McCain Says Obama's Actual First Name is 'That'

In his latest attempt to raise questions about his Democratic rival for president, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told a crowd in Ohio today that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) has been lying about his name being "Barack" and that his actual first name is "That."

"The Senator from Illinois should stop calling himself 'Barack Obama' when his real name is 'That One,'" Sen. McCain said. "My friends, let's take a deep breath and ask ourselves: what kind of first name is 'That'?"

The Arizona senator made his latest allegation about Sen. Obama in the hopes of fueling doubts among undecided voters who may be uncomfortable voting for a candidate with a foreign-sounding name like "That."

"Where on earth do people name their children 'That'?" Sen. McCain asked, prompting a member of the audience to shout back, "Terrorist places!"

GOP strategist Carol Foyler said that Sen. McCain was "not fear-baiting" by raising the issue of Senator One's unusual first name.

"This is about honesty, not about someone having a weird name," said Ms. Foyler, who worked this year for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

A CNN/Time poll of likely voters taken today appeared to indicate that Sen. McCain's latest tactic could be working, at least by injecting some confusion into the presidential race.

When asked if they would vote for a presidential candidate named "That," 97% of respondents answered, "What?"

Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com.