NYT: McCain Co-Chairman, Under Fire, Steps Aside

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/us/politics/19mccain.html?hp


Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

At a town-hall-style meeting Friday on energy, John McCain found himself questioned instead on his wartime positions.

By LARRY ROHTER
Published: July 19, 2008

Former Senator Phil Gramm resigned late Friday as a co-chairman of Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, capping a day filled with controversy for Mr. McCain, the presumed Republican nominee.

“It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country,” Mr. Gramm said in a statement issued by the campaign. “That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain’s ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country’s problems, it hurts the country.”

Mr. Gramm, a multimillionaire banker, has been under fire since last week, when he dismissed concerns about the troubled economy by referring to “a mental recession.” He also said the United States had become “a nation of whiners,” a remark providing fodder for Democrats to portray Republicans as out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans.

Since the start of his campaign, but particularly since the onset of the most recent economic turmoil, Mr. McCain has been struggling to convince voters of his ability to manage the economy, an area he has acknowledged in the past as a weakness. Mr. Gramm, in addition to being a close friend, helped design his economic program and, until last week’s gaffe, was being mentioned as a possible treasury secretary in a McCain administration.

Democrats quickly criticized Mr. Gramm’s blaming them Friday for his resignation. “The question for John McCain isn’t whether Phil Gramm will continue as chairman of his campaign, but whether he will continue to keep the economic plan that Gramm authored and that represents a continuation of the polices that have failed American families for the last eight years,” said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the campaign of Senator Barack Obama.

The Gramm resignation followed a series of sharp exchanges between the two parties about Mr. Obama’s long-anticipated trip abroad, including expected stops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In remarks in Michigan and in an advertisement made public Friday, Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of neglecting his responsibilities and suggested that he was undermining the war effort.

FULL story at link.

EAT YOUR PAYCHECKS, BUMS

How could I forget? Only repugs are able to grab for the victim card.