May 09, 2008
Of Balls And Bearings
JERSEY CITY, NJ – Asked to respond to Barack Obama's comment that the 71-year old senator is "losing his bearings," John McCain said today that questions raised about his age are "fine with me."
And, he added, if age is a legitimate issue, so are a few things about his likely opponent.
"Every issue that the American people want to be an issue, and it's part of their discussions, it's fine with me," he said in reponse to the question about his age.
Not missing a beat, he added the controversial statements of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, onto that same list.
Obama, McCain noted, "has said that [Wright] is a legitimate topic of discussion."
"'If that's what the American people want to discuss, that's fine," he added.
McCain also told reporters that the recent complimentary remarks for Obama by a Hamas spokesman are also fair game for debate. Prefacing his comment by saying that he believes that it's clear that Obama "shares nothing of the values or goals of Hamas," the presumptive GOP nominee added that the Palestinian organization's favorable assessment of Obama's candidacy is "a legitimate point of discussion."
"That's of interest to the American people," he said. "And that is something that needs to be discussed."
McCain said that he was not offended by Obama's assessment that he is "losing his bearings," a comment interpreted by some observers – including campaign biggie Mark Salter – as a swipe at the older McCain's mental sharpness.
During the morning press conference at Liberty Science Center in Newark, NJ, the senator was flanked by Sen. Joe Lieberman and former NJ Gov. Tom Kean, Lieberman was quick to jump to McCain's defense.
'I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain;'s bearings," said the 2000 Dem veep nom. "He has not lost any of them. They are all in really great shape."
(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)
Posted at 01:03 PM
Comments
McCain has lost his ethical bearings. We are getting a taste of his fall campaign. Unfortunately many of the politicians, the mass media and the pundits still do not get it.
The American people are no longer going to afford any deference to the type of politics McCain is trying to sell. Preying on peoples fear by trying to link Senator Obama somehow to Hamas will no longer work on the American people. This is simply an attempt to avoid talking about the real issues the concern all Americans in the country right now. McCain is trying to use the same old tired politics of the past and if you bet against the intelligence of the American people now you will lose. If you want proof, look at the results of Tuesdays primaries and the Clinton gas tax holiday disaster. Guess who was first to put that brilliant pander forward.
McCain said he was going to run a clean campaign, well if this is his version of it then he better just pack up his bags and go back to the Senate.
My vote is for Senator Obama.
Deward Bowles | 05.09.08 01:34 PM
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By the way, there is a certain truth in what Senator McCain said about Senator Obama and that is the fact that most people in the world would rather have Senator Obama as president and not McCain including the majority of the American people when ask.
Deward Bowles | 05.09.08 01:39 PM
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Hay Bowles
I consider myself part of the majority. I just got done asking 100 of my associates who they think will be a better president and they all say McCain.
So do not think Obama is a shur bet to be president!
Oscar | 05.09.08 01:51 PM
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Is it also legitimate to point out that the Grand Wizard of the KKK prefers McCain to Obama?
Eric Bartels | 05.09.08 01:51 PM
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How many of you out there have 100 people you can go ask about who they want for pres?? I am thinking not very many....
jc | 05.09.08 01:55 PM
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Wow. I'm sure those 100 people in your office were a really representative sampling. How close minded do you have to be to think that what is good for your office is good or even representative of what is good for this country?
IO | 05.09.08 02:01 PM
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Wow. I'm sure those 100 people in your office were a really representative sampling. How close minded do you have to be to think that what is good for your office is good or even representative of what is good for this country?
IO | 05.09.08 02:02 PM
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WOW!
Excuse me for losing my bearings, but I thought McCain was going to run a campaign free of smear.How typical of the republicans.
shirley | 05.09.08 02:27 PM
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WOW!
Excuse me for losing my bearings, but I thought McCain was going to run a campaign free of smear.How typical of the republicans.
shirley | 05.09.08 02:28 PM
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WOW!
Excuse me for losing my bearings, but I thought McCain was going to run a campaign free of smear.How typical of the republicans.
shirley | 05.09.08 02:28 PM
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'I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain;'s bearings," said the 2000 Dem veep nom. "He has not lost any of them. They are all in really great shape."
wow
dre | 05.09.08 02:40 PM
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Dear John McCain: Why don't you keep your mouth shut? Painting Obama as somehow aligned with Hamas deserved much more than a silly "clip" at the health of your bearing/ball bearings/marbles. You have in fact been seriously confused on several occasions during the primary campaign, making such a swipe at least 25% true. However, Obama is 100% NOT aligned with a scary, fearsome, visceral-issue terrorist group whom most Americans know nothing about except for its name. If you start something slimey - you deserve what you get back. We're all SO OVER the back and forth. Get with the program. Obama's a nice guy. You could actually argue policy; how about that for a change?
