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In Land of Enchantment, McCain Asks 'Who is the Real Barack Obama?'

October 06, 2008 5:33 PM

In Albuquerque, NM, this afternoon, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, delivered his harshest attacks yet against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., painting his Democratic rival as a mysterious, risky unknown.

"Who is the real Barack Obama?" McCain asked.

“Even at this late hour in the campaign there are things we don’t know about Senator Obama or the record that he brings to this campaign,” McCain said. “We have all heard what he has said, but it is less clear what he has done or what he will do."

Speaking to a relatively small crowd of maybe 750 people, McCain said, "My opponent's touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who's already authored two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book….What has this man ever actually accomplished in government?"

“Nothing!” the crowd shouted.

"What does he plan for America?" McCain asked. "In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another angry barrage of insults."

"Who is the real Senator Obama?" McCain asked. "Is he the candidate who promises to cut middle class taxes, or the politician who voted to raise middle class taxes? Is he the candidate who talks about regulation or the politician who took money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and turned a blind eye as they ran our economy into a ditch? Which one is it? Is he the candidate who promises change, or is he the politician who has bought into everything that is wrong with Washington? And he’s bought into it big time."

Unlike the allegedly mysterious Mr. Obama, McCain said, "I didn't just show up out of nowhere, after all -- America knows me. You know my strengths and my faults. You know my story and my convictions. And though familiarity in politics can be both helpful to a candidate, or not so helpful, it does at least fill out the picture and answer the essential questions. You need to know who you're putting in the White House -- where the candidate came from and what he or she believes. And you need to know now, before it is time to choose."

The attack comes just two days after McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, started saying that Obama doesn't see America the same way most Americans do, and is "palling around with terrorists."

A new McCain-Palin TV ad asks the "Who is Barack Obama?" question and also calls Obama "dishonorable."

In April, McCain told Fox News, "Americans want a respectful campaign. Now, people say negative ads move numbers. They may. But do we have to go to the lowest common denominator? I don't think so."

In May, Cindy McCain said that "none of this negative stuff though you won't see come out of our side...My husband is absolutely opposed to any negative campaigning at all....We'd rather not win than have to do that. That's not worth winning for."

-- Jake Tapper and Bret Hovell

October 6, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (129)

User Comments

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You all shut up and keep quite. Otherwise, our president Obama will rule you all like a king. Listen, he already has a big plan for you all as he anounced earlier, he will demolish current war loving military and build up his own Obama army in your cities and towns all around the country and keep eyes close on you if you dare to yell, send you to labor camp with no time. You those non sense people. do you do how great our Obama will be. He will rewrite your history!!!

Posted by: John | Oct 12, 2008 12:20:41 AM

I'm so surprised that McCain has chosen to run his campaign on fear and hatred. If that's what's in store for America for the next 4 to 8 years, count me out.

Posted by: uiuc06 | Oct 9, 2008 11:02:15 PM

Shouldn't we be asking who is Sarah Palin?? Until a few weeks ago nobody had heard of her outside of Alaska and next month she could be 2nd in command of the most powerful nation on earth? I had my doubts about Obama's experience to start with but for 2 years he has basically been interviewing for a 4 year job. He has already recieved 18 million votes and has built the most successful political campaign in american history. I know who Obama is...he is a winner.

Posted by: Sam | Oct 9, 2008 11:01:48 AM

I think we all need to go back to Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the end of the Democrats' convention, where he reminded us that "we are better than that." If you have been reading or watching any of the speeches recently given by Gov. Palin or Sen. McCain, the level of ugliness is truly appalling. Obama is so right -- we ARE better than that, and we should reject outright this kind of divisive and rancorous and frankly, scary tactics. Both Obama and McCain have been in the public eye for over a year, so everything that is now being used to malign them has been used before. It's pointless at this time to try, in such an ugly way, to paint either one of them as unsuitable for the presidency. We know their stories already, and all the lies. But...in the past weeks, I have seen one man remain presidential -- cool, thoughtful, calming, still appealing for a new IMPROVED America. The other has seemed rash, unpredictable, angry and volatile, urging his supporters to violence in words -- who's to say what they are capapable of in deed? I know who I want for president, and it's not the angry one. What the angry one is doing to America is really scary.

