(CNN) - South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham – a major McCain surrogate – called on Barack Obama to condemn a comment by the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party that suggested Sarah Palin’s decision not to have an abortion led to her selection as the Republican VP nominee.
Earlier in the day, Carol Fowler told a Politico reporter that Palin’s addition to the ticket would not help John McCain attract women voters, and that he had picked a running mate "whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.”
Graham told reporters on a campaign conference call organized by the new “Palin Truth Squad” that only “only blinded partisan people” could fail to appreciate Palin’s qualifications, and said Obama needed to denounce Fowler’s remark.
Listen: Graham holds conference call with reporters
"I hope he will take this opportunity to step out and get this campaign back on track and reject this really outrageous, demeaning statement of someone who’s accomplished a lot in her life," said Graham.
The Obama campaign quickly moved to distance itself from Fowler’s comment. "Carol Fowler was speaking for herself. Her comments do not reflect our views in any way," said spokesman Hari Sevugan.
Fowler herself apologized late Wednesday, and said her remark had been misinterpreted. "I personally admire and respect the difficult choices that women make everyday, and I apologize to anyone who finds my comment offensive. I clumsily was making a point about people in South Carolina who may vote based on a single issue. Whether it’s the environment, the economy, the war or a woman’s right to choose, there are people who will cast their vote based on a single issue. That was the only point I was attempting to make."
The conference call was part of a sustained McCain campaign effort to paint Palin as the victim of attacks connected to the Obama campaign. Earlier in the day, they released a Web ad that repeated their claim that Barack Obama’s lipstick comment had been aimed at the Alaska governor, even though he used it in reference to John McCain’s policies, not Palin.
But the campaign was forced to pull the ad from YouTube after CBS objected to its use of a clip of Katie Couric commenting on Hillary Clinton’s presidential run. That distinction was not made in the ad, which implied that Couric was criticizing attacks aimed at Sarah Palin.
From CNN Politics
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Lindsey Graham go seat somewhere, you dont have anything better to do with ur time, she only got pick because of that sooooooooooooo
The same way McCain can't control his surrogates & the people who run his campaign why would they expect Senator Obama to do so. Tell Graham to mind his own business.
<b.LIEing McCain can't talk about the issues. He would rather stick with his Gimmick First campaign
Enough is Enough!!
Oh, geez, how many times is the McCain camp going to cry the blues about their "pitt bull" with lipstick. I mean if Sarah Palin is going to PRAISE her teenage daughter for getting pregnant at 17, then the McCain camp has NO REASON TO BALK when the medicine they have been dishing out comes back and BITES them in their butts!! I mean, give us a break. Sarah is going to preach "PRO-LIFE" and every Republican ignores the fact that this woman has a TEENAGE DAUGHTER PREGNANT and her own mother cut funding supporting teen mother with infants and medically challenge children. WHAT?
I mean, Sen. Graham needs to get off his "holier than thou" pedestal and tell his KARL ROWE buddy John McCain to "CLEAN UP HIS ACT" when it comes to how they "pander" Gov. Palin. They can't have it both ways. GET REAL.
Obama, if you do, you will lose my vote. After that disgusting ad McCain put out on you and Sex Ed for Kindergartner children??? Are you kidding me? They didn't apologize for that, don't you dare apologize for a remark that seems like very straight talk!!!!!
