Obama: McCain Aides Lobby On Campaign Bus

Illinois Senator Criticizes McCain For Having Active Lobbyists On His Campaign Staff

(CBS/AP)  Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that the Republican presidential nominee in waiting, Sen. John McCain, has lobbyists as top aides and "many of them have been running their business on the campaign bus while they've been helping him."

The Democratic presidential hopeful also said McCain's health care plans reflect "the agenda of the drug and insurance lobbyists, who back his campaign and use money and influence to block real health care reform."

Jill Hazelbaker, a spokeswoman for McCain, said the Arizona senator "has been an agent for change for his entire career - he is the greatest change agent in our party - and we plan to highlight that record in this election."

Obama has criticized McCain increasingly in recent weeks, while running off 11 straight primary and caucus victories over his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

This most recent attack follows a week in which McCain has had to defend himself against an accusation published in the New York Times that he had maintained an inappropriate relationship with communications lobbyist Vicky Iseman and may have favored her clients.

McCain's staff insisted that the senator never "discussed" with Iseman - or her client, broadcaster Lowell "Bud" Paxson - Paxson's effort to get the FCC to approve his bid to buy a Pittsburgh TV station. But Paxson contradicted that in today's Washington Post, saying he did meet with McCain to ask for help, and Newsweek magazine reports McCain himself confirmed a meeting during a 2002 deposition.

Today, McCain's lawyer said now that his memory's been jogged, the senator doesn't dispute making the under-oath comments, reports CBS News correspondent Joie Chen.

From the start, McCain admitted writing to urge a timely decision on the Paxson matter, but did not direct the FCC to approve the purchase.

"That is a perfectly appropriate thing for members of congress to do to keep the bureaucracy moving," McCain's attorney Bob Bennet told CBS News, "so it's really, to be honest with you, much ado about nothing."

Polls taken during the primary season show that independent voters are drawn in large numbers to both Obama and McCain, suggesting the two men would compete intensively for their support if they wind up opposing each other in the general election this fall.

Obama made his remarks as he campaigned for votes in the March 4 Democratic primary in Ohio, with 141 national convention delegates at stake.

He made health care a focus of his campaign day, visiting a hospital diabetes unit. At one point in a discussion with doctors and nurses, the talk turned to prevention of the illness in youngsters.

"If we just cut out soda pop," it would make a difference, he said.

Asked at a later news conference about the issue, he said he hopes schools will "re-examine how easily they make soda available."

Citing an increase in childhood obesity and diabetes, he said if children "are consuming vast amounts of soft drinks chock full of corn syrup, then we should, you know, consider whether we want to maybe have at least some zones like schools where they have to drink water once in a while."

Obama also camapaigned in Akron and Cleveland Saturday. He singled McCain out for criticism twice during the day, at one point saying that the Republican's health care proposals are worse than anything proposed in the race between himself and Clinton.

He characterized them as "more of the same Bush health care policies that haven't worked in the past and won't work today."

"It's a tax break that doesn't guarantee coverage and doesn't make sure that health care is affordable for the working families who need it most," he said.

Obama broadened his criticism to McCain's ties to lobbyists in general, saying, "He takes their money and has put them in charge of his campaign."

The Illinois senator returned to the subject later, when he said it was indisputable that McCain's "got his top advisers in this campaign are lobbyists, that many of them have been running their business on the campaign bus while they've been helping him."

An aide said Obama was referring to Charlie Black, and pointed to a recent published report that said the McCain strategist, who is a registered lobbyist, does a lot of work by phone from McCain's campaign bus.

In rebuttal, Hazelbaker accused Obama of trying to distract attention from his record and resume. She said he has "no national security experience and plans billions of dollars in tax hikes."

[mudrose-2009]

Sadly, this article just confirms that McCain, hero that he is, is deep into the cancer that infects america.
Posted by bookwerm314

Actually it reflects the cancer that infects America through the Democratic party. Howard Dean who is exploring McCain''s financing situation, did exactly what McCain is doing when he ran. They all lie through their teeth. Obama critizes McCain''s health care presentation, but McCain hasn''t presented his plan for healthcare, so who is RamaLama kidding. You''ve got scum stirring the scum pot. Everybody''s dirty here. Ugh!