Posted by: Ann | Oct 7, 2008 4:22:48 PM

Some of these comments are really anti american,do we want a free society and country.Or go to the radical leftist agenda?
The people that believe Obama are in for a very rude awakening,he is No President material,No foreign relations experience, Yet thats exactly where he wants to go.I am terrorized
of his leftist agenda ,which be revealed soon,
He is no Messiah either,Why do people worship him?
Please support this country and our soldiers,By supporting someone who has experience more than Obama,Obama bills will not be good I promise look before you leap!

Posted by: karen | Oct 7, 2008 11:15:56 AM

The same could be asked of John McCain. A man who has condemned character assasisation politics now embraces them. McCain is a phony and has his own character issues included whether he is mentally stable enough to be President.

Posted by: indy_voter | Oct 7, 2008 9:41:04 AM

McCain's behavioral problems
rule him out from holding
any job in government at any
level.

Posted by: anon | Oct 7, 2008 8:31:43 AM

Obama sits on his high horse pointing down at John McCain (true American, Military man, knows the meaning of suffering and putting himself not first but last) for mudslinging? What does Obama he think he is doing? Wearing a halo? I think NOT. Obama is a slimy, two faced scumbag, who tells San Fran elites that Pennsylvanians are bitter, gun clinging, religious fanatics. If you people in PA vote for Obama you are incredibly stupid. He made the biggest fools out of you before the entire Nation.

Posted by: ml | Oct 7, 2008 7:50:51 AM

I go into every election with an open mind. The candidate that appeals to me is the one who when I watch talk, provides an intelligent analysis of the issues. I'll admit, I haven't voted Republican in a presidential election for a while, and the John McCain smear/lie campaign has lost me this time as well. He started with the slogan "Country First" and that more or less disappeared when the engine warmed up. It's been Campaign First and America's Real Needs Second ever since.
How sad to see his political career come to a close this way.

Posted by: furtherwest | Oct 7, 2008 2:47:48 AM

I find what the republicans with McCain and Palin are doing is disgusting. Our country is falling apart. We may be headed towards a depression bigger and more damaging then ever before. We need to hear how the candidates are going to work to save our country. We do not need lies and character assassinations by McCain and Palin. They seem to have absolutely no ideas of what to do to help America so they spew their bigoted hatred and their minions echo this hate all over the news and internet.

We need hope not hate. We need new ideas not the fear of their fascist propaganda. Obama is our only hope to get out of this mess. He understands that the economy must turn around from the failed conservative ideology of trickle-down economics.

If the middle-class and the poor have decent jobs it means more money in their pocket to spend and save. This is what will help the economy.

The republicans only gave to the rich. No more Bush/Cheny/McCain/Palin and the rest of the republicans. They had eight years and all they have done is wreck our country.

Posted by: scott | Oct 7, 2008 1:23:30 AM

That John McCain is out of touch with America is evident in his asking who Barak Obama is. The senator from Illinois has been vetted and re-vetted more thoroughly than any political figure in recent history. Every American who reads a newspaper or watches TV knows full well who and what Barak Obama is. The same, though, cannot be said of John McCain’s running mate. The public has yet to know the full story behind her ties with the secessionist Alaskan Independence party, her veiled acceptance of earmarks, her undisclosed government perks, her alleged abuse of power, her anti-witchcraft rituals, her daughter’s shotgun wedding, and so forth. The pit-bull, barracuda, untutored hockey mom from the most sparsely populated state in the nation is the one who is a mystery. Why John McCain chose her over far better qualified candidates as his running mate is also a mystery.

Posted by: Carlos Navarro | Oct 6, 2008 10:59:29 PM

McCain's veep pick Alaska
hillbilly Sarah Palin is
driving him nuts. His
campaign is dying. Unable
to control the storm
raging in his mind, he
keeps lashing out at
his opponent with absurd
and grotesque lies.

Posted by: anon | Oct 6, 2008 10:23:31 PM

Actually right now I'm still trying to figure out who is the real McCain. He is nothing like who he once was and that is truly sad.

He has embraced hypocrisy with both arms

Posted by: WeLoveOurBooks | Oct 6, 2008 9:31:36 PM

McCain is vile and unpresidential.

