JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Take it from an expert. Karl Rove, known as the architect of President George W. Bush’s electoral victories, believes White House candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have gone too far in their attacks on each other.
Rove, speaking on the television program Fox News Sunday, said an ad by the Democratic presidential nominee and Illinois senator criticizing McCain for not being e-mail savvy was unfair.
“His war injuries keep him from being able to use a keyboard. He can’t type. You know, it’s like saying he can’t do jumping jacks,” Rove said of the Arizona senator and former U.S. prisoner of war in Vietnam.
But pressed by the program’s host to find fault on both sides, Rove said the Republican presidential nominee was equally guilty.
“McCain has gone in some of his ads — similarly gone one step too far and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100-percent-truth test,” Rove said.
The Obama campaign seized on the comments, which it felt validated growing criticism that McCain’s operation had turned increasingly negative.
“In case anyone was still wondering whether John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest campaign in history, today Karl Rove — the man who held the previous record — said McCain’s ads have gone too far,” Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.
Rove said both campaigns were making a mistake by pushing the envelope with their assaults.
“They don’t need to attack each other in this way,” he said. “They have legitimate points to make about each other.”
Words to live by as the 2008 campaign enters the home stretch?
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage
Photo credit: Fred Prouser/Reuters (Karl Rove at a panel discussion in Beverly Hills, California on July 14, 2008)
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Karl Rove has joined Mike Huckabee is saying enough is enough and these candidates need to get back to the issues that are going to get them votes….or not! Time is running out and they are spending all their time trying to attack each other over silly insignificant details instead of letting the American people know what plans they have to make things better for us….I’m missing Mike Huckabee right now. He made more sense than all the other candidates combined….
- Posted by LindaI agree with Rove.
Too much rancour and not enough application.
- Posted by TheTruthIs...why the hell is anyone watching The View, and furthermore it should be automatic disqualification for any candidate who would appear or call in on the view, or oprah, dr. phil, tyra, the spin zone, anything on any news network that was airing fresh news every 5 seconds about Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears before the 2008 white house race even started.
- Posted by jake[...] lie after another. It’s been truly disgusting. You know you’ve crossed the line when even Karl Rove gets squeamish about your campaign tactics. (Yes, Rove blasted Obama too. But that’s just Rove being Rove.) Something has to give [...]
- Posted by Positive Liberty » My Endorsement (of a Voting Strategy)[...] I’m not the only one who has noticed that the campaign ads are taking a nasty turn. Karl Rove told Fox News Sunday that he thought both campaigns have gone too far. Other media outlets seized upon his comments and finally this question can be posed to the candidates: Why are you guys acting like you’re in junior high? Okay, maybe that’s loose terminology, but people are finally starting to see—and point out—the pattern of negative campaigning and how little it has done for furthering campaign objectives. For the love of Christmas Jesus, what are their stances on the issues?1 [...]
- Posted by Lucy Blogs » Campaign Ads: If Karl Rove thinks they’re too negative, they probably are.You are right Obama has never touched a jet stick, and he has never crushed 5 jet liners either lol
- Posted by thandiThis is Rove doing damage control for the benefit of McCain — kind of like how the ultra-partisan GOP rails against the partisanship plaguing Washington (when they’re the ones responsible for nearly all of it), so Rove crows about the negative tone of “both” candidates, then it has been McCain’s candidacy that went negative first and without hesitation or shame. Now Rove’s concerned suddenly about the tone of the campaign?
Clearly, he realizes they can’t sucker punch their way into the White House this time.
- Posted by Slackie OnassisKarl Rove is a disgrace. He should be in jail. Do us all a favor and leave the country. As far as I am concerned Karl Rove does not love the United States and he should leave the country.
- Posted by Gary PayneCheck out http://www.factcheck.org for the truth behind the lies. A non-partisan policy study by the University of Pennsylvania.
- Posted by Paul KrugerLet’s look at the facts as reported. Obama’s statement about McCain’s computer literacy was not a lie, it is a fact admitted to by McCain.
On the other hand McCain’s ads contain out right lies about Obama’s plans and programs.
How does Karl Rove compare an inconvenient truth to an outright lie and say both are way out of bounds?
Because Rove is a Republican and has been the “Bush liar” for years.
- Posted by Paul KrugerCome on people, see the truth in all of it and realize this…
Obama’s latest ad was not one to slam on McCain for not being able to type, nor his disabilities. The ad goes deeper than that. People with disabilities strive to do better for themselves and those around them. How can McCain be a good president when he in fact won’t even try or strive to learn new and adaptable ways to do more for himself and the people? Just like he did as a pow, he will lay down and hand America over to any who demands it.
As all of you see the label of war hero attached to one that was only a pow, you too are only looking at the outside and not educating yourself on the candidates nor digging deeper into any of their truths.
All politicians lie to a certain extent and so do all of YOU, but one that is obvious in the lies of his campaign ads and goes on to continuously approve them, is a coward.
WHAT A CHOICE FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE
Obama’s truths http://www.fightthesmears.com
- Posted by C BettencourtMcCain can chose how he wants to lose. He can either lose fairly, or he can lose dirty. If he loses dirty, the dirt sticks.
I want to hear Sarah Palin elaborate on how the Iraq war is a “task from God.” That statement is on video. Then she flip-flopped in Charley Gibson’s intereview, and said she “doesn’t know” if it’s a task from God. What changed your mind, Sarah? Is God no longer keeping you informed?
- Posted by Geoffrey