THE charge is damaging: that US Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama cancelled a hospital visit to wounded troops in Germany because he was not allowed to take the press with him.

It feeds into the popular global cynicism about politics and politicians: all spin and no substance. Obama is the cerebral dilettante concerned only with image and appearance rather than genuinely interested in the well-being of our brave boys.

And it undermines Obama’s campaign credentials as being an authentic voice who offers a clean break with the Washington machine politics of the past. Just like all the rest – a self-centred ego-maniac.

 The allegation of snubbing wounded service men now appears a central part of Republican John McCain’s attack on Obama, potentially fatally undermining the Democrat’s credibility as future Commander in Chief.

Republic campaign ‘attack ads’ are being aired on TV and YouTube and McCain has started touring the TV studios, this week levelling the ’snub’ charge on the influential Larry King show on CBS.

But what is the truth?

The Washington Post, still lauded for its campaigning reporting on Watergate, picks apart the McCain claim piece by piece.

• The press were never due to join the Obama hospital visit during his European tour.
• Obama was to be accompanied by a retired Air Force military general, who is now a campaign advisor
• The visit was cancelled when the Pentagon advised that the trip would be considered ‘political’.

But the Obama campaign’s rapid and repeated attempts to rebut the McCain alllegation appear to have given the story even more oxygen and invited even more questions from suspicious reporters.

No smoke without fire, goes the oft-repeated saying.

For Obama, yet another cliche may well be pertinent: ‘Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’

It all goes to show how, with communications now lightning fast, every single step along the campaign trail has to be carefully examined, weighed and investigated in advance. Every political and media implication explored and calculated.

No wonder then that, on the US campaign trail at least, there appears little room for spontaneity or authenticity.

Thankfully both the Washington Post and the New York Times have presented their own insight into events, from experienced reporters who travelled with Obama on his European tour.

But what will have lasting impact - a serious broadsheet investigation or a 45 second ‘attack ad’ on TV and YouTube?

And could we rely on the British media to perform a similarly investigative function if there was a similar incident in a British election campaign?

Links to further reading:

Washington Post: McCain charge against Obama lacks evidence

The Trail: Questions abound about McCain critiscism of Obama trip

The Fix: Obama, McCain and the troop visit that wasn’t

John McCain video: Troops