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McCain: Ratcheting up the rhetoric – First Read – msnbc.com: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports that there was never a plan for Obama to take the press to Landstuhl, despite the claim by McCain folks and others. The plan was to go with his military aide, retired General Scott Gration. The Pentagon said Gration was off-limits because he had joined the campaign — violating rules that it not be a political stop.

Obama had gone to see wounded troops in Iraq earlier in the week, without even confirming he’d been there. No press, no pictures. He has done the same when he goes to Walter Reed — never any press.

(Via TPM Election Central.)

I can’t really say that this is a surprise. McCain has shown he’s willing to campaign dirty, even getting his own hands deep in the filth (despite his earlier claims to want a clean campaign). What’s surprising is that he’s advancing such complete falsehoods which are so easily demonstrated as incorrect, rather than relying on third parties and 527s. Either he really believes this tripe or he’s a political idiot. It’s hard to believe that constantly getting called on this will help him among the independent voters who are the whole reason he’s the nominee for his party.