Obama Camp Chides Host Who Called McCain a ‘Warmonger’
Barack Obama’s campaign distanced itself Saturday from a liberal talk show host who called John McCain a “warmonger” while introducing the Illinois senator at a North Dakota campaign stop the night before, after the McCain campaign called on Obama to denounce the comment.
Local talk show host Ed Schultz used the term to describe the Arizona senator while warming up the crowd in Grand Forks, N.D., before Obama’s arrival at the state’s Democratic convention.
“John McCain is not a warmonger and should not be described as such,” Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday. She added, “He’s a supporter of a war that Senator Obama believes should have never been authorized and never been waged.”
The campaign stressed that Obama was not present when the “warmonger” comment was made and that Schultz is not a campaign surrogate.
That wasn’t enough for the McCain campaign, which pressed Obama to personally repudiate Schultz.
“Barack Obama promises a new brand of politics, but today refused to directly denounce Ed Schultz and his vicious smear attack on John McCain. John McCain is committed to a civil debate worthy of the American people and has a record of standing by that commitment,” said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “Senator Obama must personally and publicly repudiate his campaign supporter’s attacks — rather than give tacit approval to this blatant smear — or his rhetoric of change will be exposed as nothing but words.”
The McCain campaign likens the insult to the language used by conservative radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, who rallied the crowd for McCain in Cincinnati, Ohio, in late February by repeatedly invoking Obama’s middle name, “Hussein,” mocking him as a “hack” and suggesting that as president he’d cozy up to Hezbollah and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. McCain condemned Cunningham, prompting a fierce response from the talk show host.
On Friday, however, Obama thanked Schultz and called him the “voice of progressive radio.” Obama also appeared as a guest on his radio show earlier in the week.
Without realizing Obama’s campaign had commented on the matter, McCain said Saturday afternoon in Prescott, Ariz., that Schultz’ “kind of language is unnecessary for this campaign.”
“I hope that in keeping with the spirit of Senator Obama that they … will condemn such language since it was a part of his campaign,” he said.
After learning about Cunningham’s incendiary comments from advisers after the February event, McCain rebuked and disassociated himself with the talk show host minutes later at a press conference. The presumptive GOP nominee repeatedly has vowed to run a “respectful” race and campaign officials were attempting to draw a contrast between McCain’s quick condemnation of Cunningham’s remarks and Obama’s reaction.
FOX News’ Mosheh Oinounou contributed to this report.
Despite what clueless, naive liberals (stupid and otherwise) love to espouse, war has always been, is now, and will always be a fact of life here on Earth, at least as long as humans inhabit the planet. Recognition of this fact simply is a mark of intelligence and prudence. The term “warmonger” is just another meaningless slur liberals routinely use to attempt to demonize their ideological opponents.
Throughout human history there have been wise, courageous individuals willing to do the difficult things when necessary, and there have also been weak, cowardly individuals who prefer the path of least resistance and will delude themselves and others in order to follow it. John McCain belongs in the former group, just as clearly as today’s ignorant brand of liberal belongs in the latter.
All of us are able to live today in a free United States because so many of previous generations were not only able to recognize the need for armed conflict, but had the wisdom and guts to carry it out. What a difference between those people and the spoiled, overindulged, delusional liberals of today.
McCain is a warmonger
Calling McCain a Warmonger is like calling Spade a Spade. McCain voted for a War on the flimsiest reason, and at worse helped launched a war on a LIE.
McCain continues to support this costly war even when everyone knows that the overall cost of the war in the grand scheme of things is going to be trillions dollars in direct or indirect impact. McCain certainly is a Warmonger.
If given a chance will keep us there for a 100 years. He wants to keep us there in a place where people overwhelmingly dont want Americans to be there. McCain certainly is a WARMONGER.
McCain is a warmonger, because for him it is just a joke to Bomb bomb bomb Iran.
Obama need not apologize. Stop shedding crocodile tear Republicans, McCain is indeed a war monger.
Oh you idiots will over-exaggarate anything, its clear you people don’t have a life. Jeez exactly what crime did he commit? I guess he should denounce all sins while he’s at it. As if???
Being willing to support the defense of your nation does not mean you are a warmonger.
If the definition of warmonger (as I’ve read in this blog enough times to memorize it) fits McCain, then it fits Roosevelt (both of them), Lincoln, Washington, Churchhill, et al (for you liberals, that means “and others”). The true definition of warmonger also includes the presumption that the reader is intelligent enough to understand that it is referring to a person who advocates( which means “wants”) a war or starts a war. You are dead wrong if you believe either President Bush or Senator McCain wanted this war.
Have all of you who are not advocates of this war read the definition of “self-defense ??……I suggest you take off your blinders and remember which warmongers started this war during the Clinton years with the first bombing of the twin towers. Our president was simply smart enough to take the battlegrounds somewhere else, rather than to defend America in our own back yard.
I’m a Vietman veteran and this war in Iraq is 45,000 deaths short of the war your democratic presidents and congressional war mongers advocated (remember, “if the shoe fits”) ….and conscribed (that means “drafted” for you liberals) young men like me to fight for them.
Pretty typical of liberals….take what you need to get what you want.
nuff’ said.
Go Hil….and take bama with ya !!
its amazes me how uneducated some of these republican hack comments are that are posted on here. People need to get a clue
What a difference! Sen. McCain, the gentleman; Sen. Obama, showing his shallowness, inexperience in the political arena, and his disengenuous spirit. He reported that the talk host should not have called him a warmonger, then went on to establish his personal idea of McCain’s stance on the war….which would have been, yep, you guessed it, a warmonger. What does he object to…the wording? I am sorry to say that I do not believe a word that comes from Obama’s mouth! Thank you.
What is a warmonger if not a politician of McCain’s ilk? If the label is offensive, then perhaps we need to come up with another term to describe someone who believes war is the natural state of things, and believes armed conflict is the best way to conduct foreign policy. Shock and awe! Greeted as liberators! Win their hearts and minds! Your with us or with the terrorists! Suspend Habeus Corpus (and with it the Constitution)! The surge is working!
Obama’s leadership readily displays his character!
Don’t do as I do Do as I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wanna be President ‘DISRESPECT’
We believe in change, we believe in Obama.
Fed up with Rep. and Clintons
McCain is a war monger. Call it as you see it. McCain hasn’t moved forward. He is still fighting the war in Viet Nam.