McCain Speaker: Have Your Tiger Woods, We've Got McCain

At a campaign stop today, Sen. John McCain's introductory speaker took a sharp and potentially sensitive swipe at Sen. Barack Obama, saying that McCain was "the real audacity of hope" and not just a political "Tiger Woods."

Former Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, who introduced the Arizona senator at a Vets For Freedom rally, sought to contrast McCain's "lifetime of service to our nation" against the lack of resolve of his political opponents. And while he never addressed Obama by name, he did offer this nugget.

"Rest assured," he told the crowd, "that men like Senator McCain will be the goal and the men that my two young boys will emulate and admire. You can have your Tiger Woods, we've got Senator McCain."

The line, first reported by NBC and Hotline, received a loud roar from the crowd and, standing behind and to the left of Bellavia, McCain let out an approving laugh. But considering the rate at which Tiger Woods is winning golf tournaments these days, McCain's camp may be hoping the analogy doesn't prove true.

And considering the pins-and-needles environment that is the current political landscape, the comment has the potential of being interpreted as racially divisive.

That said, the Tiger Woods line has been deployed earlier in the campaign, by GOP ad-guru Alex Castellanos

"All the sudden you've got two dots, and two dots make a line," he was quoted as saying in Politico last month. "You start getting some sense of who he is, and it's not the Obama you thought. He's not the Tiger Woods of politics."

And on an Obama conference call today, Teamsters President James Hoffa mentioned Woods as well -- in a flattering manner: "With regard to his race, he's African American. I know he's of mixed race, but, you know, he's like a Tiger Woods. He's just a great person that's really excited a lot of people. We're not detecting a lot of discussion about his religion or his race here."

Perhaps of equal political significance was Bellavia's broad hit at the U.S. congress, which he accused of not having the conviction or courage to win the Iraq War.

"Our patriotism demands the just defense of our nation and the promotion of freedom and liberty in places where there is none," he said. "As a soldier it often appears that our civilian leadership in Congress gravely misunderstand the consequence of victory or defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan today. Their will to win has been replaced by political maneuvering and partisan politics."

Comments

[ann1]

Does he know that Tiger doesn't consider himself black?

[bakossi]

what's really weird about this is that the last time I checked, Tiger Woods was a *Republican*--has that changed in recent years?

[Syco]

I don't think that guy thought that through.
He does know that Tiger is the best in his field right?
I would have called him Sam Bowie

[MadeInAmerica]

Does Obama play golf?

[CommittedDem]

This was an overtly racial comment. Overtly! Yet, the race hustlers chose to ignore it because it didn't come from the Clinton campaign. How hypocritical.

[merle7]

If McCain is the best republicans have to offer then hello president Obama. McCain is as out dated ,untouched with reality as Bush. This is evident by him offering america the same old destructive policies as Bush. After the republican Bush administration america needs a breath of fresh air. Besides McCain is the biggest hypercrit ever especially when it comes to fighting for rights of america's veterans. I was horrified when I learned of his voting record on verterans rights,especially since he stands so much behind his veteran POW background.

Obama 08!
Dems for the white house!

[Hallucinocynic]

Bellavia is entitled to his views and he is certainly entitled to campaign for Crash. But, whether he intended it to be or not, the employment of the Tiger Woods/Obama extension is, at heart, racist. Bellavia could have said something to the effect that "you can have your political tyro, we've got an experienced leader," or any number of other self-serving comparisons. It was a revealing remark, and one that had, obviously, been vetted by Crash's campaign team.

They are hopeless. They are dangerous. Vote Democrat.

[kid5rivers]

Very presumptive analogy by Sergeant David Bellavia, as it suggests that McCain can be compared to the likes of Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Arnie Palmer or the Golden Bear.

No wonder McCain laughed himself silly at the notion.

Me? I'm rofl!

[ErikW65]

Barack Obama is to John McCain as Tiger Woods is to Jack Nicklaus.

[Hallucinocynic]

What an insult to Nicklaus!

Obama is to McCain what Tiger Woods is to a Saturday morning duffer.

[ErikW65]

That's cool. I was thinking of how generally cordial Obama is to McCain, the way Tiger shows respect for Jack.

[TheSecularist]

Offering up that kind of analogy makes no sense. Why would you compare your opponent to an admired, amazingly successful, and respected figure like Tiger Woods? Who but a racist would find fault with a someone who is likened to Tiger Woods? That analogy only reinforces the notion that Obama is an amazing and talented politician with class. And it makes Balavia look like the Fuzzy Zoeller of politics.

