Campaigns Trade Accusations As Tone Sours

Obama, McCain Camps Blame Each Other For Injecting Race Into Debate

(AP)  Trading charges anew over who was guilty of injecting race into the presidential debate, a subject unlikely to fade away, the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama also blamed each other Friday for its increasingly negative tone.

McCain has accused Obama of playing politics with race for predicting that the likely Republican nominee and others in the GOP would try to scare voters by saying the Democrat "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." Obama's spokesmen denied he was referring to being black, although all the presidents on U.S. currency are white.

Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said Friday that race became an issue only when the McCain campaign cast a racial slant on Obama's remarks, which were made at a campaign swing Wednesday in rural Missouri.

The next day, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis issued a statement claiming that Obama had played "the race card" and calling the remarks "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."

"We are not going to let anybody paint John McCain, who has fought his entire life for equal rights for everyone, to be able to be painted as racist," Davis said Friday on "Today" on NBC. "We've seen this happen before and we're not going to let it happen to us."

Axelrod rejected the charge and repeated the assertion that Obama was talking about his status as a young, relative newcomer to Washington politics.

"Barack Obama never called John McCain a racist," Axelrod said on "The Early Show" on CBS News. "What Barack Obama was saying is he's not exactly from Central Casting for presidential candidates."

Axelrod criticized McCain for saying he was "proud" of a TV spot linking Obama to stars Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and suggesting that while popular around the world Obama wasn't qualified to lead the U.S.

"They've been running a negative campaign for weeks," Axelrod said on NBC. "We're not going negative in return. We're refuting the charges."

Davis, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," countered: "It's a great ad and everybody's talking about it and we're having a great time with it."

As far as who was responsible for the campaign's negative tone, Davis said on NBC: "We didn't draw first blood. I mean, this campaign has been rough and tumble since the day Barack Obama got his nomination, and we've withered under the attacks of the Obama campaign on a daily basis."

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[30years]

I watched today''s show with interest. As usual, I found it by-and-large very balanced in presenting both sides. However, the reporter''s casual response to Obama''s "not like the guys on the bills" comment was that it was "off the cuff." In fact, I''ve seen video of Obama in three different venues using exactly the same line. That''s not "off the cuff;" it''s planned. And it was beyond question a reference to race.

[qpublic]

Team Obama has been playing the race card all along. He does''t have to say anything.Just look at a recent article put out by the AP. It states that the Obama campain is "appressivley pursuing the registration of blacks across the south". Why would''nt they be trying to register all potenetial democratic voters. Why are they keying in on blacks, it''s quite obvious, racism.

[toldyouso12]

As soon as a person of a different color was in the Presidential race--race was already in the campaign and in any debate. That is just a fact.

[fredcs25]

The more Obama opens his mouth the more it shows he really is an empty suit with no ideas except socialism and far left wing policies.The democrats in congress are no better.

[obama8years]

TELL YOUR NEIGHBOR THAT POLOSI AND THE DEMOCRATS CARE MORE ABOUT THERE VACATION THAN PASSING AN ENERGY BILL.

GUESS WHAT THE REPUBLICANS STAYED FOR FIVE HOURS or More in fact I beleive there still there without Lights, Cameras, or the press or CSPAN.

POLOSI YOU ARE THE FAILURE. MAN I HATE THAT WITCH....really you libs want to talk about me hating someone, I dont hate Obama, I despise NANCY POLOSI.

I would have some respect for Obama if he would say something to Nancy and the democrats. They are out of touch with America and have left us once again without a energy Bill.

PRESIDENT BUSH GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND GET THE DEMOCRATS BACK IN SESSION...NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

[ragnar30066]

Who is Obama? What does he really believe? What has he accomplished? What is his experience?

Does he really think we can solve the energy crisis by better inflating our tires and more frequent tune-ups? Is that something he expects the government to oversee?

Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, replace congressmen who don''t agree

[ariel133]

America has a lot of lefty pitchers in our network news outlets, we wonder why. Each of these liberal news outlets distorted the FACT that Obama DID play the race card yesterday. And it wasn''t the first time Obama has played the race card. In Berlin last week in front of 200,000 hysterical European Socialist elite admirers Obama said .."I know I don''t look like other Americans and presidents that have been here before". Yesterday at several campaign events Obama told his fans that "I know I don''t look like all the other presidents on the dollar bill..". So what was Obama referring to in both situations if he wasn''t talking about race? Did he mean that he wasn''t wearing a wig like the rest of the presidents on our money? Or was he talking about his skin color? OF COURSE Obama played the race card not once but several times and McCain called him on it as he should have. LOOK if network news executives and the anchors of NBC, CBS, and ABC feel like they can''t provide the American people the straight facts then you need to RESIGN. All of you who put your ideology and party before that of being an American and journalist should resign today so that the intent of our Founding Fathers, a free independent press that is free from political parties and influence, can be RESTORED. And who can forget another Obama race moment when describing his mother or grandmother........"oh she''''s a typicial white person".

[peterp111]

OBAMA is fool, and anyone who believes in "CHANGE- YES WE CAN" - slogan is a fool too. I don''t want this country to change, I think America is wonderful. It''s time to CHANGE the viewpoint that Obama knows what he talking about- HE DOES NOT.

[johnbush2-2009]

I wouldn''t vote for Obama even if he were the only candidate in the race. Obama is arrogant and egotistical. He has no place in this elections.

[johnbush2-2009]

Obama may be the biggest celebrity in the world but is he ready to lead this nation??

I certainly think not. As do the majority of voters.

[johnbush2-2009]

If Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton really support Obama, then why do they want to cut off Obama''s nutts.

[jld1959]

haven''''t forgotten the attacks from McCain on Obama''''s Foreign Policy strategy. McCain called Obama, naive, unpatriotic, dangerous and would not keep America safe.

Isn''''t it amazing that McCain, President Bush,Iraqi Politicians (President, PM),Afghan president,Israeli PM,President, All the European Leaders he visited (Germany, France & England) has the thrown their wholehearted behind Sen Obama foreign policy. I don''''t hear anything more about the Surge. So much for Obama not being fit or ready to be POTUS. That leaves McShame only one route to the presidency. McShame is counting on the voters not being informed, Since McLame cannot win on the issues, he has chosen an unethical road paved with untruths, lies & distortions. McCain new strategy is "If you can''''t get win thru brilliance, baffle them with B-ll S-it" Not this time, not this year and definitly this presidential election.

America deserves an intelligent, honest, vibrant, caring leader.

Obama 08

[johnbush2-2009]

Arrogance, thy name is Barrack bin Hussein.

[johnbush2-2009]

Jon Stewart teased that the presumptive Democratic nominee traveled to Israel to visit his birthplace at Bethlehem%u2019s Manger Square.

Arrogance, they name is Barrack bin Hussein.