Washington Post Condemns McCain's "Increasingly Reckless Ad Hominem Attacks"

Washington Post:

WITH THE presidential campaign clock ticking down, Sen. John McCain has suddenly discovered a new boogeyman to link to Sen. Barack Obama: a sometimes controversial but widely respected Middle East scholar named Rashid Khalidi. In the past couple of days, Mr. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, have likened Mr. Khalidi, the director of a Middle East institute at Columbia University, to neo-Nazis; called him "a PLO spokesman"; and suggested that the Los Angeles Times is hiding something sinister by refusing to release a videotape of a 2003 dinner in honor of Mr. Khalidi at which Mr. Obama spoke. Mr. McCain even threw former Weatherman Bill Ayers into the mix, suggesting that the tape might reveal that Mr. Ayers -- a terrorist-turned-professor who also has been an Obama acquaintance -- was at the dinner.

For the record, Mr. Khalidi is an American born in New York who graduated from Yale a couple of years after George W. Bush. For much of his long academic career, he taught at the University of Chicago, where he and his wife became friends with Barack and Michelle Obama. In the early 1990s, he worked as an adviser to the Palestinian delegation at peace talks in Madrid and Washington sponsored by the first Bush administration. We don't agree with a lot of what Mr. Khalidi has had to say about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the years, and Mr. Obama has made clear that he doesn't, either. But to compare the professor to neo-Nazis -- or even to Mr. Ayers -- is a vile smear.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Bluedog12]

Desperate times call for viscious republicans. Don't you just love love these republican apologists and conspiracy theorists. Great entertainment! Now let me as a dumb question. If a birth certificate doesn't exist can a record of a nonexistent birth certificate be sealed? Duohhhhh!

[norkas]

Mc Cain gave $500,000 to him for reserch. Mc Cain just buried himself with his stupidity.

[bogues]

John McCain and Sarah Palin wanted to link Obama to any foreign name they possibly could in order to appeal to that portion of the electorate that sees the world through very biased eyes. How tragic it is to watch McCain do this to himself and the country. He is desperate to win and he has sold his soul to the devil to do so. Our country is suffering because of it.

[MrBluebird]

Not only is John McCain unfit to be president, he is also unfit to be a senator.

[roshni]

I hope he gets kicked out of the senate when his turn is up.

[Kindheart]

I would love to be there, after 1/20/09 when Johnny has to call Obama, Mr. President.

[TallGrrl]

Can't you just imagine the look in his eyes as his very soul shrivels and bursts into flames?
In the debates, when he finally DID look at Obama...li­ke his handlers told him he should...y­ou could see the loathing.
McSeniorMoment needs to retire. And take Caribou Evita with him.

[roshni]

He has no soul. He sold it a long time ago.

[AnalyzeIT]

This is so absurd until it's funny. Does he not realize that we know that his ties with Rashid Khalidi are embedded deeper than those of Sen. Obama.

McCain is insane and irrational­......I really do believe that he is delusional.

Obama-Biden

[Fabienne]

And Ms. Palin can't even pronounce his name, calls him KhalAdi. And she should sue her voice coach for malpractice.

[mcantwell]

I WONDER WHEN THE REST OF THE MSM WILL HAVE ENOUGH GUTS TO GET THE STORY STRAIGHT? MCCAIN HAS NO PROBLEM RUINING ANYONE'S CAREER JUST TO GET IN THE WHITEHOUSE.

I THINK HE IS A BIGOT AND PROBABLY THINKS THAT ANYONE WHO IS NON-WHITE AND HAS A DIFFERENT RELIGION IS ANTI-AMERICAN.

[siteyou5]

Maverick Personality Disorder

http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/10/maverick-personality-disorder.html

[boing007]

siteyou5

Maverick Personality Disorder

http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/10/maverick-personality-disorder.html

Should be in the Vermont Medical Journal.

[LHoney]

This was just in HuffPo 2 weeks ago: "William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime." ??????

[jemiltd]

Are you kidding me? How much more of this nonsense do we need to endure? If we want to talk real stuff, what about Palin's half billion dollar no-bid contract for a natural gas pipeline to nowhere? Or the $72000 mystery donation McCain received, not to mention the associations of his campaign staff to a host of interesting characters? BTW, what is McCain's position on the actual issues again? I haven't heard much about those....

[Girlforaction]

McCain is turning increasingly insane each day. If he did not like Khalidi, why give him $500,000?

[dezzertguy]

Of course, in these last days of the campaign the MSM and Sen Obama have to keep hidden his relationships. If the public knew his real positions, his chances of winning would be greatly reduced. Remember, when he went to Columbia he sought out Marxist professiors, chicos (his word), and more radical members of the campus. He has tried hard to keep all this secret but some of it is coming out. Like the tape the LA Times is sheltering. The MSM has much invested in an Obama win. They are not going to back down now.

[Balancement]

You do love that Limbaugh-flavored Kool-aid, don't you? Obama has had the smarts and the opportunity to discover that the world is wide and full of many different ideas and points-of-view. I suggest you do the same.

