McCain says Biden attests to concerns about Obama

McCain says Biden attests to concerns about Obama
By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA – John McCain's criticism that Barack Obama isn't experienced enough to be president got a boost when the Democrat's own running mate, Joe Biden, told donors that he expected his boss to be tested, if elected, by a "generated crisis" shortly after taking office.

"We don't want a president who invites testing from the world at a time when our economy is in crisis and Americans are already fighting in two wars," McCain, a 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran, told a crowd Monday in Belton, Mo.

"What is more troubling is that Sen. Biden told their campaign donors that when that crisis hits, they would have to stand with them, because it wouldn't be apparent Sen. Obama would have the right response," added the Republican nominee, who was spending Tuesday in Pennsylvania, another battleground. "Forget apparent. Sen. Obama won't have the right response, and we know that because we've seen the wrong response from him over and over during this campaign."

At weekend fundraisers, Biden said of Obama, "Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."

McCain went on the criticize Obama's opposition to President Bush's decision to send tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to Iraq, as well as his rival's more restrained response to Russia's invasion of Georgia this summer.

Obama gained a forceful rebuttal to those concerns over the weekend, when former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, endorsed Obama and attested to his readiness to be president.

Powell also criticized McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, saying she failed to meet the primary qualification for a vice president: the ability to assume the presidency at any time.

The attacks on Obama are one element in a sharpened stump speech in which McCain also accused his rival of having socialistic tax policies. They come two weeks before Election Day, and as Obama maintains a lead in national polling as well as in surveys conducted in key battleground states.

It was unclear whether McCain might step back from his attacks after Obama's campaign announced that he will suspend campaigning for two days later this week to visit his gravely ill, 85-year-old grandmother in Hawaii.

Amid concern that battleground states were slipping from their grasp, McCain aides scheduled a daylong tour across Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

McCain scheduled rallies in Bensalem, near Philadelphia; Harrisburg; and Moon Township, outside Pittsburgh.

Dude's getting desperate, that's becoming more and more evident.

Yeah he is getting worried, time is clearly running out for him.

One thing I never got is people saying Obama wouldnt be experienced enough to handle a crisis it doesnt matter who the president is if there was a crisis of some sort the President would have the best and brightest American minds helping him and advising him on what to do. To be a leader nowadays it's not much experience you need as the ability to listen to good advice.

Anyway for all those who claim we need experince look at the state of planet right now - pollution, war, economic meltdown to name bit a few, did these things not happen under the guidance of these experienced men?

I saw Palin on the CNN being interviewed this morning... I mean... she blows a lot, a lot, a lot of hot air, doesn't she? She's asked a question and she answers it with extremely long winded, kind of absent-minded blurbs which, really, just sound like she's spouting buzz words like "America!" and "9/11!"

McCain I do respect at least.

Sometimes I think Palin is Bush in a dress, she is very clever in that she is delivereing the fear ticket to Americans I saw her recently and all she talked about was 9/11, Pakistan, Iran and Russia she was also launchiung attacks on Obama and Biden, yet talk about the economy, energy, or even foreign policy in a positive way ( not waging a war on anybody) was not mentioned.

I to repect McCain I do think he is a decent and honest man I did gain a lot of respect for the man when McCain supporters said that they were scared of Obama becoming president and came out in support of Obama when it would have been easier to attack him. Still as decent a man as he is if I was going to vote in this election I reckon I would be voting for Obama.

Ditto. Mainly because McCain doesn't stand for the same stuff as me, but it's pretty much a non issue since I don't even vote back home (even though it's supposed to be compulsory).

During the interview I saw, Palin actually tried to talk about energy and tried to talk about the agency she was the head of in Alaska that is responsible for energy. I still don't know what the organization was, she kind of fumbled the name and her responsibilities, but didn't bother going back to clarify.

I heard the exact quote, and it was taken somewhat out of context. He was saying that there will be a national catastrophe that will test the metal of Obama, but he didn't say 'if he's voted in there will be a national catastrophe'.