Barack Obama was not prohibited from visiting U.S. troops at military facilities in Germany, but it would have been awkward.

That was the suggestion from both the Obama campaign and the military Friday, after the Illinois senator drew criticism from Republicans for canceling his scheduled visits while in Europe.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday the campaign was initially given clearance to land at Ramstein Air Base, but were told by the Pentagon Wednesday that the trip "would be viewed as a campaign stop."

Obama also had plans to visit the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Gibbs said on the flight from Tel Aviv to Germany, Obama made the call not to go.

"Senator Obama made the decision that we were not going to have wounded men and women become involved in a campaign event or what would be perceived as a campaign event," Gibbs said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told FOX News the Pentagon did not tell Obama he couldn't visit, but explained that he would be under specific restrictions.

"We do have certain policy guidelines for political campaigns and elections and what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in those situations," he said. "The issue here is that if you are both a sitting senator and a political candidate ... you need to do it in your capacity as a sitting senator or you have to do it with the restrictions that apply to any other candidate out there that might be running for office that is not a sitting senator."

A memo sent out Wednesday from Undersecretary of Defense David Chu explained that Obama's visit to such a military facility would be limited under these circumstances. Obama would not have been able to bring any of his campaign staff -- only one Senate staffer and security. He also would not have been able to address the media or make any campaign-related statements.

The Obama campaign said Thursday it would be "inappropriate" to make such a stop on the campaign-funded leg of his trip, after the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on the cancellations.

John McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said, "Barack Obama is wrong. It is never inappropriate to visit our men and women in the military."

McCain's Senate colleague Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., also took a shot at Obama.

"I noticed that Obama had plenty of time to shoot hoops ... but he didn't have the time to stop by (the Ramstein base)," he told FOX News.

FOX News' Justin Fishel and Bonney Kapp contributed to this report.