McCain Campaign Goes on Offense

Aug. 27, 2008— -- Sen. John McCain's campaign is preparing to step up its attacks on its Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, over alleged ties to controversial figures, from Chicago developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko to former radical William Ayers.

Senior advisers to McCain say he and his surrogates will turn up the heat on Obama by raising pointed questions about the propriety of a real estate deal involving Obama and Rezko, a Chicago developer who was convicted on federal corruption charges in June.

A new wave of criticism about Obama's connections to Rezko came last week in response to Obama's attempts to link McCain to former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed. Obama also mocked McCain for not being able to answer a reporter's question last week about how many houses he owns.

The McCain campaign has chosen not to go on the defensive over that political fumble but instead hit Obama on the subject of homes.

"When Barack Obama used financial backing from a corrupt political contributor to buy his family a million-dollar mansion that he couldn't afford, it raised questions," said McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Rezko is a longtime friend of and political donor to Obama. In 2005, Rezko's wife purchased land next door to Obama's on the same day the presumed Democratic nominee closed on his $1.6 million home. A few months later, Rezko's wife sold the Obamas a 10-foot-wide strip of their land adjacent to the home. At the time, Rezko was already under investigation by federal authorities.

In June, Rezko, also an adviser and fundraiser to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, was convicted of taking money in exchange for obtaining favors for clients doing business with the state.

McCain advisers said they would not have gone after Obama over the Rezko matter had Obama not gone after McCain over Reed and McCain's homes.

A recent Obama campaign ad suggested McCain was too cozy wtih "Republican power broker" Ralph Reed who has been linked to the scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is now serving time in federal prison and was the target of a probe by the Senate committee McCain chaired.

Reed sent an e-mail to potential donors about a recent McCain fundraiser in Georgia.

The Democrats' ad states, "And who's now raising money for McCain's campaign? Ralph Reed."