Politics | Barack Obama Obama Gears Up for GOP Smears Camp McCain is seeking ways to attack without seeming racist By Caroline Zimmerman Posted May 11, 2008 4:00 PM CDT Copied Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks while campaigning at Summit High School in Bend, Ore., Saturday, May 10, 2008. (Associated Press) John McCain is prepping for a smear campaign this summer while camp Obama, ever cool and controlled, awaits the first strike. "It's going to be Swift Boat times five on both sides," said one McCain adviser who expects Obama to return fire. McCain's challenge is to hit above the belt and not seem racist, while Obama needs to react fast without sparking endless fights, Newsweek reports. "Yes, we know what's coming," Obama told a North Carolina crowd last week; in fact, he's already seen it. In Pennsylvania, McCain has sent out a letter labeling Obama a pro-Hamas candidate, and Obama countered with a coy reference to McCain's age. But McCain, stuck with Bush's economy and war in Iraq, likely prefers tit-for-tat games to rigorous debates. Read These Next A space capsule carrying ashes of 160 people crashed in the ocean. The death toll in the Texas floods has risen to 27, including 9 kids. A lesson in minding your own business ... at 30,000 feet. See the best BBQ cities in the US. Report an error