John McCain's campaign said Barack Obama was hinting the Republican is too old for the Oval Office.

(CNN) — John McCain’s campaign accused Barack Obama of making the presumptive Republican nominee’s age an issue after his Thursday remark that the Arizona senator was “losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination.”

"First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama's attack today: He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue,” said McCain adviser Mark Salter. “This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.

“We have all become familiar with Senator Obama's new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.”

Earlier on CNN, Obama that McCain's contention that Hamas wants Obama to be president was “offensive, and I think it's disappointing, because John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics.’ And to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his.

“…So for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling in this debate.”

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Sen. John McCain speaks to supporters at a rally in Selma, Alabama on Monday.

(CNN) — Sen. John McCain launched his week-long journey to poverty-stricken areas of the nation Monday with language that would have been at home in any Democratic stump speech.

And it came at a location — the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama — that is inextricably identified with a top congressional Democrat, Georgia Rep. John Lewis.

"I've seen courage in action on many occasions in my life, but none any greater or used for any better purpose than the courage shown by John Lewis and the good people who marched for justice with him," said McCain.

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Cindy McCain appeared on The View Monday.

(CNN)— Cindy McCain on Monday beat back accusations her husband is known to have a bad temper, saying it’s often mistaken for his passion for the issues.

“He is passionate about the future of this country,” Mrs. McCain, wife of presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain , said while serving as a co-host on ABC’s “The View.” “Some people mistake that for temper.” Mrs. McCain also insisted the issue is one of the biggest misconceptions people have of her husband.

The Arizona senator defended the claims again Sunday after The Washington Post devoted a portion of its front page to a lengthy investigation into McCain’s past.

Earlier this month McCain told CNN’s Dana Bash voters should expect him to get angry sometimes.

"When I see corruption in Washington, when I see wasting needlessly of their tax dollars, when I see people behaving badly—they expect me to get angry, and I will get angry," he said. "Because I won’t stand for corruption, and I won’t stand for waste of their tax dollars and I will demand that people serve their country first and the special interests second."

Speaking on Monday, Cindy McCain also said while she is reserved about her place in politics, she is excited about having being part of “American history.”

Watch John McCain’s new ad highlighting his plans for the economy

(CNN)— Keeping up with the number one voter concern this election cycle, John McCain’s campaign released its second general election ad Tuesday stressing his plans to ‘ignite’ the economy.

“As President, John McCain will take the best ideas from both parties to spur innovation,” the narrator says.

The 30 second spot titled “Ignite,” gives bullet points of the presumptive Republican nominee’s plan for taxes, healthcare, energy, job creation and education, while corresponding images pan across the screen.

“Initiatives that will unite us and ignite our economy," the narrator tells viewers. "Big ideas for serious problems.”

According to McCain’s campaign, the ad will air in targeted markets in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Sen. John McCain will say Tuesday he wants to let Americans choose between two income tax systems.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Sen. John McCain plans to outline plans Tuesday to revive a flagging economy — proposals that a top aide describes as "big and ambitious."

The presumptive Republican nominee wants to create an alternative income-tax system, reform the Medicare prescription-drug benefit and double the amount of an exemption that taxpayers receive for dependents, according to a copy of remarks he plans to deliver Tuesday morning.

McCain also says he wants Congress to declare a summer gas-tax holiday by suspending the 18.4-cent federal gas tax and 24.4-cent tax on diesel fuel from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year.

And he will reiterate his plans on the sub-prime mortgage crisis by offering people in danger of foreclosure a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan backed by the federal government.

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BROOKLYN, New York (CNN) – Introducing John McCain before his economic speech and roundtable in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the Arizona senator for showing him the ropes when he ran for mayor in 2001 — and credited his victory to the presumptive Republican nominee.

“I got elected because of you,” Bloomberg told McCain. “So if the people of New York are happy, they should say thank you to you.”

The mayor joked that his “good friend” burned ribs on the barbecue during a visit to McCain’s ranch in Arizona, though, “I will say it’s relatively small to be called a ranch.”

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent mayor showered McCain with compliments. “No matter what your political affiliation or your views are, [McCain] really deserves to have the term hero attached to his name,” said Bloomberg, calling the senator “nothing if not forthright.”

Bloomberg did make it known what he expected of McCain: “the measure I think we ought to apply in judging candidates is are they candid? Do they offer concrete solutions to our most difficult problems? And that’s what we’ll be looking for today.”

