For once, mercifully, he eschews labeling an attack a “distraction” and opts instead for the much more pleasant “name-calling.” Which this isn’t, incidentally: McCain’s point here goes right to the heart of Obama’s foreign policy. Yes, it’s true that Obama’s stance towards Hamas, incoherent though it is, isn’t much different from the GOP’s, leading one to wonder then why Ahmed Yousef should have any strong preference for him instead of McCain. The answer: Because he knows that the Messiah’s willingness to engage in “aggressive” diplomacy with one set of terrorist slackjaws means he’s more likely to adopt that policy towards other sets. That’s why no matter how much pro-Israeli rhetoric Obama offers, Palestinians continue to bitterly cling to the hope that he’s going to be a new Jimmy Carter once he’s in office and free enough from electoral pressures to let the mask slip a bit.

But enough. Go read McCain advisor Mark Salter’s acerbic response to Obama’s attack — not the first time he’s torn him a new one, and doubtless not the last. A taste:

It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States…

The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas’ agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.

Just today, the president of Iran, whom Senator Obama wants to meet with unconditionally, called the state of Israel a ’stinking corpse.’ Iran is the paymaster and state sponsor of Hamas.

Precisely the point. Your move, champ.