Republican John McCain has lately been picking on Congressman Barney Frank warn voters about the fiscal dangers that would accompany Barack Obama’s presidency. It appears Frank has found a comfortable home in McCain’s speeches in the campaign’s closing days.

Frank happens to be one of three congressional Democrats - the other two being House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Harry Reid – picked out by McCain to caution his audience about Democratic control of both the executive and legislative branches. McCain said that Obama’s tax plan will “raise our taxes or dig us further into debt like Congressman Barney Frank promised to do.”

McCain has criticized Frank for endorsing a 25 percent cut in Pentagon spending. He quoted Frank’s words - ‘focus on an immediate increase in spending’, and ‘a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax’ - adding that he should taken at his word, and it can well be assumed “he’s talking about you.” 

Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, dismissed McCain’s words as “an appeal to prejudice”, a part of Republican efforts to raise voter concerns about the prospect of congressmen who are black, becoming committee chairs. He also added that he was not the single most important member of the House after Nancy Pelosi, and that there a lot of other straight white men who are committee chairmen.

Mark Salter, the chief speechwriter for McCain, refused to offer an explicit response. All he said about Frank’s statements was: “We’re bringing him up for his quotes. We’re prejudiced against wasteful spenders and tax hikers.”