McCain's 'housing troubles'

Washington: The presidential contest between Barack Obama and John McCain convulsed Thursday into a bitter exchange over how many houses McCain owns and how Obama bought his, all after McCain couldn't tell an interviewer how many homes he and his wife own.

On the surface, the exchange looked trivial. But in fact, the verbal jabs levelled by both presidential candidates fit neatly into basic strategies of both campaigns - Obama's effort to portray McCain as hopelessly out of touch with the economic trials of average Americans and McCain's attempt to lure Obama into the same trap the Republicans used against Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential contest, painting him as an elitist more comfortable at Harvard or Berkeley than anywhere among rural working class voters.

Painful question

It all started with a story on Politico's website in which McCain appeared to not know how many houses he and his wife Cindy own. "I think - I'll have my staff get back to you," Republican presidential hopeful McCain was quoted as telling the Politico's interviewear.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, an Obama vice presidential prospect, was the first to seize upon McCain's remarks: "I understand that Senator McCain was asked yesterday this question - 'How many houses do you own?' - and he couldn't answer it. He couldn't count high enough, apparently, to even know how many houses he owns."

Then Obama, during a rally in Chester, Virginia, noted that while Republicans view the US economy as fundamentally strong, "if you're like me, and you've got one house, or you are like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so they don't lose their home, you might have a different perspective."

His campaign then produced a TV ad pointing out that McCain actually owns seven homes worth $13 million (Dh47.7 million). And with an image of the White House, the ad narrator says: "Here's one house America can't afford to let John McCain move into."

Americans United for Change, a Democratic-leaning organisation, then mocked the presumptive Republican presidential nominee even more.

"Senator McCain has a problem so many Americans can identify with," said Jeremy Funk. "With US home foreclosures now up a sobering 55 per cent since last year, who among us hasn't lost track of how many beach front condos we have?"

The Republican National Committee responded with a six-page e-mail detailing all the twists and turns in the investigation and conviction of Chicago developer Antoin Rezko and his ties to Obama, including a deal in which it appeared the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee got a considerable price break on a lot owned by Rezko bordering the property on which Obama's home rests.

"Does a guy who made more than $4 million (Dh14.7 million) last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar (Dh3.67 million) mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?"

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said. "Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people 'cling' to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who's in touch with regular Americans?"

A recent poll found that 60 per cent of voters believe McCain has a background they identify with while half said the same for Obama.