Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Moving into the general election, Republicans have turned their attacks on a new aspect of Pres. Barack Obama: his cool factor.
Republican super PAC Crossroads released on Thursday a web video mocking Obama for apparently being too cool.
"Four years ago, America elected the biggest celebrity in the word, and Americans got one cool president," the video text reads over images of Obama in sunglasses, dancing with Ellen DeGeneres and drinking beer. And after stark images of desperate college graduates with statistics to accompany them: "But after four years of a celebrity president, is your life any better?"
The ad came after Obama was criticized by some Republicans for appearing Tuesday in a "Slow Jam the News" segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
"I do think there was something a little bit off-key about the president slow jamming and appearing to make light of the fact that students are struggling," Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Saturday. "I don't think it's something to slow jam about or to make light of it."
McCain: "Shame on Barack Obama"
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Friday called out Pres. Obama for what he said was "diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad."
McCain's comments were released by the Republican National Committee in a statement. They were in response to a web video released Friday by the Obama campaign that argued that GOP candidate Mitt Romney would not have launched the raid that killed Osama bin Laden at this time last year.
The video was based on a statement made by Romney during a 2007 interview when he said, "It's not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person."
Veteran send bootleg DVDs to soldiers
A 92-year-old World War II veteran has spent much of the past decade burning copies of new-release DVDs to send to troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hyman Strachman said he does it to boost the morale of troops, whose handwritten notes in return for the free DVDs are what keep him motivated.
Strachman told The New York Times, "It's not the right thing to do, but I did it."
He said he has sent 300,000 pirated DVDs to the soldiers.
The MPAA would say only that "We are grateful that the entertainment we produce can bring some enjoyment to them while they are away from home," according to spokesman Howard Gantman.
Obama parodies dog attacks with fake Romney ad
Pres. Obama joked Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner about the recent "War on Dogs" that is being fought on the campaign trail.
"Everyone is predicting a nasty election, and we have all agreed that families are off-limits," Obama said during his speech. "Dogs are apparently fair game."
The president then pointed the attention of attendees to a fake Romney super PAC ad that he thought "crossed the line."
"What about President Obama?" the fake ad asked. "Under his leadership, man's best friend has been forced into automobiles. Imagine the European-style socialism that he has planned for the next four years. More government handouts, a life of government dependencies, indoctrinating our children, a left wing social agenda, a leading from behind."
"America's dogs cannot afford four more years of Obama," the ad continued. "That is 28 years for them. They need leadership now."
Boehner: "(Americans) do not want to vote for a loser."
Speaker of the House John Boehner said on Sunday that Mitt Romney will not be punished by voters come election day because of his personal success.
"The American people do not want to vote for a loser," he said. "They don't want to vote for someone who hasn't been successful. I think Mitt Romney has a chance to show the American people that they, too, can succeed."
Boehner also said he and Romney share the same goal — to improve the economy — and to "make sure that our kids and grandkids have an opportunity at the American dream that he and I have had."
