John McCain's been free to fire at Barack Obama for weeks, now comes the response

Three months ago, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, made a calculated decision to begin painting a not-so-pretty picture of Sen. Barack Obama, now the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Although Sen. Hillary Clinton was -- and still is -- battling Obama for the Democratic nomination, McCain began preparing his case against the Illinois senator early. McCain's advisors, like other observers, concluded Obama was the likely nominee and wanted to begin shaping Obama's image while the Democrat was still consumed with fighting Clinton.

Defining one's opponent is a key task of any campaign, and simply put, McCain has had a long head start. As early as Feb. 12 -- the day McCain and Obama each won primaries in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. -- the Arizonan suggested Obama was guilty of hollow promises and a messianic self-image.

"To encourage a country with only rhetoric, rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people, is not a promise of hope," McCain said, alluding to Obama's speaking skills and campaign theme.

And in another jab he added, "I do not seek the presidency on....

...the presumption that I am blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save my country in its hour of need."

Unlike McCain, Obama has been fighting a two-front war, trying to beat back a relentless onslaught from Clinton while taking opening shots at McCain. Recently Obama has started focusing more squarely on the Republican, attacking his positions on the war and the economy.

But because of the long, bruising Democratic campaign, McCain has gotten an early jump. Day by day, week by week, McCain has been able to showcase his personable sense of humor (see video:)

while portraying Obama as inexperienced, self-entitled and effete, a candidate coddled by a loving press corps and lacking the judgment necessary for the highest office in the land.

It's a line of attack likely to last through the fall election.

"We'll make the case that Barack Obama is a wonderful new voice selling old, discredited ideas, including the most massive tax increase since Walter Mondale ran for president," said Steve Schmidt, a senior McCain advisor. "It's a combination of weakness, not being ready to be president and not being able to deliver on the things he says he will deliver on."

It's not clear how widely these criticisms have resonated, given the intense media focus up to now on the Democratic battle. The Obama campaign says in any case it believes that's unlikely to sway voters eager for change.

"Unlike John McCain, Barack Obama had the judgment to oppose this disastrous war from the beginning," said Hari Sevugan, an Obama spokesman, "and the judgment to understand that for the sake of our security we now need to change course and bring it to a responsible conclusion."

"It's clear that John McCain isn't offering anything new -- his false attacks and meaningless labels are as tired as the failed Bush policies he's offering for another four years," Sevugan added.

But the McCain camp sees Obama's relative lack of experience and accomplishment as a major vulnerability, especially compared to a longtime senator and war hero. In a speech on his judicial philosophy last week, McCain again went after Obama for being more of a talker than a doer, as well as for what he considers Obama's very limited record of bipartisan accomplishment.

"Sen. Obama in particular likes to talk up his background as a lecturer on law, and also as someone who can work across the aisle to get things done," said McCain.

"But when Judge Roberts was nominated, it seemed to bring out more the lecturer in Sen. Obama than it did the guy who can get things done. McCain accused Obama of casting a "partisan" vote against John Roberts to be chief justice of the Supreme Court.

On Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" on Thursday, McCain was asked what Obama's main weakness is as a candidate. "Inexperience," he replied. "I think inexperience and lack of judgment, and a record that shows that -- whether it be showing a desire to sit down with the president of Iran, who has articulated his country's commitment to the extinction of the state of Israel, [or] wanting to raise people's taxes."

As Obama closes in on the Democratic nomination, the public's attention is likely to turn more to the fight between Obama and McCain. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released Friday showed Obama leading McCain 45% to 40%, with the rest undecided. Most national polls have shown a statistical tie between the two, though polling this early often is unreliable.

Both candidates have emphasized their intention to run civil, positive campaigns. But that hasn't stopped either from taking shots.

Charles Black, McCain's senior strategist, said both men have presented themselves as change agents, and voters should know which candidate has the record to back it up.

"Both candidates are candidates of change, reform, and promising to work across party lines," Black said. "Guess who has a record of doing that? It's McCain and not Obama."

McCain is particularly critical of Obama for his plan to quickly withdraw troops from Iraq and his willingness to meet with the heads of rogue nations. Those positions, McCain frequently suggests, are grounded in a lack of experience, as well as poor judgment.

On "Morning Joe" on MSNBC in April, McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot, responded with derision to Obama's call for leaving a limited strike force in Iraq. "I think somebody ought to ask what in the world he's talking about, especially since he has no experience or background at all in national security affairs," McCain told host Joe Scarborough.

