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.
Yet one more example of Obama’s double standard and politics as usual approach instead of ‘post partisan politics’.
McCain is a war hero but not a warmonger. One thing we do know is that Obama is soft on terror. Ed Schultz is an exhibitionist and will do anything for publicity. It is hard for liberal talk show hosts to get attention
So what is the problem with Obama telling the truth?
McCain is a warmonger. Period. He wants us to stay in Iraq for another one hundred years.
Stating the truth about McCain is patriotic, and so Obama should be commended, not condemned.
“Obama’s campaign also notes Schultz is not an official supporter of the campaign and was asked to speak by the North Dakota Democratic Party, not the Obama campaign.”
First of all to compare the two situations is simply ridiculous and continues to affirm the belief that people are so quick to read the surface and are easily swayed into believing whatever is written by the equally biased press…
I think he denounced the comment enough …
To assume any of the candidates at this time in the race would aligne themselves with such words is once again ridiculous ……this campaign stinks of a childlike mentality ……….and Fox news is the bully in the sandbox throwing sand ..
Toni63
Let’s get down to some real news please…….!!!!!
In addition to the already listed definitions of ” warmonger” as applied to John McCain, the Roget’s Thesaurus includes the noun “jingo”–which describes “a person who professes his patriotism loudly and excessively”. With him, what you see is what you get.
Now let’s define “hypocrite”: “A person who pretends to have desirable or publicly approved attitudes, beliefs and principles he does not actually possess”. Roget’s Thesaurus adds such synonyms as “pretender, con, fake, phony, and poser”. With Barack Osama, what you see is NOT what you get.
Caveat emptor–let the buyer beware!
Guess we can all see who is the MAN of true integrity and honor here. (It sure is not OBAMA)
Warmonger is just the word that they use to call someone when they can’t exicute a debate well and losing just to shut them up calling Bush a criminal and terrorist is just words to use to drill the base of hate mong libs that is what they are taught. America is bad Troops are criminals Bush is the terrorist that is what liberals think why do many libs don’t want anybody to join the marine’s.
An impeachment proceeding against Dubya might provide a much needed diversion from all this intramural quarreling and bickering. When he thanks the fallen soldiers’ families for the deaths of their children in this ill-begotten war I could just vomit. He must be forced to step down before he sends this countrty into oblivion. May God protect America from this person whom I once believed and respected. I pity poor John Mc Cain who must distance himself from this albatross.
Obama is a dirt ball!
It is unfortunate that the only thing each of the candidates gets done is asking the others to condemn some speech. I thought this was a land of free speech whether one agrees or not. We may need tougher candidates to see us through the challenges of the 21st Century.