Posted by: puat | Oct 6, 2008 9:29:56 PM

Obama has been respectful of McCain, honoring his service, being professional and courteous despite McCain's open hostility and rudeness. By allowing such a thing to go unresponded at his event is unforgivable. To allow another US Senator to be called a terrorist without a response, such a thing should be unheard of. You don't agree with his policies, fine, but you don't sit there with a stupid smile on your face while that goes on. You are not worthy of your position McCain. When you lose this election, I doubt you will be returning to the senate when you are up for re-election sir. You have become all that you have claimed to be against, or perhaps you always were this. Some hero.

Posted by: Danny | Oct 6, 2008 8:55:24 PM

KEEP UP THE NONSENSE, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN. HERE'S THE LATEST FROM REAL CLEAR POLITICS:

Colorado 48.0 44.0 Obama +4.0
Ohio 48.7 45.2 Obama +3.5
Florida 49.3 45.3 Obama +4.0
Nevada 49.3 47.5 Obama +1.8
Missouri 47.8 47.5 Obama +0.3
Virginia 49.9 45.1 Obama +4.8

Posted by: Blue in Michigan | Oct 6, 2008 8:13:55 PM

I'm confused. The economy goes bad and that INCREASES Obama's chances to win??? Why - during such critical changes - would we vote for an inexperienced, JUNIOR senator who has voted "present" most of his career and gives new meaning to "flip-flop"? Give me the older, stable, decisive, wiser guy anyday (and I'm a lifelong gay Democrat)!

Posted by: gaypastor | Oct 6, 2008 7:31:29 PM]

_________________________

In case you haven't looked, their is only an older guy. He is not stable, decisive (at least not in a rationale and correct way - driven by facts and information as well as gut - just gut and we know where that goes), wise oand he is the most flip of the flip floppers. Plus he is one foot in the grave given he is so old. And his backstop VP is a juvenile.

You need to face reality. Get your head out of the Rabbit Hole and the ostrich hole. Its time for change - and not McCain's idea of change - which is to just change the subject.

Posted by: PaulStewart9 | Oct 6, 2008 8:12:16 PM

John McCain and Sarah Palin want to be elected like Republicans but they are trying to avoid discussing issues critical for the American families. And portraying themselves like reformers because they are embarrassed of the last 8 years of the Republicans –Bush Administration Americans want answers to they problems they want better healthcare they want better pay they don’t want just change because that sounds good on election time, they want change from the Bush policies.
The financial institutions are bankrupt. The dollar super weak
The military are stressed out dangerously. Factories and jobs move overseas.
Home owners become homeless. And John McCain worry about the judgment of OBAMA?
McCain is desperate to be a President! He doesn’t see the disaster of Iraq coming when he vote in favor of War .He support deregulations and then argue about the circus of Wall Street .A person who talk against the Government but he favors the government interference .What you can say about his judgment? Now we know that not only Obama can lead, but also he had a plan for the future of this great country!
Now McCain can snooze tight. Obama can answer the 03.00 am call any time!
Rebublicants can spin like wash machine all day long! The truth is
Senator McCain past actually impairs him from to be flexible and confront the future with open mind. The last days of the campaign confirmed that McCain -Plain are the most inadequate people to run this country!
The same people who gave George Bush a second term should feel responsible for the mess that is occurring today. They are the same ones who today have doubts about the ability of Obama to be a good choice for President. At war the first casualty is the truth. At this electoral race the truth has been killed by McCain and the Rebublicants .


Posted by: dontspin | Oct 6, 2008 7:59:09 PM

John McCain Profile:
John McCain hobby? Political stunts!
John McCain dream? Be the president no matter what!
John McCain political ideology? Opportunist!
John McCain cheerleader? Sarah Palin.!
John McCain favorite place? Florida, many elderly residents and you can manipulate the voting results!
John McCain favorite Cable news? FOX spin masters!
John McCain favorite movie? Pinocchio!
John McCain favorite song? Bomb.Bomb..Bomb Iran!
John McCain favorite word.? President Reagan ,my friends!.
John McCain friends? Wealthy people like him.!
John McCain ability ?Regular flip flop.!
John McCain number of houses? Seven!
John McCain Number of cars?Eleven!
John McCain definition of middle class?Under five million dollars assets!
John McCain family business value? Over hundred millions!

Posted by: dontspin | Oct 6, 2008 7:52:45 PM

At war the first casualty is the truth. At this electoral race the truth has been killed by McCain/Palin and the Republicans

Posted by: republicans nomore | Oct 6, 2008 7:44:49 PM

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