A third possible reason for McCain's change of heart.

[Zenmaster]

I'm just throwing this out there as an undiscussed possibility.

McCain got backed into a corner about bringing Ayers up during the next debate. Obama and Biden have been calling him out publicly and challenging his courage on it. Clearly he knows they are ready to counterpunch him if he brings in up during the next debate and I don't think he wants to do it.

Problem is, he'll be called out as a coward now if he doesn't go there.

Perhaps another reason for this change of tone, change of heart, is to avoid bringing up the Ayers issue under the guise of "toning down the hate". Perhaps he's hoping if he doesn't it this way, Obama won't call him out as a coward after he doesn't bring up Ayers on Wednesday.

[gateley]

1. I honestly don't think it's anything more than his polling showed that approach

was hurting him. If he'd gotten positive results, I think he'd be sticking with it and getting ready to defend it at the debate. Bottom line, he'll do whatever helps him and at this point he'll stick with anything that seems to help. Ayers didn't.

[trashcanistanista]

3. I agree.

He's lost support with his hate fest and he knows it. He's going to try something else. He is desperate. She is sticking with the hate, so more power to her, we'll take her votes from those that are sickened by it. All they have left are their loony, bigoted christofasciasts which will not help them one bit.

[napi21]

2. I think Schieffer will ask him about it during the debate. It was headline news

for enough days, and if it's not answered, I think Bob will bring it up.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Not necessarily

And I only say this because we now have big economic news (the stock market crash) AND foreign news (the sudden removal of N. Korea off the terrorist watch list today) that can give them an excuse to skirt the issue.

Since McLame and Mooselini toned it down today and Obama acknowledged that they did so in a rally here in Philly this morning, then they may choose not to go there. However if something egregious happens at one of McPalin's rallies (in terms of the crowds rather than the candidates) between now and the debate, that may change.

[Boz]

4. Could have been a Secret Service warning also, they cant be happy with the instigation

and the danger McCain was inciting. One little hey knock it off or were gonna have to pull your secret service protection to bolster OBamas because he now has a bigger threat level thanks to you........

[Bucky]

7. The secret service does not issue campaign advice.

They investigate specific threats and possible leads on possible threats, but they legally can't tell McCain to tone it down.

[napi21]

13. That's true, but the clear statement by the SS that they were investigating

who the supporter who yelled "KILLE HIM" was, COULD have been enough to move his advisors to caution against any additional encouragement of HATE. I can't believe they would think it's a good thing to have some of their supporters arrested!

[progressivebydesign]

5. Can we please let go of any thought that McCain had a "change of heart", he didn't.

not heart. His campaign looked at their internal polling and focus groups and decided that they've done enough damage putting that terrorist meme out there to create doubt in the low-IQ voters, and now they're on to "baby killer" Rove probably reminded them that you NEVER have your candidate get down into the mud like that.. you let everyone around him do it, and keep him clean.

So NOW the meme is that McCain had a 'change of heart' and is the old "honorable" guy he once was... he's not. It's a purely calculated move and just a change in strategy. Remember these campaigns don't do anything without polling to back it up.

McCain is still McNasty, and his campaign is still working behind the scenes pushing that meme, while trying to make McCain seem above it all.

[TwilightGardener]

12. People are idiots if they think McStupid is somehow a decent person--

I see in the MSM that they're suggesting a little of the "old McCain" is back--that's more bullshit marketing. Apparently his default setting in the media is "honorable", no matter how much of a fucking coward racist worm he shows himself to be.

[Bucky]

6. Agreed, certainly part of his calculus. I still think he genuinely doesn't like the hatred.

But what you say is something I hadn't thought about. The negative wasn't working for him, so it was certainly time to (yet again) undergo a major, if not eratic, shift in campaign strategy.

[Honeycombe8]

8. Simple: It's illegal to incite violence thru speech. nt

[windbreeze]

9. let's be real, change of heart? NOT from what I'm reading...

now the two of them will separate...and she will continue...there should be much MORE outrage than what we are hearing about...and every one of those guilty of inciting hate/riot/murder or mayhem should already have been arrested for domestic terrorism....wb

[Matariki]

10. I honestly think he got 'talked to', probably by people holding his purse stings

The RNC announced it was pulling shared funding of his ads. I'll bet it's related. They probably threatened to cut him off unless he stopped the extreme rhetoric.

[WinkyDink]

14. There's always the ole quid-pro-quo: