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McCain camp accuses Obama of making age an issue


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John McCain’s campaign accused Barack Obama of making the presumptive Republican nominee’s age an issue after his Thursday remark that the Arizona senator was “losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination."

In an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room," Obama said that McCain's contention that Hamas wants him to be president was “offensive, and I think it's disappointing, because John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics.’ And to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his.

“…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.”

McCain adviser Mark Salter immediately sent out a memo rebuking the Illinois senator for his use of words.

"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,” Salter said. “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.”
ajwashington

45 responses // McCain camp accuses Obama of making age an issue

  • lmao @ McCain.

    seriously fool, it's always been an issue

    but trust me, that is not the reason i won't vote for you to be Prez
    jade_azul16
  • Word of advice for Democrats; Two things you should not attack McCain for: his age and his military service. If they have to stoop to doing that instead of basing it on his record, then they are not running the campaign they say they want to run and they will lose votes. Obama may think he will have this sewed up with the "youth" vote should he be handed the nomination. However, senior citizens also make up a huge block of votes. You alienate them, you lose votes.
    JanforGore
  • Dude is wearing the baseball cap to look cool or what?

    Please, he is old, I cannot believe he is going to try and bring this up. I am not that young myself, and honestly it changes how I go about my day to day task.

    I could write a blog on this, but just to keep this short. Sure sometimes people age affects them more than others, gosh my loving aunt is suffering with Alzheimer at 69 years old. I have family member much older than that, who are doing really well memory wise, and I have family members who aren't. It is play by play. But I have begun to notice several of my age group beginning to have "memory lapses" these days, and look at bushie, he doesn't seem to be the sharpest tack on the board, and what's up with that? Could it be we need to look at all aspects of someones mental ability when they are going to lead our country. As one ages (especially these days) it can be detrimental to their memory.

    What Sr Citizen McCain doesn't want us to notice he is 71 years old?
    queenofit
  • Well, I can surely see his campaign countering with the line that with age comes wisdom through experience, and that that is something Obama cannot say he has because he has not served in the Senate as long and has no military experience. Just saying, that if they take that route there will be a response and with many in this country that will ring true with them.
    JanforGore
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5trxPYpYNQ
    Sure Janforgore, I agree with you on several points, yet their approach to make anything Obama says regarding age as a negative, and try to shuffle under the rug anything that may appear to be related to age, may not be as easy as they would like.

    I recall the whisper in McCains ear that Lieberman did on video a while back. If those little "mis-speaks" continue to happen, it may be that we need to know
    queenofit
  • I will concede that age may be a factor, but only if they can prove it would somehow stilt his abilities to lead under the 25th amendment of the Constitution.
    JanforGore
  • Didn't gramps accuse Obama of being a terrorist collaborator?
    eldamon
  • HAHAHAHAHAHA... ok, ok, seriously, HAHAHAHAHAHA
    AreOh
  • Does McCain think we are all so stupid that it takes Barack Obama to make age an issue. We have eyes and ears. We are capable of judging for ourselves.

    He is the one having the 'senior moments'. Age is an issue! It will take mental strength throughout the term, not just through the election.
    Conniepae
  • Thanks for the conversation, queenofit.
    JanforGore
  • Thank you janforgore...
    queenofit
  • Age is a factor when you think about Nancy leaning over whispering the answers to Reagan when he became confused because he had Alzheimer's. It is very much a factor.
    Marilynn_Murray
  • watch this comment being used here, here, here, here, here and here
    Of course age is a factor. But Obama doesn't need to go anywhere near it. It's obvious and doesn't need to be underlined. However, I don't think Obama was out of line with his comments above. McCain accused him of being supported by a middle eastern terrorist organization. If you don't think that has something to do with the color of his skin then you are kidding yourself. So firing a subtle shot across his bow is completely appropriate and I think well played. But I agree with Jan, overtly commenting on his age or military service would be as stupid as McCain overtly making Obama's race an issue.
    recommended by  stephenthomson
    krag2112
  • Of course not. It isn't necessary to point it out. Would be rude as hell and unfair. People can figure things out without it being said. I was just pointing out that Reagan was in early stage Alzheimer's while still president. That is always a possibility. Obama is smart enough to not point out the obvious, and doesn't need to.
    Marilynn_Murray
  • Grandpa McCain should get off the steroids or whatever is keeping him going. It's bad for his heart and at his advanced age he can't handle much of that sort of thing.

    ... and here we go - the stupid Ripusoffican tactics to attempt to smear Obama.

    Here's the deal with CRIMINALS like McCain; they accuse the other person of what they are doing so as to take the attention away from themselves - as they do the very thing they accuse the other of.

    We've seen this tactic used by HIllary against Obama - so I'll refer to it as the "play the hurt girl" strategy.

    Oh, poor OLD McCain, he and his campaign are having a hard accepting his OLD age. Poor babay, maybe he should drop a few bombs on Obama and fix everything before his feelings get hurt. The poor OLD geezer.

    Don't get me wrong, OLD is good if one has acquired wisdom along with age, but if one hasn't developed wisdom, you get someone like McCain who suffers from arrested development. Just look at his boyish "I'm not too bright" expression he typically wears.

