McCain Prepares Rezko Ad; Wright "Now Fair Game"; GOP 527 Attacks

The Atlantic ^ | Thursday, August 21, 2008 | Marc Ambinder

[kristinn]

Sen. John McCain's campaign is finishing a hard-hitting television ad highlighting Barack Obama 's ties to shady Chicago land dealer Tony Rezko, the one-time Obama patron who was convicted earlier this summer of fraud.

A campaign official said that the decision to Go Rezko was Obama's. "He's opened the door to this," the official said.

The ad will be released to network news divisions in time for their broadcasts tonight.

Though McCain is widely perceived to to drawn first blood by attacking Obama's character, the official said that the difference between Obama's mocking McCain for his wealth and his shaky answer on the number of homes he owns was that McCain's charge "reflects an existential reality," where Obama's charges "attack Cindy. She owns the homes. I thought he said the wives were off-limits."

McCain strategists hope that Obama's brass knuckles punch doesn't work. "Americans don't like this class warfare stuff," the official said. They aspire to be rich, the official said. They don't aspire to eat arugala or hang out with celebrities.

Earlier in the news cycle, McCain's press team invoked Obama's friendship with a former member of the Weatherman, William Ayres, and an official said that even Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "is now fair game." The official declined to say whether the campaign was contemplating running an advertisement linking Obama to Wright.

[Maelstorm]

Let a 527 do Wright. He needs to be brought back into the spotlight.

[hinckley buzzard]

Could he really be that stupid to not see this response from McCain? What strategy is being pursued by his campaign?

Liberals commonly make the mistake of acting as if the average person is a stick-figure, not really responsive to threats, who will stand there and take it. You see it all the time with their confiscatory tax schemes. When the intended victims reorganize their finances and financial activities to protect themselves in response to some new tax law, the liberals are always caught by surprise.

[Sans-Culotte]

Thanks, Obama, for unlacing McCain’s gloves for him.

[Mamzelle]

re: I thought he said the wives were off-limits)))

Think again, McVain.

[conservativegramma]

.....where Obama's charges "attack Cindy. She owns the homes. I thought he said the wives were off-limits."

Does this mean then that since Obami attacked Cindy McCain, that "Michelle Angry Mabelle" is now fair game too???

Where's the popcorn???

[weegee]

Underground (1976)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075367/

Documentary/interviews with the Weatherman Underground while they were on the run for bombings and deaths.

[safetysign]

Will these get on newtwork TV?

[PhatHead]

Knock down Obama too much now and Hillary will be the nominee after Denver.

Good! If the Democrats were to dump Obama (not gonna happen) they would lose the black vote this year, possibly cause riots at the convention, and destroy their party permanently.

[PhatHead]

Watch this ad!

[conservativegramma]

It is going to get very ugly very quickly. Obama will come back with the "Keating 5".

So? Bring it on!

In response all McCain has to do is hit Obami back with his own campaign "accepting contribution" problems (terrorist connections anyone?). Way worse than anything involving 'keating 5'. Especially since Keating was 20 years ago -- and Obami's terrorist contributions are 2008.

[Bailee]

Amen Leave the children out everything else is fair game.

Shady land Deals, Infantcide, Pay grade, everything Mccain needs to show no mercy.

[KoRn]

", and his position against drilling for oil in the US."

I agree! This election needs to be nationalized for the republicans and be all about ENERGY!! The issue is made to order for democrat defeat because they don't have an answer. The issue is extremely easy to understand, and every American can relate to it, because we are paying around $4 per gallon. This issue is a winner from the top of the ballot, all the way down to house races.

[Mamzelle]

re:Even though Bob Bennett said he is certain that McCain did nothing illegal, it was still “poor judgment” to meet with the loan shark (whose name escapes me at the moment.))))

Yes, all those trips to Bermuda on Keating's private jet were just constituent services. And the money that Keating gave his campaign is irrelevant.

There are some angry conservatives in AZ who'll be glad to talk about it.

Fact is, McCain got a pass. The investigation of Keating just focused on Senators and McCain's relationship with Keating went back from when he was a congressman. It was a 3.9 billion dollar loss.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Something tells me (from the painful experience of bringing my son and his father - my ex - through a reconcilliation) that Senator Obama has less than blissful memories of his father. He may relate to his paternal Grandmother, but I'm thinking his half-brother — not so much. Perhaps, he mulls over in his quiet moments that if his mother had not made the decision to get him back to her middle-class folks and show him how to get through the academic process and into good schools, he realizes that he'd be living in a shack with a tin roof for all his father cared.

That's a pretty tough heartache to have to carry. Daddy was a rolling stone and that's about all you can say about him. It's not a justification for some of his positions, but I look at him and think, “Honey, as looney left as your mother was, you've turned into one heck of a guy.” I don't want to bury the guy. I want him to take his time and do it right. If he has the brains I think he does, he'll move to the center in time. Of course he was friends with folks like Wright and Ayers. Those are the types his mother brought him up around.

[PA-RIVER]

You got it. Here comes the Keating-5, Vicky Iseman, first wife, Cancer, bad temper,senile old man, and god knows what else .... all the stuff that should have been aired out in the primaries but wasn't.

On Obamas side, Rev Wright and Husseins Islamic childhood will be the fatal campaign wounds.

Let the Celebrity death match begin. My bet is on McCain.

[frankjr]

RNC Rezko related website. The ad on the site is from a couple of months ago (it contains an older ad, not the latest ad).

http://www.gop.com/ObamaRezkoShadyDeal/

[Forgiven_Sinner]

He shoots! He scores!

[The South Texan]

I am not a big McCain fan because and I would have loved to see someone else nominated. But it is refreshing to see a Republican fight back with vigor unlike we’ve seen in awhile.

[newfreep]

Jenny, I hope your right but never underestimate the xlintons - they are truly evil and sold their soul to satan. Until that wood stake is through the heart, they are always a danger.

[DeweyCA]

The first question at the Saddleback debate was to name 3 people who have the most influence on you. BO named his wife and mother. No mention of Jeremiah Wright, who was BO’s mentor for 20 years.