Barack Obama: Lay Off My Family

On the same day that former GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee told his party that demonizing Barack Obama is a 'fatal mistake,' Obama told a reporter from CBN news that the GOP needs to lay off his family. Read part of the transcript below and watch the interview here.

Obama told CBN News that he is deeply disappointed that John McCain has not spoken out against political attacks leveled at his wife.

"I think families are off limits. I would never consider making Cindy McCain a campaign issue," he said. "And if I saw people doing that - I would speak out against it. And the fact that I haven't seen that from John McCain I think is a deep disappointment."

The McCain campaign sent CBN News a written response to Obama's comments.

"Senator McCain agrees with Senator Obama that spouses should not be an issue in this campaign, and he has stated that position frequently," Joe Pounder, McCain's spokesman, said. "Unfortunately, when the Democratic National Committee was attacking Mrs. McCain, Senator Obama was not strong enough to stand up and speak out."

"Obama's silence speaks volumes, and it's unfortunate that he would single out others for a standard he himself has failed to live up to," he said.

Comments

[emmav70]

Hello !

[MichiganJFrog]

Howdy do!!!

[Nochnoi]

Evening.....

[Mij13]

It's good to see Sen. Obama taking a stand on the negative attacks from the Republicans, especially since both McCains went out of their way early on to say they would not get into this kind of mud slinging. Personally I think it will only serve to help Obama. If McCain wants to make women vote against him, attacking Mrs. O is a great way to do it. Even his base is not really behind McCain at this point, with his daily gaffs and flip-flops. He's self-destructing and allowing smears to go on will only speed it up. I hope Obama (and HuffPost) continues to make it known.

[duze]

I do think attack machines are good and necessary as long as the attack can go both ways.
Now lets speak about Cindy McCain, she is certainly more of a story than Michelle Obama. Let the games begin. It's going to take more than a hot batch of cookies to clear this one up. And, I personally think that Michelle Obama can handle herself. It's getting to be pathetic how the right wing as well as many other people cannot hide their right winged jealousy. The idiots asking these dumb questions, don't have enough intelligence to be in the same room with a woman like Michelle Obama, this is no more than an attempt to get under Barack's skin and I'm sure he won't let it happen. If attacks were all that important. Hillary should have never made it out of the gate. Bill was enough to ruin not only her career but her life. And, yet they let it slide. Abrams is a jealous miserable stooge and uses even the slightest bit of information right or wrong in an attempt to keep his tabloid talk show on the air. MSNBBC truly has a class show and Tim Russert was the king of them all. I just can't image that they would even have Dan Abrams anywhere near him. Fire Abrams and use that segment of time to interview circus acts, its the same thing.

[Gary47]

Remember what they did to Clinton's family years ago? These people are the lowest of the low. The fact that Obama already well ahead of them has got them grasping at straws.

[kevingiampa]

In its attempt to play "hardball" politics, the McCain campaign has come across as just a team of jerks. The "attack" from the DNC, I'm assuming, is the call for the McCains (both husband and wife) to release their tax returns. Big freakin' whoop.

I actually hope the the Republican party spends all its time and resources talking about William Ayers, flag pins, and the opposing candidate's wife. Obama will win in walk.

[pupbayer]

I'd love to know how the moderators decide what to post and when. I posted answers to personal attacks 40 minutes ago and they're still not posted. However, something I posted less than 5 minutes ago is already on. I can't believe they have time to "play games" with the posts and delay them intentionally until they would be on the second page.

[rosal]

Are we supposed to cry and feel sorry for you? NOT

[pupbayer]

What is wrong with you? It was a simple statement, a "wondering" type of thing, an observation. Whew, you are really defensive and looking for things to get upset about where there isn't anything. This has been brought up several times by other posters. It is not unique to me. It's just the first time I really noticed the timing of posts.

Relax. Unwind a little, rosal. Take a deep breath. It'll be OK. Everything looks better in the morning.

[kevenseven]

Boo, hoo, hoo.

If you were not a flaming a$$, you would not be on the end of "personal attacks".

Tough. Let me get you some cheese to go with your whine.

[Mercurial]

you got p'wned

[notyouraveragebear]

Bet they do it just to pi$$ ya off. Seems to be working....

[openlids]

i thought this was a good segment on this topic from the Dan Abrams show today...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25253180#25253180

even the Repubs admit they're skating on thin ice w/ this!

[darthdarcy]

There really has been an incredible amount of racist material being distributed by the GOP and McCain supporters..really blatant stuff ..McCain must appeal to ignorant racists especially...they'll attack his family using the 527 hate groups..

[kay]

Well, I'm going.

I read the future First Lady, Mrs. McCain, was planning launching yet another broadside at Michelle Obama during one of the morning "chat" shows.

Nothing I like better than a sneering, nasty "patriot"" at 7 AM.

That gal just EXUDES class, doesn't she? I get chills, she's so inspiring.

Good MORNING, Mrs. McCain! Care to attack Mrs. Obama? Share a cookie recipe?

[kristin]

“Mrs. Obama said she was taking some cues from Mrs. Bush. “There’s a reason people like her,” Mrs. Obama said. “It’s because she doesn’t, sort of, you know, add fuel to the fire.” (From an article online about Michelle Obama--(The View” NYT)

I know that you, Michelle, have to rein in your comments and personality now, during the election process. I look forward to having you as first lady when we can enjoy highly insightful comments from a very intelligent and savvy first lady.

[kay]

Well, John McCain is going to have to declare his wife's jet as a campaign donation, because he is breaking the law.

And, even conservatives must at some point obey the law.

