McCain’s ‘rich’ definition new fodder for Obama attacks

By J. Patrick Coolican

Monday, Aug. 18, 2008 | 12:26 p.m.

(The Sun has gone on the road to listen to voters and talk to political leaders around the West. Reporters will examine the economic, cultural and demographic forces re-shaping the region as they drive to Denver for the first of the two major party conventions the Sun will cover.)

ALBUQUERQUE— Waiting for a second Obama event, and I notice Sun partner Politico's blogger Ben Smith has posted a new line of Obama attack I just witnessed but didn't include in my report.

At a forum at a megachurch this past weekend, Sen. John McCain was asked what constitutes "rich." He said $5 million, in what was widely seen as a gaffe. Obama said at the earlier forum today, and I'm paraphrasing: "I guess $3 million a year is middle class." I didn't include it because it just seemed like unsurprising mockery about a gaffe totally unrelated to governance.

But just as "Al Gore invented the Internet" seemed to doom him in 2000, I'm amazed every election cycle how these seemingly innocuous issues and statements somehow become determinative.

So, you read it here first, or second anyway: Obama opened up a new line of tough attack blah blah blah and the campaign entered a new phase blah blah blah.