But McCain faces hurdles in getting through to the public with that message. The Iraq war is deeply unpopular, which matches Obama's position better than McCain's. Republicans remain unpopular. Most voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, that economic conditions will get worse and that gas prices are likely to stay high, said Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg.

"Being the experienced person from Washington is not what voters are looking for right now," Greenberg said. "People actually want something very different. They want Washington to be different."

Some of McCain's arguments about Obama have already been tried by Clinton, who has portrayed Obama as inexperienced and unlikely to get big things done.

"Just because it didn't work so well for Hillary Clinton doesn't mean it's not going to work for John McCain," said Amy Walter, editor of the nonpartisan political guide The Hotline. "What you're talking about are two different audiences."

The possible shape of a McCain-Obama contest came into stark relief last week when McCain noted that a spokesman for the Islamic militant group Hamas had said he supports Obama. The Illinois senator, who has said he would not meet with Hamas leaders, called that "a smear" and said McCain was "losing his bearings."

That, in turn, prompted the McCain campaign to issue a blistering response calling Obama's words a clumsy way of pointing to McCain's age, which is 71. Obama is 46.

-- Jill Zuckman

Jill Zuckman writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.                         Photo Credits: AP

Comments

[alison]

I will tell you that when this all started I didnt care what color people were, I only cared about the economy.

Now that I know how much blacks hate us, well I dont care too much about them anymore

[Rich]

The irony is that every time McCain "fires" at Obama, he reveals that he is a shadow of the straight talking man he claims to be.

[Matt]

Alison,
If all it took for you to stop caring about blacks were the rantings of Rev. Wright, you probably didn't care too much about them to begin with.

[jennifer potenciano]

i have long been wanting to read a REAL NEWS STORY/FEATURE on obama, more so after his n.c. double digit win & his hairline miss in indiana last may 6, in what many regard as precipitating his virtual lock on the democratic nominating race.

i have not been so successful in looking for one. well, not until i came across this los angeles times staff writer, stephen braun’s in-depth & thoroughgoing
special report dated may 10, 2008 on obama, & his chances in the coming general elections. (in contrast, an AP “story” by one charles babington on obama as being “on the verge of history” riles me for being an out-&-out fulsome, bootlicking propaganda piece for obama.)

though obama had the well-studied reservation not to--in the fashion of napoleon bonaparte the 1st crowning himself as emperor—proclaim himself as yet the democrats’ “presumptive” prexy nominee, with the u.s. media/press & obama’s cheerleading squads arrogating the authority unto themselves, yet by his deeds & his body language, obama sees such a thing as a foregone conclusion, a done deal.

this is where the problematique for obama—moreso for the democratic party, as one braun interviewee clearly sees it—begins to unravel.

& stephen braun, by his well-researched, completely objective, thoroughgoing, well-thought-out & superbly written special report, has clearly dissected the problem, charting its course, including its high & low points, & where it may possibly lead to.

if only for its comprehensive information & well-reasoned arguments, i take the liberty to commend to the unenlightened superdelegates this stephen braun’s news feature on obama’s chances in the coming elections, should he be the actual, winning nominee after the august convention. read it, all ye sds, learn & then decide. if you study it well, you can only have one common decision to arrive at.

shorn of the plentiful invectives & ad hominems by obama & his by-now legions of fanatic converts, this braun report points out the difficult road ahead for obama, as well as the daunting obstacles that obama must reckon with & hurdle to get to the white house.

if obama does some deep thought, some real honest-to-goodness analysis of this braun article, he, obama, should come to realize that he, obama, and not hillary, is the square peg in a round hole, so to say, in the bid for a 4-year tenancy at the oval office. if one braun interviewee is to be taken seriously, obama looks more of a joke, worse, “a mistake, any way you look at him,” than an imponderable contender for the u.s. presidency.

the excerpts i made in the braun report give the readers & the sds as well the complete facts & data on how to analyze—correctly—obama’s projected “coronation.”

here are, based on braun’s interviews, the pertinent arguments against an obama nomination:

west virginia could spell trouble for obama

scant support among white working-class democrats, especially men, could dog him into november.

but his performance in north carolina & indiana did little to reassure political leaders here concerning his sagging numbers among once-loyal white democrats.

"i'm not yet convinced that barack obama is more substance than fluff," said clyde m. see jr., a former democratic speaker of the west virginia house of delegates. "he's a fine speaker, mind you, but i'm still not sure he's got the right stuff to win the general election."

obama's support among white male voters, the most tightly contested bloc over the primary season, has slipped, while hillary’s ratings among these white males have upped. obama lost, 58% to 42%, among white men in indiana and 55% to 42% in north carolina.

