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McCain Jokes Obama 'Inaugural' on Par With 'Dewey Defeats Truman'
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ShareOctober 25, 2008 8:20 PM
ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: John McCain added a moment of levity to his stump speech this evening in New Mexico, ridiculing his opponent Barack Obama for a news report that indicated his staff has already drafted his inaugural address.
“My friends, when I pull this thing off, I have a request for my opponent,” McCain said. “I want him to save that manuscript of his inaugural address, and donate it to the Smithsonian. And they can put it right next to the Chicago paper that said ‘Dewey Defeats Truman.’”
The crowd cheered and McCain senior staffers and some traveling press laughed at the line.
“There’s 10 days left in this election,” McCain continued. “Maybe Barack Obama will have his first State of the Union address ready before you head to the polls.”
The New York Times reported today that among the planning for a transition to the White House by both campaigns, is a draft of an inaugural address written for Obama.
The story also included speculation on potential cabinet officials in either a McCain or Obama administration.
But the Obama campaign said that is inaccurate.
“While this charge is completely false and there is no draft of an inaugural address for Senator Obama, the last thing we need is a candidate like John McCain who just plans on re-reading George Bush’s,” spokesman Bill Burton e-mailed reporters.
And the Web site of John Podesta, the aide reported to have written the speech, indicates that it was a literary device used to close his book about “the history and successes of progressive politics in the 20th century.”
Podesta says he wrote the speech in March, when he was working for Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination, and it wasn't clear who the party's candidate would be.
Obama's campaign says Podesta wrote the speech on his own, unsolicited, for his book, and not for Obama.
McCain’s stump speech has been vigorously regimented the last few weeks as the campaign as moved to a higher level of message discipline to hammer home their closing argument in the days leading up to the election. But the line and its delivery were reminiscent of McCain’s comedic turn at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York a few weeks back, albeit on a much smaller scale. (The Al Smith speech and Saturday’s swipe at Obama were written by the same McCain speechwriter.)
McCain’s closest advisor, Mark Salter, gave his boss a big thumbs-up at the end of his remarks from a nearby camera platform.
McCain is behind in the polls in several crucial swings states with only ten days to go before the election. But he wrapped up his remarks in New Mexico Saturday with a commitment to keep up the fight.
“I’ve fought for you most of my life and in places where defeat meant more than returning to a Senate seat,” McCain said. “There are other ways to love this country but I’ve never been the kind to do back down when the stakes are high.”
Jake Tapper Contributed Reporting
October 25, 2008 in McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (96)
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God, can't that man ever tell the truth? Seems EVRYTIHNG coming out of his mouth lately is either a lie or some idiot rumor and if I hear McCain trot out his war stories one more time I think I'm going to puke.
Posted by: JR | Oct 25, 2008 8:40:10 PM
So McCain made a funny based on a lie and the traveling press laughed along and this is all indicative of the fun-loving old McCain coming back. Ah, just in time for the press to fall back in love with him in the last week before the election.
Oh, did I mention the joke was based on a falsehood?
Nevermind.
Posted by: Lisa | Oct 25, 2008 8:44:08 PM
BTW, who wants to lay odds McCain will again mention the already debunked "inaugural address" story on Meet the Press tomorrow... and that Tom Brokaw will let him get away with it without correcting the facts? Hmmm?
Posted by: Lisa | Oct 25, 2008 8:46:18 PM
McCain has given voters absolutely NO reason to vote for him. All it is is BASH BASH BASH Obama.
In terms of the inaugural address, Obama will write his OWN speech as he always does when he become president.
Posted by: Cameron | Oct 25, 2008 8:49:44 PM
time for McCain to just die. More dignified.
Posted by: scott | Oct 25, 2008 8:52:19 PM
Didn't Obama learn anything from the Greek Columns fiasco?
Posted by: Shelley | Oct 25, 2008 8:56:55 PM
Obama writes his own speeches. This is just dumb.
Posted by: Alice | Oct 25, 2008 8:57:04 PM
Didn't you learn anything about reading and comprehending articles before commenting, Shelley?
Posted by: Lisa | Oct 25, 2008 8:58:00 PM
Why doesn't that old man just go away, his fate was sealed when he lost to Dubya in 2000. And that's who the country needs to watch, Dubya. He's going to try and pull alot of trick's in his last few day's. He will try and get the bail out money to his buddy's, and have the Fed lower intrest rates so the price of oil will go back up for the Bush family and The House of Saud.Also watch out for his pardons before he leaves.
