McCain’s co-author gets stuck into Obama in a memo.
And what an opening:
First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama’s attack today: He used the words ‘losing his bearings’ intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain’s age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.
We have all become familiar with Senator Obama’s new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.
It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.
Whew!
The ending:
We understand why Senator Obama doesn’t want to engage in a debate over leadership and judgment with John McCain, but the American people demand that debate take place.
Indeed.
It’s going to be a barnburner this fall.
Update: Advice here:
Obama could easily make this go away: “Hamas will be VERY sorry if I am America’s president. They need to be careful what they wish for.” He doesn’t have to say anything else, but I doubt it occurs to anyone on his staff to go after Hamas instead of McCain. To me, that’s the obvious fix. What could McCain possibly say after that?
He won’t say it.
4 responses so far ↓
Homin Lee // May 8, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I think Obama began calibrating his attack on McCain, and since it is basically a poke-and-watch process mini flare-ups like this will occur quite frequently over next few weeks.
His team is probably frustrated by the fact that it could’ve started this a few months earlier. Unfortunately, the window for “defining” McCain in Obama’s terms has been basically closed. Missed opportunities loom large over Dems.
McCain’s team is of course going all-in with their near complete reliance on character issues. It may backfire (positive press coverage doesn’t last 11 months), but it seems to be working so far.
Greg // May 9, 2008 at 10:36 am
I think the memo completely misreads Obama’s attack (although it does provide insight into McCain’s staff’s perception of his main weakness). Obama was attacking McCain’s pandering to the GOP base and setting up a campaign based on the idea that McCain, good man that he was, has sold his soul to the Fox News wing of the Republican Party. It fits with the whole “Third Bush Term” narrative the Dems are already using.
Ben // May 9, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Oh, of course he’s pushing the Bush III narrative.
But he got in a sly dig at the age issue, too, and Salter called him on it.
***
Anyway, it’s true. Hamas did endorse Obama. Their spokesman compared him to JFK.
[Though really, if you know your American history, that isn't good for them. They'd better hope he isn't another JFK. Kennedy was one amoral SOB -- he was happy sending the CIA out to plot assassinations and overthrow governments he didn't like.
As much as I'm a foreign policy hawk, I think that JFK crossed the line more than once. It's thoroughly unsurprising that someone got him in the end. (LBJ's take was, "Kennedy was trying to get Castro, but Castro got him first.")]
Ben // May 10, 2008 at 11:10 am
Althouse got it: http://althouse.blogspot.com/2008/05/obama-insinuated-that-mccain-is-senile.html
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