I Thought McCain Was Above This
On a call with bloggers Friday, McCain engaged in fear-mongering. Ahmed Yousuf, chief political adviser to the Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, said “We like Mr. Obama and hope he wins the election.” When Jennifer Rubin asked McCain about this, he said,
“It’s clear who Hamas wants to be the next President of the United States.” He continued, “I will be Hamas’ worst nightmare” and said that he “never expects” to hear a Hamas official say they want him as President.”
And McCain plays the guilt-by-association game with Bill Ayers as well.
On the subject of Bill Ayers, McCain displayed none of the hesitancy he has shown about discussing Reverend Wright. He said he was “a bit surprised” the media had not made more of Obama’s association with “an unrepentant terrorist”
This is the same John McCain who said just a few months ago that “negative campaigns don’t work.”
Expediency trumps truth, ethics, morals, and just about any virtue you might care to name.
April 25th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Well, no one really expects Obama to be a saint, no real dedicate to him.
April 25th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
There’s a big difference between “your sister is a thespian” and “your friendly with a confessed terrorist.” There’s a big difference between “When did you stop beating your wife?” and “Does it make you think twice about your policy ideas that Hamas likes them?”
There are legitimate questions of character to be asked of politicians and there are areas of private conduct that should remain private. There are legitimate questions and there is attack by unsupported innuendo. Guilt shouldn’t be assumed by association, but there are times when certain associations do require that questions be asked and answered. Ask John McCain about Hagee and Bonanno, by all means, but bear in mind that those are casual acquaintances, not “friendly relationships” or trusted mentors.
Most importantly, though, the second example was a matter of policy. Matters of policy should be open for debate. If they aren’t, there is no debate. Calling an opponent on bad policy is not “negative campaigning;” it’s vital unless the election is to be nothing more than a beauty contest. Democrats absolutely should call Senator McCain on policy points where they disagree with him and Republicans should call Senator Obama on points where we disagree with him. That’s where meaningful debate starts.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:21 am
I hate that you can’t edit comments…The first example (regarding Hamas) was a matter of policy.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:22 am
yeah, because we want other countries to HATE our persidnt, right? I mean, how can we have any wars if they LIKE us?
Or wait, here’s a thought, maybe they like him because he’s a rational thoughtful human being who might just be able to lead us into an era of world peace…
nah, that’s just hippy talk.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:23 am
The only thing McCain said that I take issue with is the Ayers bit. Now, I’m not a McCain supporter but I actually felt that the first bit was smart politics. He played to America’s fears of terrorism without overdoing it, and said without actually stating that Obama will be too soft on terrorism.
The Ayers thing was childish.
April 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pm