I'm just glad at the very least the dems will get the 60 votes needed to keep mccain and palin from doing anything too crazy
fyi: former press secretary of mccain has a book called lipstick on a pig, also he has used the term numerous times, even directing it at hillary clinton....hypocrite
awww, the G.O.P. is upset because people are taking shots back at them. boo hoo
ONE NATION
THIS IS WHY THE OBAMA CAMP IS GOING TO SHAKE THINGS UP,THEY SENT OUT A STRONG SIGNAL TODAY SUGGESTING JOE BIDEN MAY DROP OUT SO HE CAN BE REPLACED BY CLINTON,BECAUSE THE MCCAIN CAMP WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY THIS SEXISM CHARGE,SO LOOK FOR A ANNOUNCEMENT BY NEXT WEEK.OBAMA IS MEETING WITH BILL CLINTON TOMMOROW IN GUESS WHAT YOU THINK THEY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT.THE MCCAIN CAMP IS GOING TO FLIP OUT,BUT THEY HAVE NOBODY BUT TO BLAME EXCEPT THEMSELVES,BECAUSE OBAMA COULDNT DO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT PALIN WITHOUT BEING CALLED SEXIST,IF THE OBAMA CAMP GETS HILLARY THAT MEANS THIS RACE IS REALLY OVER NOW,BUT IN MY OPINION HE REALLY DONT NEED HER,BUT OBAMA IS JUST TIRED OF THE MCCAIN CAMMP CRYING SEXISM
If Obama has to apologize for something he didn't say then McCain has to apologize for the commercial that he put out about the sex education in kindergarden.
GOD!! It kills me when things are one sided.
I say again the Republican never talk about ISSUES, I haven't heard one thing from the Republican ticket about THE ISSUES THIS WEEK!! All I hear is this e-bay, lipstick, wolves, and that freaking bridge crap!!!
Keep belittling Palin – it's working so well for you Obama.
Why? Fowler mesage was not approved by Obama. What about all the untrue things McCain's own camp has said and/or put in ads about Obama. Okay, I call on Sen. McCain to denounce all the lies his camp has put forward....
See that got us nowhere.
Oh my gosh ENOUGH already with these stupd Republicans trying to stir stuff up so they can avoid discussing the ISSUES.
I guess there must be some stuff they really don't want to talk about. Like George W. Bush, the economy, and the endless hopeless shameless Iraq War/Invasion.
They will do anything to distract people from talking about stuff that really matters. Hopefully it will not work this time
For heaven's sake...I hope woman are smarter than McCain and Palin give them credit for. Women do have brains...well, except for one in Alaska!
Obama should not have to apologize for someone else's words. Those words were not spoke on behalf of Obama!!!!!
Sarah Palin was picked because she is a woman and a conservative.
i could have lived with McCain being president but not Palin as VP. Her extreme conservative views scare me. I would like to be governed by my Democratic Party and you Republican's can have your's. Our country has put up with George Bush and his conservative cronnies and that went real well. By the way, Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton, the only thing they have in come is thier gender. She is a devisive figure and will further divide this country.
I hope Obama completely ignores the whole thing.
Seriously, doesn't ANYONE want the candidates to talk about the issues instead of irrelevant nonsense?
I think he should apologize to America for all the stupid things he has uttered over the years.
Sure are a bunch of thin skinned "Tough Guys"
Was it because a majority (if not all) of Palin's views are basically opposite of McCain's, so she could reel in the extreme right evangelicals for McCain? Seems pretty obvious.
She is not qualified to be dog catcher.
The fake outrage is over the top this week!
You all know what the guy meant. The GOP was touting pro-life: that and other evangelical views were a huge basis in her being chosen. He said it as a bad one-liner, but you all know what Fowler meant.
Lindsay Graham needs to climb back under the rock from whence he came. Obama doesn't have a connection to this person, and this is obviously another ploy to distract everyone from the REAL issues in this election. Way to go, CNN, keep posting these meaningless mud-slings as if they are somehow pertinent!
Did Senator Obama say it? If not, he shouldn't have to apologize for it!!
She should be directing her objection to this Carol Fowler person. We all have a right to voice our opinions just like the GOP elitist, right wing party.
" Truth Squad " from a republican! from McBush campaign! this has got to be some kind of joke, a man who voted with Bush 91 percent of the time will lie 91 percent of the time. Please no PALIN/mccain , no more, OBAMA 08.
DENOUNCE THIS GRAHAM, HOW ABOUT TELLING PALIN TO WATCH HER MOUTH AND NOT REFER TO OBAMA OUT OF HIS NAME. PALIN KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
ECONOMY? HEALTHCARE? OBAMA is the only one tackling the real issues. McCain is too busy defending Palin's drama of the day!
Well. What other qualifications does she have?