McCain's Rip on Obama's Soldier Visit Lacks Facts

John McCain is standing by his accusation that Barack Obama skipped a military hospital trip in Germany because he couldn't bring the press—even though the facts don't support it, the Washington Post reports. Firsthand accounts agree that Obama never intended to take reporters to the hospital. McCain's charge, running in an attack ad, is "absolutely, unequivocally wrong," an Obama spokesman said.

The Pentagon canceled the trip over concerns that Obama's companion, a military adviser, would make it too political, the Post notes. Yet McCain advisers insist their version is true. “It is safe to say that, according to press reports, Barack Obama avoided, skipped, canceled the visit because of those reasons,” said a spokesman. But none of the reports McCain cited actually corroborate the charge. (More John McCain stories.)