McCain-Palin publicly demanded that the L.A. Times release to the public a video of Barack Obama attending the going away party of a prominent Palestinian activist.
In 2003, Mr. Obama attended a party for Rashid Khalidi, a former University of Chicago professor who is now a professor at Columbia University, and in its story the paper reported many Palestinians thought they could have a friend in Mr. Obama because of his ties with the Palestinian community. Sen. John McCain’s camp demanded the video be released.
“A major news organization is intentionally suppressing information that could provide a clearer link between Barack Obama and Rashid Khalidi,” said McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb to Politco.com. “The election is one week away, and it’s unfortunate that the press so obviously favors Barack Obama that this campaign must publicly request that the Los Angeles Times do its job - make information public.”
Mr. Goldfarb argued the video is important because it would show Mr. Obama’s reaction to a poem that was read that accused Israel of terrorism. Mr. Khalidi has ruffled Israeli feathers by saying Palestinians have the right to resist Israel.
The Times refused to explain why it is withholding the tape.
Ad Watch: McCain Compares Record To Obama
Attempting to define his opponent as a traditional tax and spend liberal, McCain-Palin released “Compare” yesterday, a new ad spelling out the choice Americans have this election year.
The ad starts with an announcer telling the view its “your choice.” The announcer than flashes an image of Mr. Obama as says, “for higher taxes” and then an image of Mr. McCain appears as she says, “for working Joe’s.” The ad continues to flip between the two images describing Mr. Obama as “spread your income,” a “trillion in new spending,” “pain for small business,” and “risky.”
For Mr. McCain, the announcer says, “keep what’s yours,” “freeze spending, eliminate waste,” and “economic growth.”
The ad will be aired in key states.
Biden On The Move
With under a week before Election Day, Joe Biden is putting more of a pep in his step, increasing public appearances while shaving time off his stump speech. But just because he is clipping minutes from his speech does not mean he does not have time to throw jabs at Mr. McCain and George W. Bush.
Telling a crowd in Marion County, Fla., a county that went heavily for Mr. Bush in 2004, he understood how “an awful lot of folks in this area put their faith in George Bush,” he affirmatively stated those policies have not worked.
“But just as many of those people who put their faith in the Bush policies know that those policies have not worked for Ocala. And we cannot afford four more years of the same policies they took a shot on four years ago, ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Biden said.
The Obama-Biden campaign has long attempted to link Mr. McCain to Mr. Bush, but the Republican fought back during the last presidential debate saying if Mr. Obama wanted to run against Mr. Bush he should have ran four years ago. Mr. Biden has worked a response into his stump.
“I know we’re not running against George W. Bush, But we are in fact running against the very Bush economic policies that John McCain wants to continue and is promising to continue,” Mr. Biden said.
“Policies that call for more taxes for companies that send jobs overseas, while providing no relief for a 100 million middle class families. Policies that call for taxing your heath care benefits as if they’re income. Policies that call for another four billion dollars in tax cuts for the Exxon Mobil’s in the world, as if they need it.”
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
