McCain Disavows Adviser's Claim that Terrorist Attack Would Help Him

With what can only be described as "startling candour" Charlie Black, a McCain campaign strategist, told Fortune magazine that an attack on the US would be advantageous to McCain's campaign.

On national security McCain wins. We saw how that might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain’s chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an “unfortunate event,” says Black. “But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who’s ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.”

As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,” says Black.

This is crass beyond belief, which is what prompted McCain to distance himself from it in the video above. The Obama camp have also responded:

“Barack Obama welcomes a debate about terrorism with John McCain, who has fully supported the Bush policies that have taken our eye off of al Qaeda, failed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and made us less safe. The fact that John McCain’s top advisor says that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a ‘big advantage’ for their political campaign is a complete disgrace, and is exactly the kind of politics that needs to change. Barack Obama will turn the page on these failed policies and this cynical and divisive brand of politics so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose to finish the fight against al Qaeda,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

Scott McClellan's book describes a Bush White House that is basically always campaigning, always playing partisan politics. Here we get an insight into what a McCain presidency might look like, where members of staff - caring only about the electoral victory of their candidate - can actually see the positive side of terrorist attacks.

Tags: Charlie Black, John McCain, Barack Obama, US election 2008