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Barack Obama’s campaign distanced itself Saturday from a liberal talk show host who called John McCain a “warmonger” while introducing the Illinois senator at a North Dakota campaign stop the night before, after the McCain campaign called on Obama to denounce the comment.

Local talk show host Ed Schultz used the term to describe the Arizona senator while warming up the crowd in Grand Forks, N.D., before Obama’s arrival at the state’s Democratic convention.

“John McCain is not a warmonger and should not be described as such,” Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday. She added, “He’s a supporter of a war that Senator Obama believes should have never been authorized and never been waged.”

The campaign stressed that Obama was not present when the “warmonger” comment was made and that Schultz is not a campaign surrogate.

That wasn’t enough for the McCain campaign, which pressed Obama to personally repudiate Schultz.

“Barack Obama promises a new brand of politics, but today refused to directly denounce Ed Schultz and his vicious smear attack on John McCain. John McCain is committed to a civil debate worthy of the American people and has a record of standing by that commitment,” said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “Senator Obama must personally and publicly repudiate his campaign supporter’s attacks — rather than give tacit approval to this blatant smear — or his rhetoric of change will be exposed as nothing but words.”

The McCain campaign likens the insult to the language used by conservative radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, who rallied the crowd for McCain in Cincinnati, Ohio, in late February by repeatedly invoking Obama’s middle name, “Hussein,” mocking him as a “hack” and suggesting that as president he’d cozy up to Hezbollah and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. McCain condemned Cunningham, prompting a fierce response from the talk show host.

On Friday, however, Obama thanked Schultz and called him the “voice of progressive radio.” Obama also appeared as a guest on his radio show earlier in the week.

Without realizing Obama’s campaign had commented on the matter, McCain said Saturday afternoon in Prescott, Ariz., that Schultz’ “kind of language is unnecessary for this campaign.”

“I hope that in keeping with the spirit of Senator Obama that they … will condemn such language since it was a part of his campaign,” he said.

After learning about Cunningham’s incendiary comments from advisers after the February event, McCain rebuked and disassociated himself with the talk show host minutes later at a press conference. The presumptive GOP nominee repeatedly has vowed to run a “respectful” race and campaign officials were attempting to draw a contrast between McCain’s quick condemnation of Cunningham’s remarks and Obama’s reaction.

FOX News’ Mosheh Oinounou contributed to this report.

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