Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday accused Republican John McCain’s campaign of using “lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics’’ in claiming he used a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Calling it “the latest made-up controversy by the John McCain campaign,’’ Obama responded to the Republicans’ charge that he was referring to Palin when he used the phrase “lipstick on a pig’’ at a campaign stop.
On Tuesday, Obama was delivering a dissertation about McCain and President Bush — not Palin — when he used the lipstick aphorism. His reference to Palin was a defense of her strong belief in religion.
Accusing Obama of “smearing’’ Palin in “offensive and disgraceful’’ comments, the McCain campaign demanded an apology. The McCain campaign issued an ad that said Obama was talking about Palin and said of Obama: “Ready to lead? No. Ready to smear? Yes.’’