Obama Takes Heat over "Lipstick" Comment
CBNNews.com
September 10, 2008
CBNNews.com - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama gave a heated response Wednesday to his rival's accusations of making a sexist remark about GOP vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.
Obama's disputed comment made on Tuesday was meant to compare the similarities of the policies of McCain to those of President Bush.
"You can put lipstick on a pig," Obama told the audience. "It's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years."
The McCain camp jumped on the remarks, saying it was a reference to Palin, who made an impromptu joke during her convention speech, saying the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is "lipstick."
McCain's campaign accused Obama of "smearing" Palin in "offensive and disgraceful" comments and demanded the senator apologize.
Obama responded by saying he wasn't referring to Palin. He accused the GOP camp of engaging in a "pathetic attempt to play the gender card."
In an e-mail to reporters, the Obama campaign noted two other instances when McCain used the phrase.
During a campaign stop in Norfolk, Va., on Wednesday, the Illinois senator expressed his outrage.
"Spare me the phony outrage. Spare me the phony knee talk about change," Obama said. "We have real problems in this country right now. The American people are looking to us for answers, not distractions, not diversions, not manipulations."
"I don't care what they say about me," he said. "But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough."
Also during his campaign speech Tuesday, Obama said Palin is an interesting story. This drew a negative response from his audience, with boos at the mention of her name. He tried his best to cut them off.
"Look, she's new, she hasn't been on the scene, she's got five kids. And my hat goes off to anybody who's looking after five. I've got two and they tire Michelle and me out," he said.
Sources: The Associated Press, CNN, ABC News
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