McCain Ready for Combat in Nashville Debate Tonight
Posted on: Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 07:30 CDT
By David Jackson
WASHINGTON -- As they prepared Monday for their presidential debate tonight, John McCain attacked Barack Obama's credibility. Some of McCain's fellow Republicans say the aggressive tack may not offset the damage to his candidacy from the sinking economy.
On a day when the stock market dipped below 10,000 points for the first time in years, McCain served notice at an Albuquerque rally that he'll be combative in the debate. As he discussed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, McCain said Obama has accused him of opposing regulation that would have averted the financial crisis.
"I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough, it will be believed," McCain said.
Obama, taking time out from debate practice in Asheville, N.C., said the candidates should talk about the economy rather than "the usual political shenanigans and smear tactics."
"The American people are losing right now," the Democrat said. The back-and-forth came as polls show McCain losing ground. Obama is leading McCain or essentially tied with him in key states won by President Bush in 2004, including Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to surveys compiled on RealClearPolitics.com.
GOP pollster Steve Lombardo said the window for McCain to challenge Obama's character may be closed. GOP strategist Mark Corallo said the McCain campaign's line of attack on Obama is "about a week too late."
"The economic situation has virtually ended John McCain's presidential aspirations, and no amount of tactical maneuvering in the final 29 days is likely to change that equation," Lombardo wrote to his clients.
Another GOP pollster, Whit Ayres, said the Wall Street crisis "makes Sen. McCain's task more challenging" but noted that it's early to count him out.
McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, again sought to link Obama to 1960s radical William Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground group accused of several bombings. Ayers once hosted a 1995 reception for Obama and served with him on two boards.
Obama, who was a child at the time of the bombings, has denounced the group's violence and radical views. He has described Ayers as a "guy who lives in my neighborhood" in Chicago.
Corallo said the McCain campaign should have started bringing up Ayers awhile ago.
Tonight's debate at Belmont University is a town-hall-style format in which both candidates field audience questions. McCain prefers the format. He used town halls effectively to help him win the New Hampshire primary.
Scott Reed, Republican Bob Dole's campaign manager in 1996, said McCain is "swimming into a rip current" and needs to discuss tax cuts to stimulate the economy -- while casting Obama as a believer in higher taxes.
(c) Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Source: USA TODAY
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User Comments (2)
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Posted by Winter Springs on 10/07/2008, 14:11 Raila Odinga seems to be Obama's close frind in Kenya. They made several call this year and are quite the chums. The Evangelical Alliance of Kenya has posted on its website a photograph copy of a Memorandum of Understanding, dated and signed on August 29, 2007, between Raila Odinga and Shiekh Abdullah Abdi, chairman of the National Muslim Leaders Forum of Kenya. It pledges the support of Kenyan Moslems for Raila's election. In return, as President of Kenya, Raila agrees to 14 actions, listed a) through n) on page two. Read them all, and be sure you're sitting down. Here's a sample: b) Within 6 months re-write the Constitution of Kenya to recognize Shariah as the only true law sanctioned by the Holy Quran for Muslim declared regions. c) With immediate effect dismiss the Commissioner of Police who has allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists to oppress the Kenyan Muslim community. g) Within one year facilitate the establishment of a Shariah court in every Kenyan divisional headquarters. [Note: everywhere in Kenya, not just in "Muslim declared regions."] |
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Posted by Bitter on 10/07/2008, 12:04 Hillary Clinton Earned more Votes than any Presidential Primary candidate in the History of America. www.hillaryclintonforum.net http://thedenvergroup.blogspot.com/ Hillary Clinton Won the Popular Vote Hillary Clinton Won the Electoral Vote 2008 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY VOTING STATES: http://www.lynettelong.com/CAUCUSFRAUD/ (Peniel Cronin "Primary versus Caucus" Final Report -2008) 39 Primaries (State Run, State Financed) 34,829,191 Votes Cast -97% of the total Votes cast 17,657,517 Votes - 50.7% Hillary Clinton - 1464 Pledged Delegates 17,171,674 Votes - 49.3% Barack Obama - 1429 Pledged Delegates Hillary Clinton:+ 485,843 Votes - 1.4% and 35 Pedged Delegates 13 Caucuses (Party Run, Party Financed) 1,057,136 Votes Cast (2.9%)--53% of these Votes were estimated 378,684 Estimated Votes - 36% Hillary Clinton - 171 Delegates 678,452 Estimated Votes - 64% Barack Obama - 323 Delegates Barack Obama + 299,768 Estimated Votes +206 Pledged Delegates 2008 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTORAL VOTES: 311 - Hillary Clinton 227 - Barack Obama 270 - needed to win Nov General Election |
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