| Joe's note: I was going to write a post along these same lines, with some of the same links even......but I can't say I disagree with anything Jeff has written here.
I have to admit, John McCain has a crack squad of political tacticians working for him. His latest gimmick is a difficult trap for Obama. I can't help but wonder, though: once the campaign is over, is the ability to set a political trap what we're looking for in our next president?
What am I talking about? If you haven't read it yet, here's the news from CNN:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign to return to Washington and focus on the "historic" crisis facing the U.S. economy.
The Arizona senator called on his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, to do the same.
The Obama campaign announced that Obama would make a statement shortly.
He also urged organizers of Friday's presidential debate at the University of Mississippi to postpone the event.
Obama is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. As The Fix notes, if Obama agrees, he looks like a follower. If he doesn't, he looks like a partisan politician. Once again, this is a shrewd move.
Of course, it's also an incredibly cynical, empty gesture. As Talking Points Memo notes, what has changed since yesterday? Nothing, except a poll that shows Obama leading by 9 points nationally, which even the Obama campaign admits is probably an outlier. In light of that poll, the McCain campaign seems to have decided it needs to throw another Hail Mary. What's really disgusting here is that John McCain and his campaign think the economic crisis is a perfect political trap for Barack Obama. Will the American public think McCain is showing leadership here, or will they see it for the gimmick it is? All we can do is wait and see.
Originally posted at the Twin Cities Daily Liberal. |
