Obama to Preempt McCain Assault
http://www.truthout.org/100608K
Branding his opponent as "erratic in a crisis," Sen. Barack Obama, D-
Ill., is preempting plans by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to portray him
as having sinister connections to controversial Chicagoans.
Obama officials call it political jujitsu - turning the attacks
back on the attacker.
McCain officials had said early in the weekend that they plan to
begin advertising after Tuesday's debate that will tie Obama to
convicted money launderer Tony Rezko and former Weathermen radical
William Ayers.
But Obama isn't waiting to respond. His campaign is going up
Monday on national cable stations with a scathing ad saying: "Three
quarters of a million jobs lost this year. Our financial system in
turmoil. And John McCain? Erratic in a crisis. Out of touch on the
economy. No wonder his campaign wants to change the subject.
"Turn the page on the financial crisis by launching dishonorable,
dishonest 'assaults' against Barack Obama. Struggling families can't
turn the page on this economy, and we can't afford another president
who is this out of touch."
Then Obama says: "I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message."
McCain officials told Politico that the new offensive is likely to
focus on Rezko and Ayers. The officials said the campaign will not
bring up the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, because
McCain has forbade them from using that as a weapon. Without being
specific, the officials said outside groups may focus on Wright.
When word of the planned attacks leaked Saturday, Obama officials
said within hours that it was an attempt by McCain to distract voters
from the economy.
""We think the McCain campaign made a huge error by telling the
press that their strategy was to distract from the most important
issue facing voters," a senior Obama official said. "Every attack
going forward will be easy to characterize for what it is - an attempt
to distract from the Bush-McCain economic record."
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds hinted at the tough new line
Saturday on "Fox & Friends."
"There are associations that are important to who Barack Obama is
as a candidate, who he'd be as president," Bounds said.
Obama-Biden communications director Dan Pfeiffer said about the
new ads: "If John McCain thinks he can 'turn the page' on the economic
crisis facing American families, he is even more out of touch than we
imagined. Now there may be no good answers for John McCain due to his
erratic response to the financial crisis, but his desire to avoid
discussing the economy is something we will remind voters of everyday
for the next month
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