McCain Makes the Biggest Political Mistake of Our Lifetimes

[kevinmc]

Huffington Post - Matt Littman


Mondale promised to raise taxes. Dukakis was in the tank. Kerry was for the war before he was against it. All mistakes, mistakes that should never have been made and errors that turn the course of an election. We hear about them all the time. But now, just as the memory of Bill Buckner's error took a backseat for Red Sox fans when their team finally won the World Series, John McCain has made the biggest mistake in politics, an error of such magnitude that he has probably cost himself a shot at the White House.

Senator McCain, knowing that he held an edge on Barack Obama on the "Commander in Chief" question, badly overplayed his hand. He taunted Senator Obama on his lack of foreign policy experience and he challenged Obama to go to Iraq. He sneered at Obama for formulating an Iraq policy prior to traveling to the war zone. He even offered to go with him to Iraq, as if Obama needed his hand held by the man with military experience.

McCain wanted the public to believe that Obama was a novice, a whipper-snapper who would jeopardize our nation's security.

Obama listened to McCain's attempted bullying and said, "You know what? I'll go to Iraq. And Afghanistan, Israel, Germany -- I'll make this a big foreign policy trip abroad. I'll show the voters back home that the world still really does love the United States, they just don't love President Bush or John McCain."

And Obama went abroad, with the world's press following him, clinging to his every word, oohing and aahing at his every jump shot, hoping to catch a glimpse of his every smile.

The trip: the biggest success of the campaign. The Commander in Chief question: negated. Heck of job, McCain…………

[TexasObserver]

1. Obama soars while McCain grumbles.

This week is the week that Obama landed a haymaker, and McCain stepped into the punch.

Repeatedly!

[MrSlayer]

2. Do not underestimate the idiocy of the American voter.

Nothing is in the bag. Complacency is death.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Has More to Do With the Power of the Mighty Slime Machine

When the 'Piggies own the news, they can fool enough of the people nearly all of the time.
That is not unique to the USA. In Italy, the old crook is back in power, and even got a law passed saying he's above the law!

We talk a lot about the "netroots", but how do we reach the people who still get their "news" from TV?

[Cha]

27. Good question! I think Obama and Team

are giving it a valiant effort though.

[Gabi Hayes]

5. never underestimate the cravenness of the mainstream media.

like the GOP they will do whatever it takes, whatever their corporate masters tell them to do

you haven't seen anything yet

people aren't even paying attention at this point

just watch what they pull out of their sleeves

or other orifices

[Cha]

28. That's right..I didn't ban them from my life in 2002

for nothin'.

[bjobotts]

33. Immediately it starts" "Is it all too much for Obama:. "A high wire act and he

almost pulled it off" A commentor at the carpetbagger said the press should be ok but then again he'd never tasted McCain's barbecue.

[bjobotts]

34. How can the press be fair once they've tasted McCain's barbecue.

[demodonkey]

9. And do not underestimated the theivery in the American election.

Remember we WON 2000 and 2004.

Go to
http://www.uncountedthemovie.com
http://www.freeforall.tv

And above all SEE THIS:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3555094491715905699&q=votergate&ei=UE-ISL_lH52mrALvi43WCA

GET INVOLVED NOW!

Support the Election Integrity Organization of your choice -- or more elections will "go goofy".

[Cha]

29. But, not by enough..Obama's trying

to change that and then there's that perfect storm we got gonna on.

[WinkyDink]

11. Or the power of corruption.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. AMEN!! I actually wished that Wes would have gone with Obama but the press,

not friendly right now towards him, would tear both him and Obama apart. The M$M loves McSame. They continue to cover for him, all the while beating Obama up, suggesting that his trip was more akin to a rock star jet-setter rather than a candidate for the presidency. They call Obama "arrogant" and "cocky," behaving as though *he* is the president when we already have Dumbya. Their treatment of Obama is simply disgusting.

It means that we still have much more work yet to do. Complacency is death and we cannot take anything for granted. Though I question the polls, they do show the race too close. There's no way in hell that it ought to be this close, but the M$M wants the American people to believe this narrative so that they'll question Obama when they *should* be questioning McSame. If McSame is more qualified and more experienced, should *he* be beating Obama by double digits? The M$M refuses to address this question and the milquetoast Democratic "strategists" continue to allow them to get away with it...

There is much work left to be done!

[central scrutinizer]

18. Do not underestimate the xenophobia either

"If the (insert insulting term for foreigners here) like him, he can't be good. I don't care if the rest of the world hates us as long as they also fear us."

[MadMaddie]

25. MrSlayer we have to keep saying this and keep up the pressure

Complacency is death literally and figuratively if Obama is not elected.

[Captain Angry]

32. Eyes on the ball. Absolutely.

We need to act like Obama is behind by 40% to try and win by 40%. It can't be close.

[Arrowhead2k1]

3. Meanwhile, McCain is at home redefining the 'surge' for his own political gains...

What a buffoon!!
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/23/mccain-broadens-definition-of-surge/

[Cosmocat]

10. It is working ...

His explaination in the grocery store about the sunni awakening relative to "the surge" was perhaps the most bizarre and incoherent nonsense a presidential candidate has spewed, EVER ...

If BO had spewed that nonsense he would be DEAD as a candidate, but the MSM is going to let it go ... Along with the patched Couric interview ...

Meanwhile, they are now getting a full head of steam in wanting to carry McCain's "BO needs to recognize that the success of the surge banner" and have, in their republican loving way, have morphed this into "Obama is benefiting from McCAIN's forsight through the success of the surge" ... Giving pentultimate credit for the surge to McCain ...