[juan343]

Clinton, McCain, and Obama all are lying to the American people. Too bad the media didn''t provide an unbiased look at the other candidates in the race. The media has been pushing for Clinton, McCain, and Obama since early last year. Thank goodness, the Americans rejected Giuliani, another media darling.

[juan343]

Clinton and Obama make me want to puke. McCain is a Clinton wannabe who basically is more Pro-War. All three of these fools who keep talking about how much they care about the American people, voted YEA (Yes) to authorize the Patriot Act, which undermines all of our civil liberties (urban, rural, whatever). If the average American knew what these crack pot politicians were doing to our basic rights as American citizens, I think they would be outraged (well, may be I am wrong on that point, but they really should be in my opinion).
Please, please, please. I hope a Third Party is going to emerge that will call for the Repeal of the Patriot Act, as well as oppose the McClinObama train wreck policies of bigger government, more subsidies, less civil rights, and higher taxes.
The Socialist Democratic and Socialist Republican parties will continue to ruin this country, by increasing taxes on the people that are productive citizens, thereby, creating a huge disinsentive to increase productivity.
We subsidize welfare, we get more of it.
We subsidize illegal immigration (free health care, free education), we get more of it.

[samthetvcat]

Where has John McCain been all weekend? The second he opens his mouth again his ratings''ll start going down again . . .

[samthetvcat]

**** - the McCain camp has been conducting studies on how to run against a ''black'' and a ''woman'' lest they end up doing a ''macaca''

Maybe they''d be better served applying their peanut-brains trying to figure out how they''re going to win with a corrupt dumbo RINO sell-out as their candidate.

Also, they need to stop worrying so much about whether there''s a smoking ''blue dress'' that''s yet to pop out of the closet and start worrying about what the foreign policy is going to be if Al Sadr decides not to renew his cease-fire pledge in 6 months time.

Idiots . . .

[bookwerm314]

Sadly, this article just confirms that McCain, hero that he is, is deep into the cancer that infects america.

[paris1969]

I don''t think McCain is too worried about Obama ... afterall, he won''t even be Veep now!

Hillary ''08 ... all the way for the USA!!

[iceman_1960]

"Who do you think will be VP with McCain? Better pick a good one as I don"t think McCain will live a whole term."
- Posted by hhroams at 11:13 PM : Feb 24, 2008

Bob Dole.

How can the GOP lose with TWO eldely white Conservative war heroes on the ticket ?

[glossypan]

"I really like McCain, but this is an example of how a straight talk express bus can turn into a double talk compromised local bus that finds itself picking up lobbyist supporters, their money and whatever else that greases the wheels of injustice in Washington to increase their power and reduce the American people. After so many years in Washington, McCain can''''t see the forest for the trees."
Posted by Dutchboy52 at 09:16 PM : Feb 24, 2008
+=================
I have to respectfully disagree with you. I think that McCain talks the talk but has always been too cozy with the lobbyists. Don''t forget that he is the only sitting Senator to be publicly chastised by the Senate Ethics Committee for "questionable conduct" on behalf of campaign contributors. Having Rick Renzi as a campaign co-chair after Renzi made the CREW "Dirty 13" three years in a row is at best, very bad judgment. McCain is personable and always willing to talk to reporters - I think they''ve given him a pass on a lot of stuff in the past. We will see.

[starleo146]

In my Opinion America should vote for Huckabee. Not because He is a Christian but because He has backbone! All the candidates have pimples that are embarrassing. Huckabee has come up with at least some half *** ideas that with other experts can be utilize for America!

When I find the stooge I will nail Him with words like never before!

Posted by pilgrimsway at 09:37 PM : Feb 24, 2008
+ report abuse

Huckabee is broke, no job and he is making money making speeches and if he gets out no more money beware of the silver tongue