WASHINGTON (AFP) — Republican White House hopeful John McCain Tuesday released an ad slamming rival Barack Obama as a "hypocrite," drawing an immediate rebuke from the Democrat's campaign that it had twisted a quote out of context.
The ad, which appears on the website YouTube, attacks Obama's stance on the financial crisis gripping the United States and includes a brief sound bite of the Illinois senator speaking at a rally in Colorado on Monday.
"Who's Barack Obama?" the announcer asks in the ad.
"First, Obama attacked McCain. Then said: 'We've got the long term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows,'" the ad said, inserting a video clip of Obama speaking at a podium.
"Strong fundamentals?" the announcer asks. "Is Obama saying McCain's right? Or is Obama saying his own attacks are shameless? Either way, Obama's a hypocrite."
The Obama campaign immediately issued a statement decrying the ad as misleading. The quote was "ripped out of context," said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The clip comes from a speech by Obama when he was discussing his plans to rebuild middle-class prosperity at a rally in Westminster, Colorado, calling for a new economic stimulus plan on top of a bailout for Wall Street to help working families and revive crumbling schools and roads.
His full quote was: "We don't just need a plan for bankers and investors, we need a plan for autoworkers and teachers and small business owners.
"I have said it before and I'll say it again: We need to pass, after this immediate crisis is over, an economic stimulus plan. Right now.
"For working families -- a plan that will help folks cope with rising food and gas prices, that can save one million jobs by rebuilding our schools and our roads, and help states and cities avoid budget cuts and tax increases.
"A plan that would extend expiring unemployment benefits. For those Americans who have lost their jobs and have been working hard to find a new one, but haven't found one yet. That's part of the change we need.
"And then after this immediate problem, we've got the long-term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows."
The Democrat's campaign has criticized McCain for repeatedly saying that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong," even as Wall Street was on the brink of collapse.
The Republican's camp, in recent days, has accused the media of "gotcha journalism," after US reports highlighted verbal stumbles by vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin in television interviews.
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