Think about that ... John McCain could have been a gas station attendent in Wyoming, and Bush WAS going to have a "surge" ... But, in the way they do to keep a horse race, to keep the R in range of the D, the surge is now almost universally attributed as a success to McCain ...

[opihimoimoi]

6. He failed in 2000 and he will fail this year....ya would think his "experience" would be a plus...

But he clearly shows that instead of Obama being inexperienced...it is he, McCain, who is the novice...

he will lose this because of ignorance.....lack of preperation of the long term type...he had not prepped himself for the big picture....

He had 8 years to prepare...from 2000 to 2008...and he did nothing of note...thus his debacle today....its his own undoing...the sound bites, the band aids...the desperate cow chips all for naught in this atmosphere of National disgust with them NeoCons, the PNACers, and the GOP who supported Bush and now McCain....

I suspect he has had a few "No Thanks" when calling for a VP slot...Too many Negs and not enough ammo in the Quiver....unless ts stolen...Obama gonna kick ass.

[Disturbed]

7. McLame is showing what an Asshole he is everyday.

He said that Sen Obama would rather lose the Iraq War than an election. That comment is slanderous. McLame is a hypocrite & a damn scumbag.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Clearly not ready for the Office of the Presidency

Never will be...he blew it

[samsingh]

16. mccain is truly a piece of shit

[formercia]

12. And he didn't need body armor or a phalanx of Blackwater boys

to act as human shields.

Be careful what you wish for, Johnny.

[HardWorkingDem]

19. He could do that because of the SURGE!!!!

Dang it, don't you know all the Obama good fortune only happened because of the SURGE!! :sarcasm:

[formercia]

20. Let's see McLame do it.

Him showing up au naturel at the local market would get about the same response as a brother crashing a Klan rally.

[niceypoo]

13. The Iraq invasion was a bigger mistake

IMHO

[uponit7771]

15. Obama makes 3 pointers in front of camera McSame rides in golf cart that says "HANDS OFF!"

[ProSense]

17. " Kerry was for the war before he was against it. "

Why do people keep validating this RW flip flop BS?

Kerry never said anything about being for the war before being against it. Never!

He made an awkward statement about voting for and against two versions of a funding bill. This is nothing like McCain's very real flip flops and clueless statements.

[wvbygod]

22. And it's from Huffington who is on our side

I think it was used as a third person metaphoric shibboleth.

[wvbygod]

21. He spent the day at the Jerusalem wall too

That should cement his support among the like minded.

[Martin Eden]

23. Sorry, there is no image or soundbite here that ridicules McCain

Sure, Obama's foreign trip has been a big plus for him, but how has it produced the image or soundbite of McCain looking as idiotic as Dukakis with his head sticking out of that tank or Kerry saying he voted for the $87 million before he voted against it?

Don't get me wrong -- I want McCain to shoot himself in the foot as much as anyone here, and he wounds himself regularly with gaffes like the Iraq/Pakistan border or being wrong on the Anbar Awakening/Surge timeline -- but we do not have a Dukakis or Kerry game-changing 5-second clip here.

[ProSense]

24. Please, the $87 billion comment was manufactured by the MSM. McCain has a ton of real blunders

the MSM could hit him on. Pick one: here, here, here and http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6363053&mesg_id=6363053">here.

The reason the MSM began repeating that Kerry was for the war before he was against it is that the reality of a statement about vote on funding bill was lame. So, they manufactured and repeated the line about being for the war before being against it.

The media has more than enough damning clips of McCain to create a library.

[Martin Eden]

31. Tell me something I don't know.

For example, tell me that anything in the 4 links you provided will turn into a clip as effective against McCain as Dukakis in a tank or Kerry stating in quick succession he was for then against something.

I'm not advancing any argument against Dukakis or Kerry. The only thing wrong with Dukakis riding in a tank is the lack of foresight in how it could be used against him. And sure -- the reality of Kerry's votes on war funding was not how it was depicted.

OF COURSE the media made huge political hay out of stories or images that had little real substance.

OF COURSE McCain has made numerous gaffes more substantive than anything turmed against the aforementioned Democratic candidates. That's my point.

My point is that Obama's foreign tour does not equate with 'Dukakais-tank' 'Kerry-for/against' in terms of a 5-second clip that will be played and replayed in the MSM to make McCain look like an idiot.

OF COURSE McCain IS an idiot, or at least a doddering old fool.

But we're still waiting for that 5-second clip that will cement that image in the public mind.

[donco6]

30. The McCain in the golf cart is right up there.

It's not whether the image exists, it's Will it be used in the same way? The Dukakis tank and Kerry's "for it before I was against it" thing were all seized by the RW smear machine. To create those images, we have to sink to that level. Will we? Do we have to? I dunno . . .

[Cha]

26. No worries, mcsurge..the media is still your base"..

It's just got better things to do right now than follow your gaffes around.

"McCain, the former press darling who once referred to the media as "my base," is so upset that press is following Obama, he's become whining and petulant about it. It's as if McCain and Obama both had a party, and everyone went to the Obama party, while McCain found out he's no longer the most popular guy in school."

//snips//

"All John McCain has done, with his childish taunting of Obama, is create a situation where Obama has now gone overseas; been seen with General Petraeus smiling, looking Presidential; been photographed with world leaders who seem excited by the prospect of an Obama Presidency, and shown, by images, that he fits in just fine on the world stage; and, of course, Obama has taken all the media attention with him when McCain is desperate for media coverage."