by Jill Zuckman
Mesilla, N.M. - With just nine days left in the race, the McCain campaign plans to step up its attacks against Barack Obama for his connection to Tony Rezko, the convicted developer who was an early patron of the Illinois senator.
A senior campaign official said the campaign will begin sending out direct mail, running television ads and making robo calls about Obama's Hyde Park home purchase, which took place the same day Rezko bought the vacant lot next door and later sold a portion of that land to Obama. Obama later conceded was "a lapse in judgement" on his part.
During two stops in New Mexico, Sen. John McCain presented himself as a friend and neighbor from next-door Arizona who understands the concerns of the southwest.
"I am proud to be a senator from the West," said McCain, who promised full funding and support for the national labs at Sandia and Los Alamos.
"I understand, land and water and Native American issues and border issues and I understand the challenges that a great, great western states face with our growth and with our needs and our challenges," McCain said, standing in a grove of trees at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds.
"My friends, Senator Obama has never been south of our border, you know that," he said. "And he doesn't know these issues. I know them. I know what the southwest is. I know the strength and the culture and our Hispanic culture and the strength of our great states."
Despite clear, sunny skies and a crisp temperature, it was a small turnout in Albuquerque for a presidential campaign event. The crowd could be measures in the hundreds, not the thousands, as most Obama events are. A second rally in tiny Mesilla, N.M., packed the Old Mesilla Plaza with what looked to be several thousand people.
"If campaigns were won or lost based on crowd size, Barack Obama's crowd
of 200,000 in Berlin would've made him Chancellor of Germany," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "John McCain will be successful in New Mexico because he's the only candidate who can be trusted to keep taxes low, beat back wasteful spending and provide ready leadership - not his crowd size."
Mark Salter, a senior adviser to McCain, said 1,400 people went through security to get to the Albuquerque event. And he said that it costs money to build large crowds - money the McCain campaign doesn't have.
"We don't pay people to come for our crowds," Salter. "We don't have the resources they have."
With five electoral votes, New Mexico is a critical swing state, narrowly picking President Bush over Sen. John Kerry in 2004 by 0.8 percent of the vote. Recent polls show the state leaning in Obama's favor, and McCain made sure to hit not just populous Albuquerque, but also the more conservative Mesilla, on the Mexican border.
McCain issued a strong warning of the dangers of total Democratic control if Obama is elected president.
He continued to criticize Obama for planning to raise taxes, which he asserted would put more people out of work. "It doesn't work," McCain said. "The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes, but that's what's going to happen when Democrats have total control of Washington."
He painted a picture of higher taxes and cuts in defense spending that would result from Democrats holding the White House, the House and the Senate.
"Are you ready for Obama, Pelosi and Reid?" McCain asked, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "No, I don't think so. We've already seen a preview of their plans, it's pretty simple and it's pretty familiar."
Citing Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, McCain said the congressman previewed the Democratic agenda to raise taxes and cut troop spending by 25 percent
"He said there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax," McCain said. "Look out my friends, it's safe to assume that's talking about you."
Both McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) seized on remarks by Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, for guaranteeing an international crisis if Obama is elected president as the world tries to test him, just as they tested John F. Kennedy with the Cuban Missile crisis.
"My friends, I have been tested, they may want to test Senator Obama, I've been tested," McCain said. "I'm going to test them, they're not going to test me. The next president won't have time to get used to the office."









Comments
EXCELLENT-
Interesting here in Chicago -The Chicago Tribune and Sun Times gave Obama an edorsement which would make Rezko unimportant in regard to Obama-
Posted by: LOAM | October 25, 2008 6:50 PM
I am an Obama supporter but I do find it very sad what John McCain has allowed happen to his reputation.
He is willing to lose his honor - he has already lost his dignity
The Campaign McCain chose to run is part of the reason he will lose so badly - because people know this is indicative of how he would run the white house - and we have been there- done that
McCain should spend the last 10 days of this campaign reminding the public why we all respected him - before Palin - before the lies - before the smears - before he was really - too old for the job
Posted by: alison | October 25, 2008 6:51 PM
Mistake in headline......McBush pounds head on the podium in frustration.
