was.

McCain's camp and the GOP has just put Obama on notice that age-baiting will not go unnoticed or uncommented on and will, in fact, receive the same kind of indignant response as any other form of discrimination. Obama may or may not have meant anything by the comment--I saw the interview, and he didn't, as far as I know (see how easy it is for innocent sayings to get warped into insinuations)--but he has made similar jabs at McCain in the Senate before, and the Republicans will point to that as a pattern, whether rightly or wrongly. It seems so many now believe that the Clintons are racist and all MSM pundits are misogynists. Obama's supporters, some of whom would have made great proponents for applying the fictional rules of "Logan's Run" to this year's primary season, are going to have to show themselves not to be agists. Older voters are committed to the civic duty of voting and do so much more regularly than younger voters.

[harriscrl3]

I actually think this could BURN McCain in the long run. He is reminding people of his age and people do have a problem with his age according to polls. Playing the victim of ageism because he puts his age front and center age my NOT be the demographic you want to use to seek sympathy from voters particularly when you have certain gaffs that call into question your mental state.

Carol

[KMKY]

Oh, I think that's true, too, but as an early GE strategy, it points not to his age but to Obama's use of his age, and it puts Obama on the defensive against his own words rather than against the connection between Hamas and Obama that McCain was making, which led to Obama's response. In one swing, McCain lands two hits: Obama discriminates, and thus is a hypocrite; and Hamas supports Obama, and thus Obama is weak on terror. One undecided voter convinced on either of those points makes two votes for McCain in the GE.