Ex Republican
Posted by: RGeier | Oct 25, 2008 9:01:53 PM
McCain, can't you stop being foolishly opportunistic at this point? From phoning the hoaxing lady in PA to this ridiculous allegation! How do you think you can get a single sympathy vote by doing this? When will you stop and exit this race with any little left honor? All these show your shallow intellectual bent, and inability to process and analyze situations. America is not looking for morons to lead it at this difficulty juncture. Not you, not Palin! Not at this time. We need Dem majority to get us going again without the gridlock of party affiliation and filibuster. When the situation improves, and there is room to play a little tomfoolery, we can invite you or Palin back, or even someone worse. Enough is enough!
Posted by: Jan | Oct 25, 2008 9:03:07 PM
Obama said all our troops are doing is air raiding civilians in afghanistan.
Obama said ICE agents were terrorizing illegals.
No more time to take our country back from the far left wing Obamaites.
Posted by: Jason | Oct 25, 2008 9:04:53 PM
Obama, Pelosi, Reid, liberal media.
We need checks and balances.
We need McCain to veto Pelosi and Reid's spending.
We need checks and balances not one party rule.
Dems will have 60 senate seats.
We need checks and balances.
Posted by: Sean | Oct 25, 2008 9:05:56 PM
McCain in 2005 voted against Bush more than any republican in the senate.
McCain and Bush hate eachother.
They never speak to eachother.
McCain is a navy man while Bush was a spoiled baby boomer who went MIA.
The worst part of this election is how dumb Obama camp is.
McCain and Bush can't stand eachother.
Posted by: Jeff | Oct 25, 2008 9:07:28 PM
Obama the most liberal senator in the united states senate.
We need a moderate not the most liberal senator in the u.s senate.
Posted by: Sam | Oct 25, 2008 9:08:20 PM
Obama has been the one saying this race is not over. He has been saying that for two weeks. I agree there will be some last minute tricks up the repubs sleeve. I do not doubt them one bit.
Therefore why is he acting like Obama has claimed victory early like Bush did with Mission Accomplished?
I know Hannity is going to use this story and run with it like he did with the "attacked" campaign worker, although as someone previously mentioned it has been debunked. Republicans are good about keeping lies going it is a true art form.
Posted by: Ashley | Oct 25, 2008 9:11:15 PM
I’ve fought for you most of my life and in places where defeat meant more than returning to a Senate seat,” McCain said.
*********************************************
That is correct John McCain. YOU LIED THEN AND YOU ARE LYING NOW!
AMERICANS ARE SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR FOOLISHNESS. GO HOME!
Posted by: Truth Matters | Oct 25, 2008 9:14:49 PM
Obama campaign accuses Clinton of killing Bhutto.
Obama campaign plays the race card against the Clintons.
Obama campaign calls Palin a nazi.
Obama campaign calls Palin a bad mother.
This election there is a huge double standard.
Obama can do the most negative things and the press covers it up and makes it out like he is some saint.
Worst election ever.
Obama said Hillary's claws were coming out.
Obama said Hillary visiting 80 countries amounted to having tea with leaders.
This election is madness how the media has used such bias to elect the most liberal senator in the senate.
Posted by: David | Oct 25, 2008 9:15:28 PM
***
Obama can do the most negative things
***
Please cite references or refrain from your nonsense.
Posted by: sammi | Oct 25, 2008 9:23:29 PM
Hannity??? He's nothing but a right wing mouthpiece! Did anyone see any of the "exclusive interview" he had with McCain & Palin??? I would bet a paycheck that McCain's handlers wrote the questions for Hannity to ask. The only journalist on Fox I would listent to is Wallace. He at least challenges McCain on some important issues. Hannity isn't even close to Wallace when it comes to "journalism".
What a joke!
Posted by: Desert Storm Veteran | Oct 25, 2008 9:24:06 PM
Hey Ashley,
The campaign worker story was more than "debunked"; the young woman was arrested. Apparently she is still being held pending a psychiatric examination.
Saddest thing about her story is that the GOP politicos in her area were SO glad to have a negative story to create antagonism between blacks and whites and thereby discredit Obama. They used that disturbed person to "make news", then dumped her when it turned out she was a fraud. In none of the reports does it say the GOP personnel in the area did anything to assist her once she got into trouble, even though they were quick to send condolences when they figured her story would gin up votes. The Obama-bashing message they were pounding helped to send this girl off the rails, but who cares.
And I agree Hannity is likely to pick up this "story" about the inaugural speech. It seems FOX keeps grasping at straws, time after time, as if to say, "This time we got 'em - no, this time - right, THIS time - no. . . ."
If it wasn't so dangerous, it would be pathetic.
Posted by: liberalprogressive | Oct 25, 2008 9:25:54 PM
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