Obama Accuses McCain of 'Swift-Boat Politics'

NORFOLK, Va. — Democratic presidential nominee Senator Obama is accusing Senator McCain's campaign of "lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics" in claiming he had made a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Governor Palin.

Mr. Obama today called the Republicans' criticism of his use of the phrase "lipstick on a pig" a "made-up controversy."

On a campaign stop yesterday, Mr. Obama criticized McCain economic policies as more of the same from the Bush administration. He said: "You can put lipstick on a pig ... it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years."

Mr. McCain's campaign has accused Mr. Obama of "smearing" Mrs. Palin in "offensive and disgraceful" comments.