On the offensive

John McCain has launched a series of TV ads attacking Barack Obama, but independent observers have questioned the accuracy of some of the assertions:

McCain ad statement about Obama: "[He] says he'll raise taxes on electricity. Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that's the real Obama."
Fact-checker: The electricity tax apparently refers to Obama's support for a cap-and-trade system to limit carbon emissions, but McCain also backs a similar proposal.

McCain ad statement about Obama: "He made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. "
Fact-checker: Obama did go to a gym in Berlin and did cancel a visit to a US military medical center in Germany. The Obama campaign says the visit was nixed because he did not want to bring politics to the hospital.

McCain ad statement about Obama: "Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump? Obama! Obama!"
Fact-checker: McCain's campaign cites Obama's support for a ban on offshore oil drilling, but that ban has been in place since 1982, and Obama has only been in the US Senate since 2005.

McCain ad statement about Obama: "He voted against funding our troops."
Fact-checker: Obama did vote in May 2007 against an Iraq war funding bill, after failing to attach a timetable for withdrawal. But Obama has voted for several other troop funding bills.

SOURCES: Globe staff, news reports, politifact.com