Campaigns target each other's advisers

[September 19, 2008]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- John McCain and Barack Obama are targeting each other's economic advisers in a new pair of dueling campaign ads.

Republican McCain released a new spot Thursday that quotes The Washington Post as saying Democrat Obama gets advice on mortgage and housing policy from a former Fannie Mae chief executive, Franklin Raines.

Obama responded with an ad about McCain's "fundamentally wrong" advisers. That's a play on McCain saying earlier this week, as turmoil rocked Wall Street, that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." He later backtracked from the comment under criticism from Democrats, including Obama.

Obama's campaign says Raines is not an Obama adviser and that McCain's campaign knows it because Raines said so in an e-mail earlier this week to Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser. Obama's campaign provided The Associated Press with a copy of the e-mail.

"Carly: Is this true?" Raines asks above a forwarded note informing him that Fiorina was on television saying he was an Obama housing adviser. "I am not an adviser to the Obama campaign. Frank."

Obama's campaign says Fiorina did not respond.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said he was not aware of the e-mail to Fiorina, but noted that the Post reported on three occasions, between July 16 and Aug. 28, that Raines was advising Obama.

"If he was not advising, obviously someone somewhere along the way should have corrected the record," Rogers said.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said he has since asked the Post for a correction. Burton said Obama only met Raines once briefly at an event, and that Raines sought an introductory meeting with Obama Senate aide Mike Strautmanis. At that meeting, Burton said no advice was sought from or given by Raines, who also had served as President Clinton's budget director.

"This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth," Burton said. "Frank Raines has never advised Senator Obama about anything -- ever."

McCain's 30-second ad, titled "Advice," notes that Raines made millions and then left Fannie Mae while it was under investigation for accounting irregularities. The government took control of Fannie Mae earlier this month in an attempt to stabilize the housing market.

"Bad advice. Bad instincts. Not ready to lead," the ad says.

Obama's 30-second ad, titled "Who Advises," looks at McCain's economic advisers -- Fiorina, Phil Gramm and President Bush. It notes that Fiorina was fired as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard and that Gramm called Americans hurt by the economy a "nation of whiners." It also says McCain wants to continue Bush's policies.

"They think the economy is fundamentally strong. We know they're fundamentally wrong," Obama's ad says.

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On the Net:

McCain ad:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?vSYI0mHWQeD8

Obama ad:
http://my.barackobama.com/
page/content/whoadvises_ad/

[Associated Press; By NEDRA PICKLER]

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