Without pointing to any one candidate, Bloomberg argued, “we need strong leadership, we needed it after 9/11 and I think we need it even more today than ever before.”

WESTPORT, Connecticut (CNN) – During a Q&A following a town hall in a New York suburb, a young hedge fund employee asked John McCain if he would consider giving up his Arizona Senate seat this summer. In that scenario, the questioner suggested, the Republican who would replace him would have an easier time defeating an opposing Democrat in a special run-off election because McCain will be at the top of November’s ballot.

“No, I will not,” replied McCain after complimenting the audience member for his knowledge of Arizona election by-laws. McCain added he was confident that a Republican would succeed him if he were elected President so he doesn’t feel the need to resign his seat early.

Towards the end of his answer, however, McCain told the crowd he would entertain the idea.

“I will go back and think about it, and think about the scenario that you just described,” said McCain, adding, “right now my intentions are to remain in the United States Senate.”

McCain was asked the same question in February, telling the Wall Street Journal, “if I get the nomination, we’ll figure it out.” He admitted that time on the trail took him away from his Senate duties.

But now that he has the nomination wrapped up, what will he do? In the same interview, McCain noted that he told Bob Dole in 1996 that he shouldn’t give up his Kansas seat while running for president. In the end, Dole gave up the seat and then lost the race for the presidency.

Rice said Tuesday she's not interested in being McCain's running mate.

(CNN) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed rumors on Tuesday she is angling to be John McCain's running mate, telling reporters she plans to head back to Stanford University.

"I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter," she said. "I have a lot of work to do and then I'll happily go back to Stanford."

Rice served as Provost at Stanford from 1993-1999, and remains a tenured professor there.

"Senator McCain is an extraordinary American," Rice also said of the presumptive Republican nominee. "A really outstanding leader and obviously a great patriot."

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Watch a clip of Sen. McCain's speech Monday.

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, said that as president he would ensure veterans receive proper care upon returning to civilian life.

McCain’s speech Monday at the headquarters at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Missouri comes in the wake of attacks by prominent supporters of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over the Arizona senator’s record on veterans’ benefits legislation.

“When our government forgets to honor our debts to you, it is a stain upon America’s honor,” McCain told the audience.

“The disgrace of Walter Reed must not be forgotten,” said McCain as he promised that he would do everything within his power if elected to ensure that veterans receive “the highest quality health, mental health and rehabilitative care in the world.”

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Watch Schultz discuss Sen. McCain on American Morning.

(CNN) – Liberal radio talk show host Ed Schultz is sticking by his controversial comments about Sen. John McCain.

Schultz called the presumptive Republican nominee a “warmonger” at a North Dakota Democratic Party event last Friday and did not back away from the charge Monday morning.

“Labeling a candidate is not being disrespectful. And his policies fit the description, there’s no question about that,” Schultz told CNN’s John Roberts on American Morning, pointing to the Arizona senator’s positions on Iraq, Iran and Russia.

Schultz also took issue with McCain’s voting record on veterans’ benefits since 2001. “He has kicked the veteran to the side of the road like road kill with his votes,” Schultz told Roberts.

The Obama campaign distanced itself from Schultz’s initial comments Saturday, a response which Sen. McCain called “satisfactory” Sunday.

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

A new poll out Wednesday suggests McCain will be difficult to beat in November. (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new poll out Wednesday suggests Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will be a difficult candidate for the eventual Democratic nominee to beat in a general election match up this fall.

According to a just released Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, McCain would be in tight races with either of the remaining Democratic presidential candidates.

McCain is statistically tied with Sen. Barack Obama, 44 percent to 42 percent, and ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton by 6 points, 46 percent to 40 percent. The poll's margin of error was plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

The poll also showed McCain with a 61 percent approval rating, a number higher than both Clinton's and Obama's in past polls. (A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll earlier this month measured Clinton's approval rating at 52 percent and Obama's at 58 percent.)

The Arizona senator holds a clear advantage on dealing with the war in Iraq, according to the poll, and holds a 9 point advantage on economic issues over Obama, despite having acknowledged that area is not his expertise. Though the poll finds voters favor Clinton by 10 points over McCain to handle the economy.

The same poll also showed Obama with a 6 point edge over Clinton nationally — a finding that's consistent with several other polls out earlier this week that indicate that the senator from Illinois is the frontrunner in the Democratic race.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney