As John McCain attacks, will he pay a price?

John McCain has provocatively asserted that Barack Obama, in his policy toward Iraq, is willing to lose a war in order to win a presidential campaign.

Given the harsh edge to this critique and recent ads the McCain team has directed at Obama, the question comes to mind: Is the presumptive Republican nominee willing to lose his good reputation within media circles and among some fellow politicos in order to win the election?

As McCain and his campaign have escalated the attacks on Obama, various voices have disputed the propriety of the efforts.

For instance, McCain's charge -- which he has steadfastly stood by -- that Obama is guided solely by political self-interest in his views on Iraq sparked a rebuke from Chuck Hagel, a fellow Vietnam veteran and a GOP Senate colleague.

Hagel, a McCain ally in the past who split with him over the war in Iraq, accompanied Obama on the latter's high-profile stop in that country. During an appearance Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Hagel scolded McCain: "I think John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives, and when we start to get into 'You're less patriotic than me, I'm more patriotic.' ... John's better than that."

A controversial ad the McCain forces unveiled over the weekend, which asserted that Obama cancelled a planned visit with wounded troops while he was in Germany during his recent overseas trip because the media could not accompany him, earned a scathing rebuke from the Washingon Post. The lead to the front-page piece said bluntly that McCain and his allies had pressed that case "despite no evidence that the charge is true."

The even-more controversial ad for the Republican's campaign that connected Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton spurred pointed remarks from several journalists and commentators.

On NBC's "Today" show, host Matt Lauer had a sharp retort ...

when McCain aide Nicolle Wallace maintained, with a straight face, that the spot "makes a very serious and sober point" about the candidates' differing energy policies. Said Lauer: "If that's the importance of the ad, why bury the lead? Why is it that the first thing we see are these images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. ... I have nothing against either one of them, but they're not known for their gravitas, and in some ways they've become the punchline of jokes. That's demeaning."

And David Gergen, who as a political advisor has served both Democratic and Republican presidents, had this to say about the McCain airwave offensive: "Yes, it does diminish John McCain. He's a much better person than these attack ads have been. ... This is not the John McCain who Americans have come to love and to respect as an individual."

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Joe Smoe]

If we do not elect Barack we do not deserve him.

[Jay Watterworth]

Maybe John isn't better than that.

[Republican VN Era Veteran]

McCain is going to have to fire his media folks if he wants to get back to issues of substance.

I am not happy that McCain is always "answering," agreeing with or attacking Obama, rather than trying to lead any substantive dialog.

What if the dems pull a "Swift Boat" on McCain. Will he be able to overcome attacks on his character for surrendering, during time of war, to a foreign power?

Not if he doesn't offer anything other than comparing Obama to Britney.

[Blake A]

John McCain just showed me that he is not capable of leading a country if he has to compare Obama to Spears and Hilton. The joke is on McCain.

[minerva]

McCain is old and desperate.

[Media Bias]

The whole media wants Obama to win!!! The truth about Obama is an "attack" -- what a joke. Too bad more than half the country is not buying it.

[Kathy]

If John McCain wants to go after Barack Obama, why isn't his campaign hammering home that Obama would not agree to McCain's proposal of weekly town hall meetings? As a voter who is on the fence, I would have loved to see that. And in this case McCain has the upper hand. Obama initially agreed and then backed off. That tells me that Obama is scared of something, but I doubt many potential voters know that McCain proposed this, only to be turned down. Paris and Brittany? How about Joe and Joe Ann Average at broadcasted town hall meetings?

[adrian kohl]

Mr McCain's appear like loser. His election strategy is condescending and mean. He's unpresidential.....

[Clayto]

So while Obama proves his presidential abilities McCain shows that he's just a bully on the playground spreading lies to make himself feel better. All while proving he's not the man he used to be. It's sad he had my vote but everytime I start to lean back his way he pushed me right back into voting for Obama.

[coolrepublica]

The ads already paid handsome dividends, they got Obama, the NYT Editorial Board and the Huffington Post screaming racism without any facts to back it up.

The American people got to see that Bill Clinton been labeled a racist was an orchestrated move by the Obama campaign. Obama called McCain a racist today and that might have sealed his fate for good.

Obama uses the race card when he is cornered. And today is was down right panicking. Some pundits say that the ad by McCain show desperation, I say they have it wrong. Today this ad busted a hole in the Obama armor and it shows big time. He knows that this election is becoming a referendum on him and he doesn't know how to turn it around.

