McCain, out of bogeymen, blasts Bush

Republican John McCain is down in the polls. Critics assail the tone of his campaign. All those rallies where running mate Sarah Palin said their rival Democrat Barack Obama "palled around" with domestic terrorists. All those red-meat crowds yelling "terrorist" at any mention of Obama's name.

So today McCain unveiled his new "I'm a fighter" speech, hoping to resurrect his presidential campaign with a promise to be the kind of pugilistic, populist politician who battles against Big Mean Interests for his fellow citizens.

And who was the first target of his punches? Sure he hit Obama with a few, charging that the Illinois senator plans to raise taxes and cut trade. "The last president to raise taxes and restrict trade in a bad economy as Sen. Obama proposes was Herbert Hoover," said McCain. "That didn't turn out too well."

But McCain seemed to reserve his greatest venom for the incumbent, George W. Bush, a fellow Republican who defeated the Arizona senator in 2000 and perhaps kept the 72-year-old McCain from his best shot at the White House.

At a rally in Virginia Beach, McCain said:

We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Comments

[Anonymous]

"The last president to raise taxes and restrict trade in a bad economy as Sen. Obama proposes was Herbert Hoover," said McCain. "That didn't turn out too well."

Well... I thought it turned out dam [sic] well.

[Jonathan]

McCain is starting to sound more like Obama each day. mmmmh! Makes me wonder who the real leader is!

[Eyesbright]

Too little, too late, for John McSame. He's voted with Bush 90-95% of the time (depends on the time period you choose; most recently it's been 95%).
When you've been a sidekick all your life, your claim to be a maverick won't work.

[brent]

Journalism is dead, and the LAT is leading the way.

[Larry linn]

It is the economy stupid! Bush is a pathetic lame duck, and is acting like one. It is the economy stupid! Without a solid economic base, the United States of America is a vulnerable target from various religious fanatics like Al Queda, as well as Russia, some tin-horn dictator from Venezuela, let alone China. Mr. McCain relies upon advice from Phil Gram who stated that "We have become a nation of whiners" in an interview with the Washington Times. Phil Gram’s wife was on the Board of Directors of Enron, as well as their Audit Committee. They have nothing to whine about. I guess that Gram and McCain do not see a problem. When people lose their jobs, pensions and other retirement funds, as well as their homes, those “whiners” should just move into one of their other houses. It is time for a change! Obama receives advice from Robert Reich, and other economists with proven track records. Meanwhile, Paul Krugman just received the Noble Prize for Economics. Mr. Krugman is a very vocal critic of the Bush economic policies. Mr. McCain just wants to continue theses same policies.

[ElBruce]

Obama has never proposed raising taxes. That is a lie.

It would be one thing to say that Obama has a secret plan to do so, but that's a far cry from stating that he has proposed doing so, which he has not. Furthermore, such a "secret plan" approach would be the exact equivalent of Obama saying that McCain intends to invade Iran - which I'm sure most people would consider to be an unfair accusation.

Bogeyman = unidenified blip on radar
Boogeyman = manifestation used to scare small children and uneducated masses

[Ridge]

Dang it John, you're just too old and with that dizzy V.P. runnin' mate you picked, it's a wash. I just can't vote for ya.

[Peter]

What exactly was the "venom" you referred to? It sure isn't in the quote. I feel cheated.

That was hardly a real attack on Bush... lame at best... you used a
flashy headline but didn't deliver... waste of
60 seconds...

[Tom Williams]

John sold his soul to the right of the party was for nothing. He is not going to win this election.

[Matt]

"We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight."

---

Yeah, he remembers the last 8 years all right..... Where he voted 91% of the time with the guy he now assails in his speeches. Give it up, old man. You and your pretty puppet have very little chance.

[Robert Witham]

This guy has just been all over the board!

Obama is a terrorist (or at least palls around with terrorists) and therefore can't be trusted in the White House. Oh wait - Obama is not such a bad guy and we don't have to be afraid after all if he wins the election.

Bush is a great president and deserved to be supported in more than 90 percent of votes. Oh wait - Bush lacks the vision and leadership to initiate change and has spent the last eight years waiting for his luck to change.

Could someone please tell us what John McCain really believes? About anything?

[Joseph]

I love it! Why waste time copying just portions of Obama's attack lines, when you can simply quote him word-for-word? "We can't stand another four years of failed policies! " That's Brilliant!

Does this man have an original idea in his head? Now would be a good time Mr. McCain.

[Awake]

Who's next Santa?
If only John chose not to vote alongside Bush 90% of the time, perhaps, I mean maybe, some of the most inbreded amongst us would believe this hypocritical rant.

[CC]

Same old McSame, standing and blathering Bla Bla Bla, when all else fails make it up or just keep makin' noise...either way I think a lot of people are tired of your noise McSame and his little trained mutt Palin, sit Sarah...speak Sarah...good girl, here's a cookie!

[jim]

My God, this guy is a train wreck. He lost my vote this year with all this wishy washy nonsense, and Palin? I'm a Republican, not crazy. The Dems have my vote. Sorry John, . . . your insane to put that hate magnet of a crazy woman on your ticket.
How many voters have you lost with that pick? Too many to count. If you want to cater to the evangelicals, it will cost you entire groups and races of people.

[Gary]

Now he tosses another McCain at us. When this one goes belly up which one will we see next? He`s running out of time but obviously not out of McCains!!

[Inkfingers]

What's wrong with this picture?! He voted with Bush more than 90 percent of the time! I'm completely befuddled.

[Mike]

It should have read "McCain, out of bogeymen, stabs friend in back, shows true colors"

[midwestmidwife]

On a wing and a prayer...that is what McCain has left- He could almost do it, if it weren't for Palin.

Am a transplanted Virginian, raised by Naval officer and stay-at-home mom. You know what they say about a VA Republican, very similar to a KS Dem!!

Obama/Biden for what ails us. We could do with some peace and prosperity (or at the very least a way out of this morass!)

[Mauriced C. Carter, M.D.]

McCain is wrong again. The last president to raise taxes was, "Read my lips" Bush I.

Why does he not stick to the simple and verifiable truth? The world does not need more pugilists, it needs consistent and thoughtful perople.

[J Plant]

McCain's sudden dissapproval of the man he's supported 90% of the time, is just a sign of desperation. He has failed reaching key demographics with his conservative tactics, young people are registering to vote in huge numbers to oppose him, and he makes one of his final bargain pleas, trying to distance himself from the one man who has made so many voters turn from the republican party and their policies. If I was a betting man, I would say, this feeble attempt won't pay off. Plus, its a pretty weak "blast" on Bush.

[James Dinwiddie]

It's hard to see how blasting Bush's 8yr. nightmare regime will help McCain, who supported Bush's government and Republican corruption 95% of the time. This can be seen as a self-criticism from someone who "palled around" with such economic terrorists as Charles Keating and Ken Lay.

[bontempo]

Lame, lame, lame.