    We could call him "Sport!" And look, he's got his ball cap on. Anybody want to take him down to the playing field and drop a few bombs on innocent Iraqis - just for the sport of it - like old times, the good old days - aye McCain?
    VoyagerFilms
  • This is a significant strategy on the part of McCain to gain favor from the major 60+ age demographic, maybe even 50+, who are the majority that vote. By turning Obama's statement: “losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination" into an assumption that with age comes senility, McCain alienates a major part of his platform from the rest of the younger population.

    It is effective in making McCain appear "just like you and me," by being unfairly judged as delusional because of age.

    After all, those young-whipper-snappers think the know everything.
    BillionJawingNeurons
  • Yes, the Ripusoffican's have been planning this one for a long time haven't they?


    How else can they attempt to manipulate the American people? Give it up grandpa!
    VoyagerFilms
  • McCain can pull the old Reagen line and say, "Yes age is an issue. How old are you Obama?"
    uroborus8
  • “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's obvious Barack has remained civil longer than any other candidate until all the pundits started deeming him a pussy. Who could expect him to take all the bullshit from gramps mccain and bottom feeding Hillary?
    fauxsherrrr
  • watch this comment being used here, here and here
    Don't anybody get me wrong. I love my father who is older than mccain, and I wish I had the chance to know my grandfathers, but there comes a time where one's selfish desire to remain relevant in the world needs to be put aside and the baton passed to the next generation.

    That time will vary from individual to individual depending on what they've to contribute. mccain (no longer warranting capitalization of letters) only has his blind allegiance to others to offer. THIS does not make a leader. The United States needs a leader!
    VoyagerFilms
  • McCain made age an issue, both by bringing it up and by running for President when he's old enough to be many voters' Grandfather or Great-Grandfather. His ship came and went already when it comes to Presidential bid.
    barkway
  • “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.”

    Funny that this is coming from McCain's camp because this exactly describes his political strategy. He claims that he wants to run a clean campaign, proceeds to attack Obama, then when Obama responds, he twists his statement into an issue about age. The sad part is that the mainstream media reports McCain's word as truth and a large percentage of the American public believes it.
    sapere_aude
  • through. not threw.

    I'm sure Obama will be asked somewhere between now and November very explicitly "do you think McCain is too old to be president"

    and i'm sure Obama will do as he always does, answer with respect for his opponent and with personal dignity, and in doing so elevate the conversation once again for a general public that seems hell-bent on whittling their dialogue down to alliterative mantras and defining their candidates with one word labels.
    recommended by  VoyagerFilms, Marilynn_Murray
    stephenthomson
  • Grandpa Munster (McCain) will be 80 when he leaves office, should he win two terms. He shouldn't be driving or running the country.
    smallwood
  • Tons of flaws on the McCain side....bringing up something so petty just to get his name in the news.
    surfpub2001
  • clayjj05, watch the name calling.
    Marilynn_Murray
  • Let's be honest here. That is not what Obama meant. Is this what it is coming to? "He called me old." Really? Pathetic.
    tedV
  • Do we really want our president to face serious risk for Alzheimers when he's leading our country?
    benjaminV
  • You mean again? We voted for a geezer before and he ended up running the most powerful nation in the world while not being able to remember what he had for breakfast that morning. Reagan probably wasn't lying when he couldn't remember cooking up the Iran Contra deal. Do we need something like that again? I'm sure some Reaganites think so, I don't.

    A vote for McCain may very well prove to be a vote for his V.P. I mean, the guy doesn't look very good and a couple years of torture doesn't exactly increase life expectancy.
    recommended by  VoyagerFilms
    cfitz1488
  • Remember we have to try harder. It's best not to respond to things that are out of line.
    Marilynn_Murray
  • The McCain camp has already lost its bearings if the statement "losing his bearings" is considered an ATTACK- If you throw a rock in a cave and something yelps, there's something in that cave...


    An attack might be showing a picture of one of those computer progression shots, you know the ones that demonstrate the aging of a president- But then that would simply be REALITY- Can McCain even survive 4 years as president is a valid question...
    kennyJ
  • The word bearing can't be thought a reference to age in any way.
    Marilynn_Murray
  • Obama's push for the presidency and those who support him because of his youth and lack of experience is only a reflection of the depth our society has downward spiraled. In a time, where young individuals (including myself) overeducate ourselves, in lieu of experience, we strive to achieve the top position far too quickly.
    Kylsport
  • lol mccain just said obama was young and inexperienced
    riverdeer
  • I wasn't being hypocrital about it. I voted for him in the primary only because he was not Hillary.
    Kylsport
  • wait wasn't obama being too young and inexperienced a recent topic of discussion?
    innocent_criminal
  • I don't see how 'lost his bearings' means anything about his age... it's a response to McCain saying he wouldn't run a negative campaign, and then making that remark about Hamas wanting Obama to win -- a low blow by any standards. McCain 'did lose his bearings' -- he lost his own standards of how he's going to run his campagn.
    shelchak
  • exactly. definition of "losing one's bearings" is not about senility, it's about losing relation to one's original base.

    "losing one's marbles" is another story, which McCain clearly has.
    stephenthomson
  • Indeed, Obama's comment had nothing to do with age. As is the same with my opinion with McCain and how I feel about him running the country.