McCain Campaign Press Release - "In Case You Missed It": McCain Campaign Conference Call on Gen. Wesley Clark's Continued Attacks

"And I do believe that General Clark has made a huge mistake, here. No matter how he sugarcoats it, he's trying to question John's service. And the Obama campaign yesterday or day before said that's not appropriate. Today they're pretty quiet when he reiterates, for lack of a better word, an attack. And I just don't think this is going to sit well with the American voter."-- Senator Lindsey Graham

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Lt.Col. Orson Swindle, USMC (Ret.) held a conference call on Wesley Clark's continued attacks on John McCain, and the Obama campaign's response to them:

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC):

Senator Lindsey Graham: "And I would argue that Senator McCain is the best-qualified person to be commander in chief since Eisenhower. He has walked in the shoes of those in uniform. He understands their language. He grew up in a military family -- father was a four-star admiral. His grandfather was a four-star admiral. He understands the separation that comes. His mother was in charge of the household, because the dad was gone a lot. But Senator McCain has walked in the shoes of the military, understands their language.

"And quite frankly his military service is extraordinary. It's extraordinary in the sense, it gives us a glimpse of who John McCain is. He experienced a side of military life that very few experience. Being a POW in the hands of the North Vietnamese was a tough tour of duty.

"And the thing that I think is relevant, about that whole episode in John's life, is that it shows us a little bit about who John is. His refusal to accept early release says a lot about John McCain the man. Those who served with him, the heroes that served alongside John, vouch for his character. They know what John is made of when his back's against the wall. When he has an opportunity to put himself ahead of his comrades, he declined."

...

"Nobody expects John to be elected president because he was a POW. What you're looking for is a profile of a person, that can make hard decisions, that understands what our military men and women face. And quite frankly he's got the courage of his convictions.

"And I do believe that General Clark has made a huge mistake, here. No matter how he sugarcoats it, he's trying to question John's service. And the Obama campaign yesterday or day before said that's not appropriate. Today they're pretty quiet when he reiterates, for lack of a better word, an attack. And I just don't think this is going to sit well with the American voter."

Lt.Col. Orson Swindle, USMC (Ret.):

Orson Swindle: "But let me make just a couple of remarks. You know, it's -- General Clark's episodes of the last two days are rather remarkable but they're not unusual. If you will think back over the last couple of months, we've seen similar kind of slander coming from a surrogate for Senator Obama."

...

"This is a sad situation, because Barack Obama is running as a new kind of candidate. He's going to change the way things are done. It's going to be a civil campaign, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And it goes on. And he says nothing about it."

...

"That is absolutely nothing more than a wink and a nod. And frankly Senator Obama seems to be doing a lot of winking and nodding because he lets this go on."

McCain Spokesman Brian Rogers:

Brian Rogers: "I'd just like to make one other point on the 'wink and a nod' aspects of this. It's pretty stunning that the day after Senator Obama gets credit for explicitly rejecting General Clark's statement that we see his campaign surrogates on television this morning basically calling the criticism of General Clark unfair; saying that, indeed, they were glad that he, quote-unquote, 'clarified' those comments that they supposedly repudiated.

"The reality is, if this kind of wink-and-nod game is how Barack Obama wants to run his campaign, that's fine. But just spare us the talk about trying to change the discourse in politics, and talking about a new level of politics. You just wonder, will Barack Obama's actions ever match his words?"

ListenTo The Full Conference Call