Posted by: bill r. | October 25, 2008 7:05 PM
Throwing anything and everything in the last 10 days as the economy continues to struggle. What a shame?
Tucker Bounds is the embodiment of David Spade's Rand McPhereson (PCU - classic 1994 film), little neo-con elitist young Resmugican. All the lobbyists couldn't manage to put Humpty McSame back together again, and the circular-firing-squad has already begun. Thank God this thing is almost over.
Posted by: karl | October 25, 2008 7:37 PM
Good.
Bring on the Keating Five.
Posted by: C.Hussein.Morris | October 25, 2008 7:51 PM
Citing Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, McCain said the congressman previewed the Democratic agenda to raise taxes and cut troop spending by 25 percent
"He said there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax," McCain said. "Look out my friends, it's safe to assume that's talking about you."
------------------------------------------------
Me??????????????
C'mon John. Get real. I've only got one house. My wife isn't a millionaire beer lady. We've got 2 cars, one bicycle and a rapidly shrinking 401K. We're waiting for you to tell us how you are going to turn things around. I'm not the least bit interested in Ayers, Rev. What's-his-name, or Rezko. What does it take to get through to you?
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | October 25, 2008 9:31 PM
Rezko has been burning midnight oil at the Dirksen Bldg. in Chicago.
What's up?
Could be an indictment of Hastert just as easily as of Blago.
Either way, Obama has nothing to do with it.
Posted by: ornery | October 25, 2008 9:50 PM
People who live in glass houses built by Charles Keating shouldn't throw stones.
Posted by: ornery | October 25, 2008 11:05 PM
It has just come out in the latest issue of Time magazine that when McCain suspended his campaign and hopped a plane for Washington (after dumping Letterman and visiting Curic) that, a prominent Republican with him and with the President and others, in the White House discussing the economic crisis, said that McCain was "the least creative person in the rooom at the President's White House meeing. He simpley had no ideas, He didn't even have any good questions.
Posted by: g.Smith | October 26, 2008 12:27 AM
Barack Obama has an answer for every figure who appears to be controversial in his life it is as follows "this is someone from my neighborhood, the individual that you are speaking about (fill in the blank) is not the person I know"
This is what he said about Father Michael Pfleger, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Bernadette Dohrn and Tony Rezko.
The media allows him to get away with this!
Why?
Posted by: Pat H | October 26, 2008 7:48 AM
What he should be doing is pounding his advisers, for their misguided ideas and choice of issues. Senator McCain has nobody to blame, if he loses this election, but himself. He has made some serious errors in judgement and he has allowed his campaign to be taken over by the ( not too) Swift-Boaters. That entire campaign was soaked, even many good Americans, because Senator McCain wanted to win so badly, he sold his soul, to the highest bidder, the Bush-Cheney Republicans !! The price he paid was tremendous, but he must not have been listening, when his parents told him, there are more important things, then winning and losing !!
On the other hand, Senator Obama has tried, and succeeded, for the greater part, to stay on the high road and try to present his positions to America. Unfortunately, the best Senator McCain was able to offer in return, were distortions, misrepresentations and scarring the voter tactics !! My guess is, America is tired, after 8 years, of mean-spirited, incompetent and possibly, corrupt leadership, on the part of the Rovian Republicans !!
OB08 !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | October 26, 2008 9:06 AM
Most of the people that post here were Kerry and Gore supporters. They have nothing good to say about Bush, McCain, or any Republican. But, if I recall correctly, Bush beat both Kerry and Gore. And you just can't get over it. Obama is a horrible candidate. He is tied to Corruption, Racism and Terrorism. There is a chance that he isn't even an American Citizen. And yet, you support him. I think it is clear that we are entering what the Bible calls the last days.
The Bible says that in the last days, America will not support Israel. I think Obama takes us into the last days. If you are a Christian, tell your friends about Jesus. The age of Grace is about to end.