[GrainOSand]

Item I: A liberal or a conservative who does not view another by what they do but by their skin and allows that view to dictate their behavior in an exclusionary/dismissive manner is a racist. No doubt about it!

Item II:
Major Championships:
Professional: 13
• Masters: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005
• U.S. Open: 2000, 2002
• British Open: 2000, 2005, 2006
• PGA Championship: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007
Amateur: 3
• U.S. Amateur: 1994, 1995, 1996

Jack Nicklaus: 18 Majors (#1 on list and retired)
Tiger on realistic trajectory to surpass Jack and claim most majors ever won.

"I don't think we've seen a player like him, ever," said Ernie Els. "I think he's really one of a kind."
Think of Obama when you read the above.

Item III: If we do not learn to love I am sure we had better learn to fail. These are crucial times and if you do not think so --keep living.

Item IV: Case closed!

[slope142]

Grain, this seems like an opportune moment to remind you that "Liberal" is defined as "Free of prejudice and open to new ideas." A liberal, therefore, would be incapable of prejudice by definition.

[GrainOSand]

Outside the dictionary world people can fall short of the labels they assume. See hale1289 comments below for a discussion on this. I was referring to that comment in saying what I did.

There is the ideology and there is the practice.

[MRb1000]

Tiger Woods is a winner!!! John McInsane is a loser.

[rosal]

Yes, we'll have our champion Obama. They can have their decrepit, dinosaur, confused, erratic, short fused, little man. We will kick his behind in November.

[Balloonman]

I think so too rosal. That 70% anti-wars and near that who think we are headed wrong will vote OBAMA and kick ass. McCain is old school. Won't get the facts straight: Between Sunni and Shiite, huh? Just look at me! Walking safe in any Bagdad neighborhood Buddy! Twice! McCain perhaps doesn't want to know the real skinny. Doesn't care; he's got his stay the course Bush platform and raggedy neat in his retailored suit of super war hawk.

How about this one? Thanking for his support, the Lord's surrogate, the advocate of conversion or hell, HAGEE. Giving credence to a man who infers like a prophet warning that, well, maybe, GOD's natural disasters are HIS retribution for sinners and unbelievers, alien to his apocalypse rapture, his ONEWAY or else!

McCain, too old dog to learn new tricks? Outside of his old school belief that the military serves our honor as our foreign policy. McCain is not a heroic clear thinker eh, maybe a bit crazy. So infected lobbyist and DC contaminated he can't see straight. Blinded by ambiton's hunger to be President. Perhaps he has no room left for the specifics of current reality to enter his antique brain. McCaine, while likely more open minded than GWBUSH, if not decent, (how much does that take at the bottom of the barrel). Still he advocates for most of BUSH policy. That or pay no attention to his Senate votes, words and current behavior.

[Birdman]

The closing comment by this guy proves he has no idea what he is talking about. Since when does our national security involve invading Iraq? I wish these people who support this war can explain to me in a rational way how invading Iraq was the right thing to do, while at the same time we allowed OBL to escape. The tiger woods commnet also shows he ahs no idea what he is talking about, but then anyone who supports McCain for president makes no sense just look at the last month McCain has no idea who is who in Iraq keeps indentifying the wrong groups and to me seems to not have a graps on the here and now by saying how great thigns are going in Iraq when it has been one of the bloodiest months there in a long time.

[WLA]

Some people will vote (R) no matter what for the rest of their lives. Lemmings, to be sure, but they are out there.

[DoninJoisey]

Now, there you go, applying logic to this...

I remember when I went into the Marines in 1967, they had everyone take a 100 question, multiple choice test. One question consisted of pictures - A telephone pole, a telephone, a coil of wire, and a rock. The question was, "which of these doesn't belong with the others". I got a 99. I said, "let me look I'm sure I can find where I made my mistake". Passing was 60. Guys that failed were given the test back and told you got these wrong, try again. I wonder how many times the speaker took the test?

[WLA]

I think an accurate golf metaphor reply in this case would be, "Yes, we'll keep our Tiger Woods and you can keep your Fuzzy Zoeller."

[kev1000]

Zing!

[BrooklynLager]

I was thinking Greg Norman actually.

[Binx101]

My favorite line of the day - from my favorite beer.

The Almost Daily Binx

[thismachinekillsfascists]

I would LOVE to see Obama as president just so people like SSgt Bellavia (sounds Italian, doesn't it? weren't Italians disparaged decades ago?) can eat his words.

I'd love to see this on a bumper sticker:

Obama '08, the Tiger Woods of Politics

[jones]

Bill Mahr called him "The Jackie Robinson of American Politics".