Nicky Hartzell | 05.09.08 03:03 PM
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Dear John McCain: Why don't you keep your mouth shut? Painting Obama as somehow aligned with Hamas deserved much more than a silly "clip" at the health of your bearing/ball bearings/marbles. You have in fact been seriously confused on several occasions during the primary campaign, making such a swipe at least 25% true. However, Obama is 100% NOT aligned with a scary, fearsome, visceral-issue terrorist group whom most Americans know nothing about except for its name. If you start something slimey - you deserve what you get back. We're all SO OVER the back and forth. Get with the program. Obama's a nice guy. You could actually argue policy; how about that for a change?
Nicky Hartzell | 05.09.08 03:04 PM
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I just got done asking 100 of my associates who they think will be a better president and they all say McCain.
Well, it's unanimous then.
I'm glad I don't work with you. Obviously, people are telling you what you want to hear. Wonder what the reason for that is?
Pug | 05.09.08 04:44 PM
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McCain will back peddle that message of "fair game" because from the San Pedro River to a jet plane with Vickie Iseman, he has lost too many emails, and claims "I don't recall" on a lot of issues. Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, his time on the Senate Indian Affairs, Choctow Indian Casinos, Rick Renzi. I never talked to this lobbyist, but pushed for his Land deal. I never talked to that lobbyist, but now Big Tobacco has always been "Wright" "The gloves are off" but I don't think he really means it, because he is 73 years of age and he didn't vote for Civil Rights, or Martin Luther King. But if Rev Wright is the only issue at his feet, then he might be better going to "church" himself and find a new sermon. Because Obama sermons will difinetly be "biblical" at best when debating with a 305 million dollar man, who gets $58,000 in "disability" and a wife that flat out refuses to disclose her taxes as the First Lady of this Country.
Roger Morris | 05.09.08 05:29 PM
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'I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain;'s bearings,'? Should Mrs. McCain and Mrs. Lieberman be worried, lol!! Think before you speak, that quote sounded......well you know.
Mike G | 05.09.08 06:44 PM
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Let's follow logically-McCain says he will run a clean campaign.McCain references the Hamas spokesman's endorsement of Obama.Obama cites McCain's pledge,then says he is losing his bearings.His ethical bearings!Where is there a slap at his age,or his mental capacity?Maybe Joe Lieberman wasn't close enough to whisper in his ear this time!
Richard | 05.09.08 07:39 PM
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On the radio today, I heard a news reporter state that Senator McCain was in New York's backyard. Then in this article they couldn't get the city right in the quote of where the Senator was at, I'm glad to announce that Newark and Jersey City are two very different cities separated by water and a city or two.
New Jersey is not a backyard of any state but a proud state, that has seen through the years a ribbing from the mass news network of New York to belittle it's neighbor.
Senator McCain is using the misdirection and fears, whether real or imagined, to deceive the people of the United States.
The real terrorist are those who are holding us hostage and allowing developers and oil barons to make us all tennants to line their pockets even more with the hard earned monies of Americans no matter their background.
Wake up everyone and read between the lines!
Rodney | 05.09.08 07:52 PM
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McNot has got his nerve...if we are going to throw Wright on the table McNot needs to throw his own pastor on the table Reve John Hagee for making the same comments as Rev. Wright.Only difference is Hagee is still apart of McNot campaign...why is that?!
Nia | 05.09.08 08:38 PM
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I think the guy who said 100 of his associates would prefer Mccain over Obama, forgot to mention he works in a weapons factory.
jonsid | 05.09.08 09:21 PM
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Hagee is NOT John McCain's pastor. Its interesting that Barak F. Obama has questions about Mack's bearings but has no concept of balls.
flyover | 05.10.08 10:31 AM
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Joe Lieberman interview
Rather than asking Joe Lieberman who he intends to vote for (who cares?)
The question should have been
"Are you not concerned that your state of Connecticut has the widest discrepancy between rich and poor in the Union? And will not your support of the Republican party only exasperate this?"
Jon | 05.11.08 07:02 PM
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Clinton takes Indiana by a ‘razor’ and Obama wins North Carolina by a huge margin. Nevertheless, Kentucky, Montana and West Virginia are still to come.
The Democratic race for nomination is still very much alive – and most likely to be decided by superdelegates
If you’re tired of waiting around for those super delegates to make a decision already, go to LobbyDelegates.com and push them to support Clinton or Obama
If you haven't done so yet, please write a message to each of your state's superdelegates at http://www.lobbydelegates.com
Obama Supporters:
Sending a note to current Obama supporters lets them know it's appreciated, sending a note to current Clinton supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Obama, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Obama. It's that easy...
Clinton Supporters too …. !
It takes a moment, but what's a few minutes now worth to get Clinton in office?! Those are really worth !
Sending a note to current Clinton supporters lets them know it's appreciated, sending a note to current Obama supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Clinton, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Clinton. It's that easy...
feeba | 05.12.08 07:45 AM
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