Not loudly enough, it would seem, especially considering the nastiness of the initial attack. Fox reported that Obama released a statement saying he "didn't agree" with the comments, and commending McCain for his service to country, but I can't find the statement in print anywhere yet. I'm sure it will show up later, but it sounds a bit tepid. This kind of thing is much easier to hit Obama with than the "100 Years War" smear, which the McCain campaign has already been surprisingly successful in turning around.
McCain's biography tour made an uncomfortable-- nearly impossible, even-- target for Lefties to hit without shaming themselves. Rockefeller misses the mark here considerably. Michael Goldfarb reminds us that McCain was, in fact, shot down while on a close-range mission designed to cut down on civilian casualties.
If Dems are trying to provoke an angry response, they may succeed eventually, but I'm pretty sure some righteous anger directed at a smear of this nature would be enthusiastically received by most normal Americans.
But it seems you can always count on the Dems to miscalculate when it comes to normal Americans.
The McCain camp's response, fyi:
The McCain campaign issued a statement from supporter Orson Swindle, who called Rockefeller’s remarks a “smear against John McCain's character and military record” and called on Obama to denounce the "insult to all the men and women who are serving or have served in America's military." "Had Senator Rockefeller served himself, he would appreciate and understand that most who have been to war emerge with a much deeper concern for humanity than they otherwise might," said the former Marine lieutenant colonel. "If he knew what he was talking about, he would know that John McCain wasn't dropping laser-guided missiles at 35,000 feet in 1967."
I was on "Reliable Sources" this weekend talking about whether McCain got a free pass last week while he was on his bio tour. First, any free pass from the liberal media won't last long. And second, Obama and Hillary keep screwing up while McCain won't even do the press the courtesy of using his Marine son as a political prop. This is just another example.
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