McCain Prepares Rezko Ad; Wright "Now Fair Game"; GOP 527 Attacks
21 Aug 2008 04:25 pm
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.
McCain also released a second web video mocking Obama as "The One."
A group called the American Issues Project said it launched a 2.8 million television ad buy highlighting Obama's ties to Ayres. The group calls itself "an organization representing a coalition of activists committed to raising conservative issues both during and after the election." It includes longtime Republican activists like Ed Failor, Jr. of Iowa. Failor was a McCain adviser in the state. The ad will air in Ohio and Michigan. Here's the script:
Narrator:
"Beyond the speeches, how much do you know about Barack Obama?
What does he really believe?
Consider this:
United 93 never hit the Capitol on 9/11.
But the Capitol was bombed thirty years before -
By an American terrorist group called Weather Underground that declared 'war' on the U.S. -
Targeting the Capitol, the Pentagon, police stations and more.
One of the group's leaders, William Ayers, admits to the bombings, proudly saying later:
'We didn't do enough.'
Some members of the group Ayers founded even went on to kill police.
But Barack Obama is friends with Ayers, defending him as, quote,
'Respectable' and 'Mainstream.'
Obama's political career was launched in Ayers' home.
And the two served together on a left-wing board.
Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol...and is proud of it?
Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?
American Issues Project is responsible for the content of this ad." |
