Playing the Age Card? Obama Camp Calls McCain "Confused," Jumps On McCain Comments on Iraq

[brooklynite]

Source: ABC News

Poll after poll shows that more voters trust Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on matters of national security than they do Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. Hoping to bridge that chasm, the Obama campaign and Democrats harped on comments McCain made on the Today show this morning, repeatedly calling the 71-year-old presumptive GOP presidential nominee "confused," seeming to feed into concerns voters might have about the Arizonan's age.

This morning, asked if he has a better estimate of when American forces can come home from Iraq now that the surge is working, McCain said, "No, but that's not too important. What's important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea, Americans are in Japan, American troops are in Germany -- that’s all fine. American casualties and the ability to withdraw."

The Obama campaign pounced. On a hastily-arranged Obama campaign conference call Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Dr. Susan Rice, and former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, all assailed McCain.

...anip...

Rice said McCain's comments reveal a "real confusion and lack of understanding of the situation in Iraq" and the larger region. Jumping on gaffes McCain made in the past, Rice said McCain's "repeatedly…confused Sunni and Shi'a," and said he's been "confused about who the leader in Iran with maximum power is." Rice also said McCain "seems very eager" to engage Iran militarily….This is troubling to say the least, and it's reflective of a pattern of lack of understanding and lack of strategic depth."

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/06/laying-...

---

This is now the top story at ABC News. Nice to see that the Obama campaign has its rapid-response team working smoothly.

[RedEarth]

1. BS on age card .... McCain is confused regardless of his age

[damntexdem]

4. Hear, hear! No need for ageism to recognize the truth about McSame.

And there are plenty of young GOP members who are confused -- basically all of them.

[Beetwasher]

6. Perfect OB Response Would Be: "Well I Don't Know WHY He's Confused..."

There's no winning this battle for McCain, he should just shut up and not draw any more attention to this.

[Warpy]

2. Good grief, how unutterably silly can they get?

"Confused" is the polite term. "Senile" is the ageist but appropriate term.

[David__77]

3. He IS confused and psychotic to boot!

He isn't credible, not even for a right-winger.

[greyghost]

8. AMEN... It's called Alzheimer's disease.

[Supersedeas]

19. ABC is playing the some people say -- confusing facts is "the age card"

Anything just to get out "the age card" even if it has absolutely NO MERIT.

Chucky Gibson and George Stephy at it again.

[Beetwasher]

5. LOL! This Is Great! McCain Is Fucked No Matter What He Does!

Complaining makes him seem like a whiny douche and focuses the argument even MORESO on his age anyway AND on his confusion about the issues! Way to make the story bigger, dumbass. LOL!

[quiet.american]

7. Here we go again -- how can ANYONE trust McCain on nat'l security.

The man has admitted lying about issues related to Iraq, doesn't know what's going on with Iran from a hole in the ground, and thinks it's not important as to when the troops come home. He's an utter and total disaster on foreign policy and matters relating to national security.

What is wrong with people?

[greyghost]

10. He is a disaster as a human being, just ask Ross Perot.

[yardwork]

9. Calling McSame "confused" is being kind.

Age has nothing to do with it.

[greyghost]

11. It's Alzheimer's when is anyone other then Keith going to wake the

F up?

[smoogatz]

12. The language of this excerpt is strikingly biased.

Polls show voters "trust McCain on national security" (no mention of the most recent Gallup tracking poll that shows McCain trailing by 7), Democrats "harp," the conference call is "hastily arranged." Wankery, they name is ABC. At least they reported it, I guess.

[lazyriver]

14. Exactly what I was thinking as I scrolled down thru this thread.

It sounds like something Bill O'Viley would say.

[dbonds]

13. Crazy is Crazy, doesn't matter what card it is on.

Age may or may not be a factor in why McCain isn't really all there. But if it is just because of age, so be it - it is still a problem to be addressed.

[gratuitous]

15. The Democrats are "harping" on McCain's comments?

Nice bit of reportage there. The popular media don't even notice McCain's repeated gaffes and misstatements. "Harping" on them seems to be the only way they get any coverage at all. And without any facts, the polls are asking uninformed people who they "trust" more on national security, rendering the polls meaningless, but watch the results get trumpeted anyway by the McCain camp (not that they're harping on it or anything).

[Mountainman]

16. So tell the troops that have been away for more than one tour that it isn't important

when they come home, tell their wives and kids, moms and dads. Tell their kids that Uncle John says it isn't important when their parents come home to them.

[Doug.Goodall]

17. As the campaign rolls on, his mental condition will become apparent

People will have a whole list of his stupid comments like "It doesn't matter when the troops come home" and most voters will recognize he is lacking the quick witted mental capacity to be President.

Obama is young, sharp and smart. McCain will be lucy to get the 35% core Republican base to vote for him.

[rocktivity]

18. The CAUSE of McCain's confusion is not the issue

The REALITY of McCain's confusion IS.


rocknation