"this is the single biggest problem he--& the democratic party-- face," said william galston, a former senior clinton administration domestic policy advisor.

other analysts counter that obama needs to mirror clinton's populist economic pitch.

for many of hardy county's democrats--& those from other places elsewhere in the country--though, there seems to be no appeal that will overcome who obama is and what he represents.

some fear voters will be turned off by obama's black heritage. others, they say, will find reason to doubt his patriotism or will perceive him to be an elitist.

"there's a lot of bigotry in the country, not just west virginia," see said.

fearful that the gop will exploit obama's "otherness," many still insist that clinton's ebbing campaign offers the democrats a better shot come november. even those who say they would support obama worry about his electability.

"it's just not going to be easy for obama to woo crossover democrats back into the fold," said p. merle black, a professor of politics and government at emory university and a longtime analyst of southern voting patterns. "in addition to the race factor, you've got huge cultural differences between them and obama on guns and religion and many of the issues that would make those voters think he doesn't represent their interests."

compounding obama’s woes is the fact that glowing accounts on hillary, her electability, likeability by the voters, & her superior program of government keep on showing up in various media/press outlets.
“{hillary}’s seen as best able to manage voters' top priority, the economy, and the republican is seen as least able.,” one unsolicited positive account said.

expectedly, obama will brush these people’s doubts off; as his friends say of him, he’s not one to doubt his self-importance, nor his self-deluding belief in his “destiny” of the “fierce urgency of the now” for him to be president now.

but this critique is less directed to obama than to the sds who are seen to “crown” him soon, willy-nilly.

for a lot of american voters, obama is a case of being “too much, too soon.” his handicaps and negative points far outweigh his strengths & other positive qualities. he’s an unknown entity, thrust as he’s been so abruptly onto the national scene, like a supernova bursting into the earth’s atmosphere so suddenly. obviously, admit it or not for obama, this is a dangerous parallelism. there’s a greater probability that against a real “american hero” like mccain, obama will lose.

what’s the solution, then?

let obama first cut his teeth on the national & international scenes AS VICE PRESIDENT TO HILLARY, let him first learn from the feet of the master, like hillary admittedly is. that will be a safer alternative for the us of a & for the world, in general. then, when it’s time for him to ascend to the world stage, obama will be praised for being what we filipinos call “taga sa panahon” (ripe of age & in wisdom), a seasoned politician, an authentic world statesman, not a neophyte, bungling, stupid fool of a phony president.

heed this advice of well-meaning people, brother obama. this isn’t to deny you your “destiny,” it’s just to prepare you well-enough, like socrates honed plato, & plato trained aristotle for so many years before setting to embark on their own sails.

[dave]

the paper tiger puppet fight continued; the true and worthy candidate for PRESIDENT: RON PAUL, still banned and frozen out. but never to be counted out. on stage, lingering awareness of preliminarily-presumptive, preemptively-presumptuous puppet status. both would-be ceos in the big franchise business of recycled-snake-oil dealership; cooked up backstage, served up in shady media back-alleys, in different shades and toxic tastes, to the crowd of snake oil junkies, hooked on their own beliefs and various projections. one would-be-pretender silly-or-senile to divulge his belief that it's not up to the crowd but to his bosses who gets the job. the crowd, hooked on their snake oil, leer. the pandering media jive and jeer. but off stage, off the air, there's a gathering unheard-of. many millions of people of all backgrounds have lost their snake oil addiction, and still more are waking up; and having stared the cold dead turkey in the eye, they rise healthier in constitution, unafraid and ready to rebuild and share - the real world. televised or not.

[Tina]

This is just further evidence of Senator McCain's weakness in the areas of national security and foreign policy. TPM and Acropolis Review provide more for debunking that myth:

http://acropolisreview.com/2008/03/john-mccains-iraq-war-five-year.html

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/184135.php

[Marks]

>Now that I know how much blacks hate us, well I dont care too much about them anymore

>Posted by: alison

What political party is that? Define "us". Hillary's campaign said pointedly and repeatedly, Hispanic's don't vote for Black candidates.

Obama won, many must have. Whites too right? He leads in the popular vote by 700,000. Them ain't all Blacks.

Like I said to someone else, a lot of guys don't want Bill back in the White House, no matter what color or ethnic background they are.

> Posted by: jennifer potenciano |
> " Obama" AS VICE PRESIDENT TO HILLARY

get a clue, Hillary lost, it's in all the papers and on websites.