Posted by: Democrats for Truth | October 26, 2008 10:42 AM
The Swamp and the Tribune, the twin poodles of Obama-mania, won't mention convicted fixer Rezko and his best buddy Obama. They won't even mention when out-of-town reporters such as Newsweek's Michael Isikoff scoop them on Rezko-Obama, as Isikoff did this week. So McCain has to do the job the Tribune should be doing but refuses to.
Reporters wonder why the American people, by a 7 to 1 margin (latest Pew Poll), say the media is in the tank for Obama.
Reporters wonder why newspapers such as the NY Times and the Tribune are losing their few remaining readers.
Doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to figure it out--if newspapers refuse to report the news, readers will go elsewhere for their news.
Posted by: Former Tribune reader | October 26, 2008 3:04 PM
Charles Keating.
Posted by: Cheryl Hussein | October 26, 2008 3:21 PM
Don Fitz.
I agree; McCain = worst run campaign since John Kerry's '04 effort.
It's like McQuestionable's political instincts have wrong every time.
Posted by: C.Hussein.Morris | October 26, 2008 5:30 PM
Don Fitz.
I agree; McCain = worst run campaign since John Kerry's '04 effort.
It's like McQuestionable's political instincts have wrong every time.
Posted by: C.Hussein.Morris | October 26, 2008 5:30 PM
The McCains raised their family in the house Cindy grew up in. Anyone want to see if they paid full market value for it at the time? Check out their tax appraisal? I'm just sayin'....
Posted by: Tom J | October 26, 2008 8:35 PM
""We don't pay people to come for our crowds," Salter. "We don't have the resources they have.""
??? nice. claim that obama pays people to attend. classy.
Posted by: foo | October 26, 2008 8:54 PM
The media is doing McCain a favor by not bringing up these lame associations because they know all too well about who McCain has delt with over the last 5 decades and it would backfire. Try looking up the skeletons in his closet, he has so many I bet it's a walk-in. Then when you are done, read Make-believe Maverick. The people of america only knows the tip of the McCain ice berg, he is lucky old rich people are too lazy to do research.
Posted by: kirsten | October 26, 2008 8:54 PM
I don't see the relevance of dragging Tony Rezko into the campaign. I read an interview with the gentleman who sold the Obamas their home. He said he turned down their first two offers, and accepted their third (highest) offer. Mrs. Rezko purchased the adjoining lot -- the seller wanted to sell both properties at as close to the same time as possible. Later, when the Obamas decided they wanted to enlarge their yard, Mrs. Rezko sold them a 10' wide strip from the lot that she had purchased. Senator Obama has said that, in retrospect, becoming involved in that transaction wasn't a good decision. There was, however, nothing "shady" about the transactions.
Posted by: Marsha | October 26, 2008 11:54 PM
"...Barack Obama's crowd
of 200,000 in Berlin would've made him Chancellor of Germany,". No it wouldn't. We don't elect our Chanclor direcly. 200,000 people would get him a seat in the parlaiment nothing more nothing less.
Posted by: Steffen | October 27, 2008 2:51 AM
McCain RETIRE and save your reputation. PLEASE !!
Posted by: indevoter9 | October 27, 2008 8:49 AM
The Obama-Rezko land deal. Proof positive. Don't believe it. Check out this link.
http://jtgaltomega.wordpress.com/
Posted by: nate | October 27, 2008 9:26 PM
Come on people open your eyes! People want to get a Democrat back into the white house so bad that they don't even care that Barack has had not one but a list of questionable ties to certain questionable people. I can't believe how everyone makes excuses for him and turns the other cheek. It feels that if someone had any proof, video or otherwise that people would still make excuses because they are blind right now. Everyone portrays Barack as a saint and could do no wrong. The only good thing anyone says about Barack is that he speaks really well. I don't know about the rest of you but I am not voting for someone just because their eliquent! It is a shame that all anyone can say bad about John McCain is that he is old. Everyone knows that McCain has gone against his own party. Who cares that his wife had money. Does having money mean you can't be president? I don't think so! We would be better off if Joe Biden was president over Barack because at least he has experience and I haven't heard anything shady about his background so far!
Posted by: Hilary | October 29, 2008 9:34 AM