McCain is not talking about Obama so much because he's got no plans for America or he is jealous. Oh no. McCain camp is playing the smartest game in town and no one even notices. McCain's plan could be the greatest plan for America since we declared independence it would not matter. Too may people are so fascinated with Obama they would not even notice and Obama was counting on his fame to be his cover. America's obsession with the famous is legendary. McCain took that celibrity that Obama is counting on and made it a negative. That was brilliant. They New York can crap their pants all they want, McCain is not there to please them, he is there to win an election.

The Celeb ad was not racist by any mean. And Obama and friends insinuating that it was was a big minus for them. Americans have seen this game before and them seeing it again is giving many second thought about what happened the first time. Yes Obama managed to label Bill Clinton of all people in the world racist. Bill Clinton. Many people sure thought they died and went to the twilight zone when that happened but it happened. Obama tried it again with McCain and he got shut down. American voters are realizing right about now that their post-racial candidate is anything but.

I would compare what happened today to what happened to McCain in Columbia. He went for a visit and everybody criticized, but he ended having the last laugh.

[LizzabethCan]

You know, the celebrity ad is nothing but an update of the Jesse Helms "white hands" ad. The white hands angrily crumpling a letter while a voice intones, "you needed that job but they had to give it to a minority..."

Alex Castellanos was the brain behind that, and he is media adviser to McCain now -- must be a coincidence, surely. AC is known as father of the attack ads, so why on earth would McCain hire him, if he wanted to run a clean campaign? I live in the Deep South -- believe me, showing a black man alongside of two blonde girls known for their promiscuity... voters down here get the message immediately.

http://www.michiganliberal.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5426

[jefflz]

This whole "race" non-event was pounced upon by McCain to see if yet again they could make something (anything) negative stick to Obama. This is their primary strategy since Karl Rove's minions slimed their way into the McCain campaign. The champions of the Big Lie and Smear are now managing McCain to keep him on track and on message. The stench that arises from the Swift Boat style attacks on Obama is all too familiar. McCain himself was a victim of this filth in 2000. The fact that he needs to rely on this type of "thuggery" is proof positive of his feebleness as a candidate.

The Obama campaign managers have to take the gloves off and give back to McCain what his Karl Rove handlers dish out. Its time to remind people about McCain's less than straight talk about he Keating Five for example. Many of the younger voters don't know anything about those sleazy dealings. How about his blithering comments about Iraq when Lieberman had to practically wipe the drool off McCain's face as Joe whispered corrections about Iraq into his ear. When the Swift Boaters went after Kerry he stood there like a deer in the headlights. Obama needs to strike back and quickly. The Rove team is counting on his stumbling in in the face of their relentless smears

[AZMac]

John McCain say he knows how to win wars. That's great, but I'm very curious now. How many wars have you won, and which ones were they?

[Mimi]

If you don't like the recent McCain ad...welcome to the world of politics! Who says that in an election year, all is always fair? It's not like Obama has never gone negative either. For me personally, I think it's a clever ad which communicates how a lot of people already perceive Obama - lots of style, little substance. What I find somewhat surprising (or maybe not) is the Obama camp's and the media's overall surprise and reaction to it. You would think they had never seen a political campaign before. It's almost like he's untouchable - their 'golden boy.' I mean, Hillary Clinton's campaign was 'dirtier' than this...In the future, perhaps McCain can use the images or words of Obama's own political/personal supporters to describe him - wonderful associates such as Rev. Wright, Rezko, Ludacris, Jessie Jackson, even Clinton herself ("McCain has experience...Obama gave a great speech")! Anyways, I'm glad McCain is finally taking the offensive (without being offensive) - and having a sense of humor about it :)

[Thomas]

Wait until the smoke clears and McCain's "outed" for having hand-crafted, and then signed, sealed, and delivered this whole 'dollar-bill' (i.e., 'race card') faux issue -- as evidenced by this June 27, 2008 web ad created, funded, and posted by McCain's campaign and "approved of" by the Double-Talker himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/1/135535/0825/653/560749

BTW, which is really the more "audacious" and "presumptuous" declaration: "We are the ones we have been waiting for" (archaic Hopi prayer stated by Obama during primaries... note use of word "we" as opposed to "me") or "The American president America has been waiting for" (original about McCain coined by, well, McCain... note emphasis on "me" rather than "we")?

-- We (the People, that is, not the MSM) report, you decide...

[Jose Fernandez]

I was 16 years in comunist Cuba prisons and never agrred to interviews witht the press to "inform" the world how well they were treating me.
McCain cooperated in many of those type of interviews with the press and is called a hero. What would be my qualification to be the president of this country?

[Braeg Heneffe]

I think it's just a shame that Obama was not elected in 2001 instead of George W Bush, then maybe the whole mess would be a bit easier to clean up. Having said that, to pull out now would risk many men having died in vain... I think this is the main issue for voters