How pathetic do you have to be in order to play both sides of the political fence in hopes of keep your job? Well, if you're Sen. Gordon Smith, I'm not certain that barrel even has a bottom. Smith, who's spent most of the past eight years as (to borrow a phrase from Al Franken) Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader's © "butt boy", is at least smart enough to grasp that being a Conserative Republican running for re-election is not exactly a recipe for a landslide victory these days. So what does he do? Well, he starts by contorting reality to make it look as if he and Sen. Barack Obama are twin sons of different mothers.
Smith's latest trip down the rabbit hole is to celebrate his "bipartisanship", which, as far as I can understand it, involves a selective and highly creative re-writing of his Senate career to isolate and highlight the occasions he's reached across the aisle. Well, guess what, Senator? That's what you're supposed to be doing. Since when does merely doing your job become something worth bragging on?
Certainly, as far as Right-wing ideologues go, Smith is one of the least objectionable of a truly putrid lot. Nonetheless, he's voted with the Bush Administration far more than he's voted against them, and to paint himself as somehow simpatico with Sen. Obama makes me want to puke. Like he's some sort of closet Democrat. Yeah, right....
The problem here is that Sen. Smith knows that he's in trouble...except that Oregon Democrats seem more intent on attacking him than promoting their own candidate. Here's a quick question for you: who's running against Smith?
Go ahead; I'll wait....
Yeah, that's what I thought. It's Jeff Merkley...and even I had to check. How sad is it when you're party's leadership feels their best chance at victory is not in promoting the virtues of their candidate, but in attacking and tearing down the opposition?
"Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate," says Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. "In this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington."
This is the first example we've seen of a Republican airing an ad that casts Obama positively, in the hopes of winning voter support. Considering how anti-Obama ads backfired in recent special congressional elections -- and the record crowds Obama attracted to an Oregon campaign rally -- Smith might be helped by admitting his political "crush on Obama."
That smell? Yeah; it's desperation. Gordon Smith is willing to whatever it takes to make sure he gets to keep his job. Given the ham sandwich that Democrats have put up against him, Smith just might get his wish...which would really be too bad. Ultimately, though, it might just be what Oregon Democrats deserve for running such an anonymous candidate and such a pathetic campaign.
Would you like that ham sandwich on white or wheat??
