(CNN) – McCain aides expressed relief Wednesday night that the Arizona senator “finally” used a line that took on one of Obama’s central campaign themes.
Watch: I'm not Bush, McCain says
“Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush,” he said. “If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago. I will take this country in a new direction."
McCain advisors – who said they had been pushing him to stress that distinction more explicitly than he had in the past - immediately uploaded the quote to YouTube, and circulated it to reporters.
From CNN Politics
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I wish Obama could go back EIGHT years and run against George Bush.
I don't think I have ever heard Obama say that he was running against Bush. What he has said is that he is running against the failed POLICIES of Bush that McCain has supported. There is a difference.
Well, at least McCain's being factually correct, he does not have the same DNA as Bush.
It Is Now Official! Obama Has Won All Three Debates! A Flawless Victory!
I was very proud of Barack tonight. He definetly won this debate. McCain was as usual a angry old man. He is angry because he knows he is loosing. O'bama was presidental, and McCain does not have a chance of winning this election. He knows it, and it showed in this night's debate. By the way, Tennessee started early voting today, and my husband and I were proud to cast our vote for the first African American President.
I think that Sen. McCain seemed very uncomfortable during the debate, he came off as being very angry, and constantly interrupted Sen. Obama, I don't think he made difference in this last debate.
Those "one liners" and "zingers" that McCain and Palin constantly spew are not going to win them this election. Americans need someone who can formulate a complete sentence and articulate his plan for the country!
Obama 08
Change just for "change's sake" is foolish. Improvement is what's needed. Any politician with ideas or policies that can help America should be welcome, regardless of party. So much of this campaign & media filler is just spin – not actual solutions. I'm longing for a true public servants to rise up for the sake of America's best interest.
I don't understand why people are so excited that McCain stated he is not George W. Bush. McCain is delusional and has been throughout this whole campaign. If he is not George Bush, then why did he say (and I am paraphrasing), that he knows nothing about economics, but is prepared to take on Bush's policies in this arena? If McCain is not Bush and is prepared to take our country in a new direction, then why doesn't his policies reflect this ideology?
His only good line of the night! The rest of the night he spent barely containing himself, bottling up the anger and hate he obviously has toward Obama, rolling his eyes and gritting his teeth! He's NOT who I want leading this country with his stupid v.p. nominee palin, the fool!
It looks rather too late for Senator MAcaine to distance himslef, i dont live in America but I have been following all these from the onset, it is difficult at this time for him to say he renouce president Bush, if he is running as an independent maybe that would have been bought into.
mr mccain, thats the point. barack is running against bush, because you are a clone on policies and attitude
You can put a lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
Thrilled? It doesn't take much to excite them, does it? It doesn't do anything for my 401K, does it? McCain still believes in the Republican "help the rich" policies.
You are not George Bush???? Well, maybe not 10% of the time, but
yes, you were, 90% of the time.
Obama/Biden 2008
That made me laugh...pretty good one liner not as good as Hillary's Bush liners though...
OBAMA/BIDEN '08
Obama Won the Debate!!. I never heard of winning the presidency with one liners. John McCain looked like a mean old man with his facial expressions, I would not be comfortable with him handling a crisis. I was tired of Joe the plumber that McCain ran into the ground.
It did not work. McCain will always be connected to President Bush. No more 4 years of the last eight years. Obama won
Shirley Thiele go watch FOX News then.
Yeah sure, if we elect McCain and Palin...that's just what we will get- four more years of Bush. I'm a native Texan and Natalie Maines was so right on in 2003 when she said she was ashamed that Bush was from Texas. I think America is ashamed that Bush is from this planet about now! I think Palin and Bush are both from some universe where the truth doesn't exist!
WOOOOOOOW!!!
IS THAT ALL HE HAS?
OBAM THE NEXT PRESIDENT
McCain was so right to tell Obama that he is not George Bush, and Barak Obama should have run against George Bush four years ago...and as usual, Obama just skirted the issues that he doesn;t want to answer. Most of us are :Joe the Plumber" and Obama were tried to distort the answer he told "Joe" which we all saw in the actual exchange. So, actually we are those 95% that are getting the tax relief? I don't that so!!!!
YAWN..... McCain might not be Bush but he supported all this stupid policies that have gotten us into endless wars and a dying economy!
SAME DIFF
Nice line, but you have to say HOW you're not going to act like Bush, because a lot of your policies sure do sound like Bush. I remember when we Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility and prudent government. Sure my taxes are lower, but my 401K has been decimated, my house has lost 40% of it's value, my health care costs are outrageous and the country is over 10 trillion in debt. I'm starting to think the dems are right. I may have hated the guy, but I sure felt richer under Clinton when I was getting taxed more.
I was extremely relieved with Obama's response pointing out that McCain may not BE bush but he is very close.