Taking the opportunity to slam old man Mac as an out of touch old-white-guy to finally fire back at Mac’s ads slamming Obama as an out of touch young-inexperienced-popceleb, the Obama camp made this negative ad about McCain:
Interesting fun fact on the REAL number of houses John McCain owns? total number: zero.
John McCain’s family owns at least eight properties — not the seven Democrats are alleging or the four McCain’s staff identified — according to a Politico analysis of property and tax records, as well as interviews.
The presumptive Republican nominee, though, may have some wiggle room in explaining why he couldn’t immediately provide an answer when asked by Politico how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own. Sen. McCain himself does not own any of the properties. They’re all owned by Cindy McCain, her dependent children and the trusts and companies they control. …
Politico’s analysis of the McCain records found that five of the eight properties were purchased between the summer of 2004 and this February, for a total of $11 million. And the analysis found that the McCains hired additional household help in 2007.
The five new properties are all condominiums, and they include three in Phoenix — one of which became the couple’s primary Phoenix residence after a Cindy McCain family trust in 2006 sold for $3.2 million the house in which they raised their children — and a pair outside San Diego.
The new properties joined three previously owned by Cindy McCain, her dependent children and their trusts: a scenic ranch outside Sedona, Ariz., where John McCain has entertained staff, prospective running mates and political reporters; a three-bedroom Arlington, Va., condo that’s been John McCain’s Washington-area residence since 1993; a La Jolla, Calif. condo that is home to Cindy McCain’s elderly aunt and on which the trust recently paid nearly $7,000 in back taxes.
McCains response to the Obama ad? you got “housing problems” of your own, buddy…
Update: the Hot Air blog picked up on this too and notes The McCains have a pre-nuptial agreement that separates their finances. The “homes”, as Barack Obama and his campaign put it, are mostly investment properties in Cindy McCain’s trust. Since John McCain has no involvement in his wife’s business affairs, he would have little knowledge of the assets in her portfolio.
Obama’s response? Not so great, but hopefully only because they have something better in the works. Their response ad basically just repackages the first with some sweet footage of Mac scootering around in a golf cart with Pappa Bush.