Republican National Committee officials are fuming over Howard Dean’s attack on Sen. McCain as a “blatant opportunist” in a statement issued by the Democratic National Committee Chairman Friday morning.

Responding to news of McCain’s scheduled biography tour to highlight his service record next week, Dean said, “Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn’t understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years.”

“I think it’s an assault on Senator McCain’s character,” said RNC spokesman Alex Conant. “It certainly goes beyond the pale of what we expect– even from Chairman Dean.”

The Dean statement read in full: “The American people have been waiting for a president who understands the challenges they face, not another out of touch Bush Republican who promises four more years of the same failed leadership. John McCain can try to reintroduce himself to the country, but he can’t change the fact that he cast aside his principles to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Bush for the last seven years. While we honor McCain’s military service, the fact is Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn’t understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years.”

RNC Deputy Chairman Frank Donatelli responded this afternoon with a statement of his own. “Howard Dean owes John McCain an immediate apology and both Senators Clinton and Obama should unequivocally denounce this disgraceful attack,” Donatelli said.

Conant said the RNC intends to keep the dialogue “respectful,” referring to a memo put out by McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis earlier this month calling on Republicans to keep the campaign “focused on the issues.”

Washington, D.C. — One day after picking up the necessary delegates to officially clinch the GOP nomination, John McCain took a victory lap around Washington Wednesday to pick up the support of President Bush and the Republican National Committee.

At a Rose Garden press conference following lunch, the presumptive GOP nominee declared that he was “honored and humbled” to pick up the President’s support.

“I hope that he will campaign for me as much as is keeping with his busy schedule. I’ll be pleased to have him with me both from raising money and the much needed finances for the campaign, and addressing the challenging issues that face this country. I’m pleased to have him as is — as it fits into his busy schedule,” McCain said. (full remarks)

Democrats call the photo op of the two together a gift as they seek to cast a McCain presidency as a third Bush term. A liberal interest group called the Campaign to Defend America released an ad today, “McSame,” arguing the two men are cut from the same cloth on health care, taxes and the economy. “Tell John McCain we need a new direction.  Not the McSame old thing,” the ad declares.

However, McCain aides believe the President’s assistance on the campaign trail to help shore up the base and raise cash will be extremely valuable.

The bare bones McCain campaign also got virtual control over the RNC today and it’s many political, communications, and fiscal assets. At a press conference following the WH event, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan laid it all out: “We’ve been preparing for the last several months. We’ve been raising the money. We’ve been doing the research that’s necessary. We’ve been writing the victory plans that have been necessary to win the electoral votes we’ve been putting the staff together and all of that is available to Senator McCain.”

Note that the RNC has $25 million in the bank as of the end of February–more than their Dem counterparts–and can take in much larger individual donations than the campaign.