McCain campaign sees Obama remark as jab at McCain's age

WASHINGTON – Probable GOP presidential nominee John McCain's campaign – ignited by a Barack Obama comment it interpreted as a slap at McCain's age – on Thursday let loose with a blistering attack on Obama's campaign style and character.

Obama began the exchange when, during a CNN interview, was asked about McCain's comment that Obama "is favored by Hamas."

"Yes," Obama said, "this is offensive. And I think it's disappointing because John McCain always says, 'Well, I'm not going to run that kind of politics. And then to engage in that kind of, you know, smear, I think is unfortunate, particularly since my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his."

Both candidates have characterized Hamas as a terrorist group, Obama noted.

And then he added the comment that struck a nerve at McCain headquarters: "And so for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination."

Mark Salter, a senior adviser to the campaign, issued a memo saying Obama "used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as in issue."

McCain, 71, is trying to become the oldest person inaugurated for a first presidential term. Obama is 25 years younger. If they are the November candidates, it would mark the widest age gap ever between major party presidential nominees.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the "bearings" comment had nothing to do with age.

"Clearly losing one's bearings has no relation to age, given this bizarre rant that Mark Salter just sent out. It's clear why a candidate offering a third term of George Bush's disastrous economic policies and failed strategy in Iraq would want to distract and attack, but it's not the kind of campaign John McCain has promised the American people that he would run," Burton said.

But Salter said Obama's comment was "typical of the Obama style of campaign," Salter wrote. "First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is."

Salter said McCain's comments about Obama and Hamas were based on an April 13 remark by Ahmed Yousef, a Hamas political adviser who said, "We don't mind – actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance."

"The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas' agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment," Salter said in the memo.

But Obama, in the CNN interview, said McCain is the candidate who is playing unfairly.

"We don't need name calling in this debate," he said.

Ken Herman's e-mail address is kherman(at)coxnews.com