The Trail

Friday, October 10, 2008

OBAMA'S PAST

McCain Co-Chair Presses Drug Use

Former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, a co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign, called Barack Obama "very extreme" on a radio show Thursday and raised the issue of Obama's past drug use.

"He ought to admit, 'You know, I've got to be honest with you. I was a guy of the street,' " Keating said. " 'I was way to the left. I used cocaine. I voted liberally, but I'm back at the center.' " Keating made the comments on the radio show of comedian Dennis Miller.

Miller, a conservative, offered a long critique of Obama, calling him "the most liberal guy" and saying that the "obfuscation" and "smoke and mirrors" surrounding his campaign were "Clintonesque."

Miller did correct Keating on the accusation that Obama was hiding his drug use.

"Wait, I've got to jump in, Frank. He has copped to the blow use, right?" Miller said, referring to Obama's admission of cocaine use in his autobiography. "I mean, he did so in his own book; he said he did blow."

"Oh, yes, he did," Keating said.

In 1999, Keating was quick to weigh in on rumors about George W. Bush's alleged drug use as a young man. The former FBI agent did himself some real damage with the Bush campaign when he told an interviewer that Bush should answer questions "about private conduct."

-- Robert Barnes

WEATHER UNDERGROUND

RNC Ads to Link Obama to Radical

The Republican National Committee is launching television ads Friday in Indiana and Wisconsin that invoke the name of former Weather Underground member William Ayers and detail his ties to Barack Obama, the first such ads from either the national party committee or the campaign of John McCain so far.

"Senator Obama is crying foul and declaring his association with such individuals to be off limits," said Brad Todd, who is overseeing the RNC's independent expenditure arm. "Fortunately, with the First Amendment still intact, he does not get to decide that."

The RNC ad is the latest -- and most serious -- attempt by Republicans to make Obama's association with Ayers an issue in the campaign.

-- Chris Cillizza

A SHOW OF FUNDRAISING FORCE

Obama Buys Chunks of Prime Time

Barack Obama's campaign said it had purchased a half-hour of airtime on CBS and NBC for prime-time political infomercials to air Oct. 29, and it is reportedly looking to make similar buys on other networks.

The network buys -- which could cost the campaign around $2 million each -- underscore Obama's massive fundraising advantage over John McCain.

Coming just six days before the election, Obama's prime-time ads could put pressure on McCain to respond with a similar national message. But McCain's resources are limited; he agreed to accept federal matching funds that limit his campaign to $84 million in September and October -- though the Republican National Committee is helping out.

But both Obama and McCain have run national ads during this campaign, most notably during NBC's telecast of the Summer Olympics.

-- Paul Farhi