[amistad]

I get it: you can't and won't vote for a black man. The world will come to an end if a black man is President. I get it.
Just because you and others like you think in such backwards ways does not make it true.
Obama has nothing to hide; there is nothing wrong with knowing this esteemed Professor.
Obama has made it abundantly clear that his opinions differ from Khalidi.
McCain gave Khalidi 500,000; whose relationship is stronger?
Now, I know that you and people like you will never get over this r@ce issue, but Obama will win this thing without you and people like you and without the MSM who have been less than friendly to Obama.
I am just glad that the sane people are in the majority this time.
Obama '08

[Fabienne]

What's wrong with a Palestinian standing up for the rights of his people? The Palestinians have been oppressed and acknowledging that doesn't seem very radical to me.

[Tommygun2146]

Barrack Obama has spent two years of this campaign laying his life bare, explaining who he is, where he comes from, whoat he plans to do as President and the specific steps by which he plans to do it. All I see from McSame's minions is that we should vote for McSame because we don't know enough about Obama and that McSame will fix everything, but no specifics about how he plans to achieve his goals, only that it's not what Obama wants to do because Obama is bad. It's an endless circle with you guys - like lemmings on a hamster wheel. Look at all your posts - they are all about what Obama is hiding and what we don't know about Obama, not one single thing about McSame other than he is the direct opposite of Obama. Blah, blah, blah.

[Eoin45]

dezzertguy, you've made much of your being a Christian in the past. How did you miss "Thou shalt not bear false witness" and "Judge not lest ye be judged."? BTW, even if Obama did talk to radicals, so what? I do. Most intelligent people who seek more than one perspective do. It's the incurious and doctrinaire, like you, who don't.

[Fabienne]

If we'd made some attempt to talk to the radicals in the Middle East, 9/11 might not have happened.

[white mende man]

They did it to the Blacks
They did it to the Japanese
They did it to the Jews
They did it to the Hispanics
They did it to the Catholics
They are now doing it to the Muslims
Will your race or religion be next?

[Tommygun2146]

And don't forget the gays - no matter how far down you get pushed for your ethnicity or religious beliefs, you are still one up above the gays.

[hippynanainblingland]

... but first they did it to the Native Americans.­..

[Ironquill]

Palin and McCain seem unable to hold opposites in mind at the same time. I think that being able to contrast two different things or ideas is a requirement for being President. So I have prepared a snap quiz for Mc/P. Below is a list of pairs, written down so you don't have to remember them. Please describe and contrast each pair. You have four days to complete this quiz.

Communist vs. Nazi
Imminent threat vs. future threat
The U.S. Northwest vs. The U.S. Northeast
Legislative Branch vs. Executive Branch
Christian vs. Muslim
Phillies vs. Pirates
Above $250K vs. Below $250K
Win vs. Lose.

[DKLabRat]

On a non-political forum which I hang out in, one poster in a political thread was outraged over Obama's links to this man, appalled that anyone would want him to be President.­..yadda, yadda, yadda. Why can't people check out these things for themselves, think for themselves, instead of reacting in a kneejerk way like McCain's Little Robots? And, of course no mention of McCain funding this man. Clearly, he can't think he's SO bad if he supports him.

[NeoStar9]

Simple. A good deal of America is very stupid. There is a reason why the US is lowly rated when it comes to education and various other things when compared with the world. Republicans like it this way because stupid people are easier to manipulate and lie to. This is why their policies (health care, education, etc) are the way they are. It has always been a concentrated effort to keeping the bulk of the population (doesn't matter what their political preference is) ignorant.

The media are a large part of this plan news wise, most are incompetent and simply do as they are told. They have no idea what journalism is really suppose to be or what it means to be objective. They like to think and pretend they do but they don't.

[Pulemerci]

If Khalidi and his views aren't that out of the mainstream, why doesn't Obama address that. Especially to the Florida voters. If Bill Ayers was at the dinner too, that should also be addressed by Obama.

[Ironquill]

By "Florida voters", do you have a particular group in mind, maybe Blacks. In that case, why doesn't McCain go first with these, uh, Florida voters.

[white mende man]

here have some Kool-Aid. he has addressed all the issues you were just not listening. Now go vote for McCain he is snowy white.

[Fabienne]

White like a maggot. Sorry, I couldn't resist, though these kind of remarks should be beneath us.

[okayigive]

Why should he when both are employed by esteemed schools of higher education, but I guess that's meaningless. For a group who complains about what Sen. O.bama has to say, it's funny how much you want him to talk, even though you have already drawn your conclusion and would take his answer as a none answer anyways. We only have 4 more days please think for yourself and open your mind to progress, instead of being afraid of anyone with different ideas and perspectives on life. People like Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Edison, Einstein, Voltaire, Locke, Newton etc would of been unable to express themselves and give us greatness with the thinking of the likes of you without carrying some sort of label you consider out of the mainstream.

[Tommygun2146]

I'm much more interested in why McSame gave Khalidi $500K - that appears to be a closer connection than just being in the same room with the man. Why isn't McSame addressing that?

[Pulemerci]

Obama and Khalidi were colleagues at Univ. of Chicago. They became friends. There are reports that the Obama's babysat Khalidi's kids. Nothing wrong with that, but Obama's connection or relationship is much deeper than McCain's with Khalidi. Maybe it's nothing. But it is suspicious when the paper has a tape that they refuse to release.