And, now it will be doubly embarrassing, because he is the "expert" on campaign.... FINANCE REFORM!!

[kevenseven]

"And, even conservatives must at some point obey the law."

I defy you to provide any tangible evidence of that thesis.

[rosal]

Who knows? Maybe now he has changed positions and he is against Finance Reform. He has more positions that my lazy boy chair.

[BlindedbytheSlight]

Why did the good Senator say "Lay off my family"?

Isn't that just a little disingenuous? It implies a reckless attack on innocents. As far as I'm aware, no one has "attacked" his two daughters.

His wife, the one who campaigns and attacks Republicans, is a different thing altogether.

Maybe he meant to say "Lay off my wife" but, as is his wont, he made a mistake.

Yeah, that's probably it. It was another gaffe.

[ChiGuy]

Please provide us with quotes of her attacks on Reepers.

As far as gaffes are concerned....LOL!!!
Have you been paying attention to J-Mac over the past few weeks?

[kevenseven]

You know the Iranians are training evil leprechauns to attack our troops in Antarctica?

McSame said so.

[rosal]

That's why he/she made the lame comment. Its painful for repugs to see McGaffe making mistake after mistake, not to mention the flip-flops
Its called projection

[kay]

Nope. Cindy McCain's attacks on Michelle Obama are unprecedented.

Really, apologize and get it over with. There's no equivalence here, and no candidates wife has ever attacked an opponent's wife before.

Just Cindy! It's a first.

[Kalima]

Who would attack 2 innocent children?
You post makes no sense. His wife is his family too, in case you can't grasp that.

[Kalima]

Your post, rather.

[TrueIndy08]

I was against torture before I was for it
I was against tax cuts before I was for them
I was against a long military presence in Iraq before I was for it
I was against drilling off the coasts before I was for it

should I continue....

oh, the best gaffe of them all....

I can't tell and Shite from a Sunni... yet I want to lead us during this debacle known as Iraq!!!


* please old man... go sit in your rocking chair and think about your glory days... your presidency would be a detriment to the world!

[kcam44]

Are you an idiot or what? "lay off my family" certainly can mean his wife, and not his daughters. Last time I checked "wife" was considered family. How can this be a gaffe?

[kay]

So, bright and early tomorrow morning, Americans will be treated to the really unprecedented spectacle of John McCain's wife attacking his opponents wife, on national television.

That's charming.

This is a killer strategy, conservatives. Really. So clever to make Cindy McCain the hit man.

Maybe after she trashes Michelle Obama she can share a cookie recipe!

[GeoLee]

I bet there are many people who have recipes written down by someone directly from some published source that over time becomes a "family recipe" and when asked we would, perhaps unknowingly, hand it over as ours or from our family. I remember getting a recipe from a student's mother for some peanut chocolate chip bars that were especially good. About 10 years later I was more closely examining a Hershey's semi sweet chocolates bag and discovered the mother had just copied word for word fore me the recipe that had been on the package. This has become much ado about nothing and the politics of gotcha and it is disgusting that it even merits air time while major issues like how are we going to help fund Iowa, New Orleans and all points in between from the disasters around us are getting ignored! Let's hear what Obama has to say as to how he will respond to this crises as we know darn good and well it will still be a crises in January just like NO still is three years later and counting. It is time to get past the personality contests and actually present greater details of how each of these men think they can lead this country. I have not figured out which I would rather hear...the same old eloquent speeches or the new flip flops speeches that show an old man willing to "change" even if he is definitely going the wrong direction.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

The fact that you haven't figured out if the endless war proposed by a corrupt old fool is worse than ending the Iraq fiasco, is proof that you haven't bothered to research either candidate, their positions, voting records, accomplishments or backgrounds.

I guess that's because you're so busy getting all the accolades, awards, and grateful heartfelt thank-you notes from the indebted parents of your students - whose lives you've changed forever with your selfless act of becoming a teacher - that you just don't have time to do the research on the most important election of our lifetime. Yet somehow you have the time to come here, read the comments, and then write inane comments culminating in your criticism of me for daring to suggest that Laura Bush has no huge accomplishments by merely BEING a teacher or a librarian.

Oh yeah, did I mention you are a MORON?

[CAskeptic]

Gee Cindi - really great insight into another human being. Although I wonder what you did before marrying into the family beer fortune. And how did you feel as an adultress?

[pupbayer]

What did Cindy McCain say that was so wrong? She was asked questions and answered them. She wasn't ugly or offensive in her answer. She was honest. I saw nothing to call an attack.

And, by the way, she didn't marry into the family beer fortune. She inherited her money from HER father. I also believe that she was not married when she met John McCain, therefore she was not an adulteress (yes, there are 2 e's in it).

Geez. You have me defending Cindy McCain. It's not that I don't like her or that I do like her. (I do think her eyes are spookey.) I have absolutely no feeling toward her or about her at all.

[rosal]

You are right, she was not married, HE WAS. He cheated on his sick wife. That's why your Repugs never get their facts right. Go google right now!

[Mercurial]

If he was married when they started...ummm...you know...doing it....then yes, she is an adultress. It doesn't matter if she was married or not. She would also be a home wrecker. But I don't know if he was married or not at the time. Just saying....

[CTtransplant]

He was the one who married into the beer fortune...not her.

[tedbear]

Obama has the class to avoid discussing McCain and his "wives." I don't. McCain supposedly left his wife, who had been disfigured in an accident, to go off with Cindy. Nice guy. Friends.

[kevenseven]

Don't forget, the starter wife raised his kids while he was in Hanoi.