The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama's commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the Democratic candidate during his appearance at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem. In an early morning press release, entitled "Obama on Genocide," McCain aide Tucker Bounds emailed reporters a quote from Obama's appearance in which the Illinois Democrat reiterated the cry "never again." He followed that quote with one taken a year ago from an interview that the Senator gave with the Associated Press in which he said that genocide or humanitarian crises were not a prerequisite for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq (a statement he has since walked back).... The message was fairly explicit: Obama's commitment to stopping future Holocausts is in doubt. Asked for clarification, McCain aide Michael Goldfarb responded:... "Today he says 'never again.' A year ago stopping genocide wasn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces in Iraq. Doesn't that strike you as inconsistent?"
At the top of the list of things I just don't get, there's this: how can any reasonable, lucid person listen to John McCain without coming to the conclusion that the man's little more than an empty suit? Or an older, even less competent version of Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader ©? Making matters even worse is that the McCain campaign (despite the candidate's pledge to keep his campaign on the high road) has a boatload of surrogates willing to twist anything said by Barack Obama into something unrecognizable. The assault on Obama's statement at Israel's Holocaust Museum is only the latest example of a campaign with no class, no message, and nothing of any value to offer voters.You'd have to think that McCain and his attack dogs recognize this; why else would they be devoting so much time and energy to attacking and dissecting every Obama utterance?
John McCain could spend his campaign laying out his program for how he would make America a better place. He could be trying to inspire Americans to rise above, to hope for something different and better than the medicority and criminality of the past eight years. Instead, we're being fed and invitation to revisit the Bush years. We're being fed fear-mongering and the divisive language of a failed war and a failed policy. Worst of all, we're expected to somehow agree to allow John McCain to continue to sacrifice our sons and daughters in a war that's not even- despite his protestations the contrary- "the central front in the war against terror."
When even Joe Klein- no Librul, he- is moved to question McCain's motives and veracity, you have to wonder just what's driving McCain.
This is the ninth presidential campaign I've covered. I can't remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency.
And Klein wasn't even talking about Obama's speech at Yad Vashem. No, he was referring to McCain's speech in Rochester, New York:
This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.
Is this not a statement dripping in desperation. Rather than attacking Obama on his programs, his stance on issues, or any other legitimate target, McCain goes below the belt in impugning Obama's patriotism and love of country.
This from a man who initially pledged to keep his campaign on the high road? Then again, I suppose desperation will make a candidate do strange things, no? When you have nothing to offer, I guess all you're left with is character assassination and impugning your opponent's patriotism.
The truly sad thing is that now we're seeing what John McCain is made of...and it ain't pretty. Yes, it seems the real John McCain IS an empty suit. Given the self-parody that his campaign has devolved into, I'd be very interested in anyone's explanation as to how and why they can in good conscience vote for John McCain.
Why? Are your standards really that low? Are you really that susceptible to propaganda? Are your fears really that easily manipulated? Or are you really OK and truly comfortable with the mediocrity and criminality of the past eight years? If you're one of the roughly 25% who still somehow manage to see The Worst President EVER © as some sort of resolute man of God...well, you're going to LOVE Bush Lite ©.
Jeebus...what a (&^%$#@ empty suit.....
UPDATE: And now the McCain campaign is running an ad comparing Barack Obama to Fidel Castro? Classy, eh? I'd be wondering if these moral midgets have any shame, but I think the answer to that question is self-evident.
Victory by any means necessary is, in the end, still victory, no? Besides, six months after Election day, the American Sheeple will have long since forgotten the immoral, underhanded tactics employed by the McCain campaign.
When you're a Republican, winning isn't everything. It's the ONLY thing.
