(CNN) – Sen. John McCain on Friday evening sharply rebuked a web video produced by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign that questioned whether presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney would have ordered the raid that culminated in the killing of terrorism mastermind Osama bin Laden.
"Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad," McCain said in a statement distributed by the Republican National Committee.
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"This is the same president who said, after bin Laden was dead, that we shouldn't 'spike the ball' after the touchdown. And now Barack Obama is not only trying to score political points by invoking Osama bin Laden, he is doing a shameless end-zone dance to help himself get reelected," he continued.
The video was posted Friday morning, just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the operation authorized by Obama.
McCain, who is a top surrogate for Romney and was the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, said Obama deserves credit for ordering the operation, but characterizes the ad’s political motives as "hypocritical."
The campaign video features former President Bill Clinton praising Obama for authorizing the raid and explaining the gravity of that choice. "The president is the decider-in-chief. Nobody can make that decision for you," Clinton said.
Text on the screen asks, "Which path would Mitt Romney have taken?" It further quotes the former Massachusetts governor saying during his 2008 presidential bid, "It's not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person."
Romney later backpedaled from the comment, which he made to The Associated Press, saying at a presidential debate, "We'll move everything to get him."
Hours before McCain, a spokeswoman for Romney’s campaign likewise criticized the video.
"The killing of Osama bin Laden was a momentous day for all Americans and the world, and Governor Romney congratulated the military, our intelligence agencies, and the president. It's now sad to see the Obama campaign seek to use an event that unified our country to once again divide us, in order to try to distract voters' attention from the failures of his administration," press secretary Andrea Saul said.
From CNN Politics
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Shame on John McCain to still be in politics. As a national figure who represents failure, ignorance, and poor judgement, he is an embarrassment to his state, his party, and himself.
Don't try to take away one of President Obama's many accomplishments. Bin Laden is dead, thanks to Pres Obama!
McCAin
Isn't it about time senile old guys like you retire and allow for the infusion of new blood without tinges of Alzheimer's Disease?
Yep he is right the divider in cheif strikes again. Obama can not run on his failed programs so he will try and divide us anyway he can! He has not done a good job he is the first president to get US credit rating lowered let him run on that!
Are you really going there John? Coming from the guy who shoved his military prowness down our throats to get a vote. Pathetic.
What is wrong about it ? These same very GOP leaders would have lynched Obama had the results of the raid been otherwise. Remember what happened to Carter in Iran when the Helicopters malfunctioned and the mission failed. One is sure they are internally ruing that the mission succeeded and thus denied them a stick to beat Obama in elections. For these GOP's every executive decision of President is open to be exploited by them in election race but if the President claims the success then it is a sin. Rather than shame on Obama it is shame on GOP politicians.
President Obama has every right to tout this great accomplishment!! Trust if McCain was in office and did it, he would be using the same playbook! ~WAY TO GO, MR PRESIDENT...GREAT AD!
McCain talked garbage about Romney so how credible is he
America is going to fire the guy who killed Bin Laden? I don't think so. And yeah, Republicans should complain even louder, because this line of promoting the President is sure to win with everyone except McCain & the Al Qaeda vote.
He should be able to use it in his campaign ads. bush/cheney were not interested in getting him. hey old man, President Barack Obama is not "diminishing the memory of September 11". stop being a HATER, we are safer NOW then when bush/cheney were in office. u rethuglians just hate the fact that PRESIDNET OBAMA has done what you losers should have done. GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!
Let's make a list!
Tea partiers: pathetic
Mitt Romney flipflopping: pathetic
Republicans war on women: pathetic
GOP handling of student loans: pathetic
Regan handling ofLybia dictatorship: pathetic
And the list goes on and on!
John you would of jumped on it too and who knows if he would of ordered it if he did he would of changed his mind. If you want to go that route then quit bragging about your naval career
I think it is now time Americans start to hear specific goals from Romney. The guy dodges reporters' as well as voters' questions. We know he wants the foreclosures on housing to bottom out, what about unemployment? I think the application of vulture and crony capitalism to current American economy will be suicidal.
This man with no shame and his wife spend 500k in Spain vacation.
yeah it was so appreciated by many of those on the right that they wanted to give President Bush credit for the entire operation. FoxNews was leading the charge. Face it McCain because of your party's never to agree nor credit Obama for ANYTHING stance, this is what you're going to get.
You talk about the GOP Obama is nothing but a rock star wannabe and Biden is part of his pony show what a disgrace to the United States and his office.
We don't need 4 more years of this snake oil salesman.
Obama is desparate, now that his dismal record is on the line....
How true. Good point. Obama is milking this for all it is worth. It is pathetic and really not the finest hour for that office.
Picking Sarah Palin was WAY MORE pathetic. McCain must really hate the U.S. to pick someone so unqualified that she didn't EVEN know what the job was of the Vice-President.
Sarah Palin Interview: What does the VP do?- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4gkPXSDtGQ
Sarah Palin doesn't know what a Vice President (VP) does- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KKyEM-BDJI&feature=related
Thinks Africa is a country. Thinks N. Korea is our ally.
The list goes on and on and on. Pathetic, no?
BTW, nice comb-over.
Give it up McCain....you are certainly not above reproach and your buddy Romney has used every trick in the bush at least a dozen times.!!!You Repugs can make a fuss about something that you ignore when critisizing the president saying he hasn;t done anything during his term!!!After Mc Connells original pronouncement you pugs have worked your ""'you know what"" off' avoiding giving Obama anything but trouble. Time for you to shut up!!!You are soooo yesterday!!!
The GOP would never use 9/11 for cheap political gain, NEVER....BWAHAHAHAHAHA! McCain has lost his freakin mind. At least the left helped 9/11 first responders, the only reason the GOP backed the bill was to get their precious Bush tax cuts extended. What patriots! They are just jealous the shrub didn't bag Bin Laden.
Senator McCain still sounds sore that he lost the presidency. It was a very gutsy action on the part of President Obama. The risk he took was enormous. Congratulations to all involved.
I guess he could have landed on a carrier with a mission accomplished sign over his head while he took credit for a victory not yet accomplished. McCain would have had all kinds of new wars to brag about had he and the numbskull been elected. Thankfully the people saw through their non-sense and elected President Obama. The tea party has nothing good to offer so they have to attack everything as negative that Obama has done. Again, the people will see through this nonsense and elect him again.
Mr. McCain. Every election republicans ran video like this, this year they ran out of materials
why is mccain relevant?