John McCain's campaign manager today accused Barack Obama of practicing politics as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast.
Rick Davis, in a brief interview following a pep talk he gave to convention volunteers in St. Paul, Minn., said there was a difference between the actions of McCain and Obama.
"Look at what happened today — did Barack Obama attack John McCain or Sarah Palin?" Davis asked.
Told Obama had criticized McCain and Palin on the campaign trail over pay equity, Davis continued: "So he attacks us while there's a hurricane going on and John McCain suspends his convention basically. What bigger contrast can you have about putting your country first?"
While dismayed about the impact Gustav is sure to have on their convention, Republicans see the storm as another opportunity to paint McCain as somebody who, even to the detriment of his own campaign, is willing to sacrifice his political interests for a larger good.
"It's pretty for him to set politics behind his country," Davis stated. "He does it all the time. Believe me, it’s not the easiest way in the world to run a campaign. But this is business as usual in McCainworld."
And, Davis argued, that's not how their Democratic rival operates.
"I thought Barack Obama said the other night that everybody puts their country first," he said with a touch of sarcasm. "Really?"
While McCain sought to stay above the fray, he still held a rally near St. Louis today that included some traditional partisan fare.
Speaking before McCain, former rival Mitt Romney went after Obama, if not by name.
"And you want to make sure our next president is someone who when talk about protecting our nation and doesn’t just a let's sit down with the world’s worst actors Ahmadinejad and the Castro brothers," Romney said. "But instead says, let’s sit down with the best democracies in the world and form a league of democracies. Let’s protect America. You want to make sure the people of America understand that when it comes to strengthening our economy we’re not in favor of raising taxes and cutting off trade and drawing a line and saying no nuclear, no coal and no more drilling. Instead, you want a president who will say, I’ll get this economy going with low taxes, and more trade for our goods, and yes, we will drill for more oil."
