Hussein Attacks McCain On Hamas, Age - With Video
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican John McCain tried to smear him and was “losing his bearings” for suggesting that Hamas preferred Obama for president.
“This is offensive, and I think it’s disappointing, because John McCain always says, ‘Well, I’m not going to run that kind of politics.’ And then to engage in that kind of smear, I think, is unfortunate, particularly since my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his,” Obama told CNN in an interview Thursday.
The Illinois senator added: “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 has raised questions about a Hamas adviser, Ahmed Yousef, saying in an interview: “We like Obama and hope that he will win the election.” The United States has labeled the Palestinian organization a terrorist group.
“It’s indicative of how some of our enemies view America,” McCain said Wednesday on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” “And I guarantee you, they’re not going to endorse me.”
McCain’s campaign issued an angry response that accused Obama of trying to divert attention from a legitimate question by raising McCain’s age.
“He used the words ‘losing his bearings’ intentionally, a not-particularly-clever way of raising John McCain’s age as an issue,” McCain adviser Mark Salter said. “It is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama, because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.”
Obama spokesman Bill Burton insisted that Obama was not trying to do what McCain’s campaign accused him of.
“Clearly, losing one’s bearings has no relation to age,” he said.
Thus far, Democrats have been careful not to mention McCain’s age, at least not directly. The lone exception is Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton who a few weeks ago said the rigors of running the country is too much for guys their age.
“Let me tell you something, it’s no old man’s job,” Murtha, 75, told a union audience.
In response, McCain told CNN: “All I can tell you is that I admire and respect Jack Murtha. Speak for yourself, Jack. I’m doing fine. Thanks.”
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