McCain On Negative Turn: "I'm Very Sorry About It"

The Washington Post's David Broder talks to both candidates about the campaign tone:

The first question I asked John McCain and then Barack Obama was: How do you feel about the tone and direction of the campaign so far?

No surprise. Both men pronounced themselves thoroughly frustrated by the personal bitterness and negativism they have seen in the two months since they learned they would be running against each other.

"I'm very sorry about it," McCain said in a Saturday interview at his Arlington headquarters. "I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings" together, as he had suggested, during the summer months.

TNR's Chris Orr is impressed that Broder managed to write about negative campaigning without mentioning any of McCain's, well, negative campaigning:

Broder manages the remarkable feat of writing on negativity in the campaign without once mentioning McCain's "troops" smear (which his own paper led the way in declaring untrue), any of his ads deriding Obama as a Paris-Hilton-like celebrity or self-imagined Messiah, or the GOP's hilarious tire-gauge antics. (Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln....) The only actual attacks Broder cites are the charge that Obama was "playing the race card," and McCain's suggestion that Obama would be willing to lose a war in order to win an election. (Moreover, he backs into this latter attack, citing Obama's complaint about it rather than the smear itself.)

But none of that will happen again if Obama agrees to a town hall.

Comments

[zull2]

Agreed to do the town hall meetings? It's obvious to anyone that McCain was treating that as a game of chicken. He didn't even agree to do them formally, he was waiting for Obama to do it first. The whole thing was a ploy to see if Obama would turn them down, as they would directly foul up the Obama campaign schedule...then if Obama turned them down, McCain would do exactly as he's doing right now. That's no excuse at all for his campaign's disgusting ads. As if there were an excuse for all of that. McCain is directly responsible for every ad that he endorses, if you hear his voice, he's responsible. End of story.

[swift goat pet for truth]

So, so sorry (heh heh heh)

[SENCvoter]

John McCain sold his soul to become the RNC's nominee. Maverick no more, I don't think he himself knows who he is. Kind of sad at his age.

[nobillary1]

John McCain said: "I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings" together, as he had suggested, during the summer months.

Is that like saying "The Devil made me do it"? What a ridiculous reason for going negative! I sometimes do wish Obama HAD done those Town Halls with McCain. John McCain has a penchant for not staying on topic when discussing the Issues, (that is, when he actually talks about the issues, rather than giving Obama the old character assassination routine.) so I have no doubt, McCain would be much farther behind in the polls at this juncture.

So, you could probably say that by declining the Town Halls, Obama has, in reality, actually helped John McCain. He's helped by saving John McCain from embarrassing John McCain.

[superbust]

So apperantly it's JM's contention that if O had agreed to townhall meetings he wouldn't have smeared him. This man is turning out to be a bigger liar than Hill, B-ill, and GWB put together.

[Mark01]

I just heard on CNN that he likes Usher....i wish is someone had asked him to name just one Usher song. I bet he would have said "We are the world"..

[mrmetoo]

ROFLMAO! "we are the world" thats too funny... thinking about him stuttering and rubbing his face and saying that is seriously cracking me up

[superbust]

Yeah, I think he meant "The Usher" at the afternoon movie matinees.

[WaspStings]

Think he meant udders.

[sandpiper1]

What a pathetic excuse... I hear Obama will be doing 2 town hall meetings with him..I can't wait to see Obama wipe the hall with this wrinkly, white haired dude who has nothing to campaign on.

[BabsfromKansas]

I don't know if he is lying on this one point but it does show that he is quite muddled in his thinking.

[gladys46]

If there is a footprint in the driven snow, would you know someone was there!!?? Ha, Babs ya don't!!

[AnnieinOR]

sold your soul to the dark side, and have no regrets... don't try to B S us when you have Porky's brand all over your methods... you will never be viewed with the respect you once had, even from those on the opposite side... you have sullied your brand and have even gone so far as to p imp your stepford to a bunch of drunk bikers

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I can see why Rethuglicans hate McBush and his sanctimony.

Like every thing in McBush's life, he had to make the mistake before knowing it was wrong.

From not loving his country until becoming a P OW, regretting his Naval Academy performance, he regrets the way he conducted his life as a sailor (drinking and homongering), he regrets the way he left his first wife, regretting his being being part of the Keating 5 scandal, he is now sorry he did not vote for MLK day, he now regrets his not voting for Boosh tax cuts, he now regrets saying we should leave Iraq when the Iraq government tells us to leave, he now regrets not funding any alternative fuels, he regretted that he signed on with K ennedy to cosponsor comprehensive immigration reform and now he regrets his negative campaign.

What has this man done right the first time?

0bama may not be perfect but he has made the right choices in his life much more than McBush.

[gladys46]

Please add all the time wasted developing a bill to denounce "torture" ... Mc reneged on that, even after Bu$H ceremoniously signed that waste of time ... Mc apparently, outside of public view agreed with Bu$h in his signature renouncement!

[Herekitty]

I keep wondering why none of the media has contacted McCain's ex-wife and his kids that will have nothing to do with McCain. I'd like to hear what they say about the man.

Wouldn't be surprised if they all vote for Obama!

[oxford]

I mention Broder and the PNAC in the same post and it gets rejected,

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I can see why Rethuglicans hate McBush and his sanctimony.

Like every thing in McBush's life, he had to make the mistake before knowing it was wrong.

From not loving his country until becoming a P OW, regretting his Naval Academy performance, he regrets the way he conducted his life as a sailor (drinking and homongering), he regrets the way he left his first wife, regretting his being being part of the Keating 5 scandal, he is now sorry he did not vote for MLK day, he now regrets his not voting for Boosh tax cuts, he now regrets saying we should leave Iraq when the Iraq government tells us to leave, he now regrets not funding any alternative fuels, he regretted that he signed on with Kennedy to cosponsor comprehensive immigration reform and now he regrets his negative campaign.

What has this man done right the first time?

0bama may not be perfect but he has made the right choices in his life much more than McBush.

[cariintexas]

What I would like to know is , WHO does John Mc Cain think he is. John Mc Cain does not set the agenda for Obama. sure he wants townhall debates because he thinks thats good for himself, plus he doesn't want to have anyone else ask him a question.

[gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney]

EXACTLY!

[JScott]

"I'm Very Sorry About It"



Yeah right.

as the Vancome Lady sez...

Tcha..ya know what...uh uh..

[Big0725]

Now that's an obscure reference!

[emory]

sorry not accepted

[kathy001]

McCain says, ""I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings." So, it's all Obama's fault?

Everyday McCain gives us a closer look at what a worm he is.

[morticia]

this guy is the biggest looser I have ever seen, he now BLAMING Obama?for not sharing the spotlight?. the Rep Party
must be so disgusted they should have put someone alot younger with a brain in there.Basiclly we are going from one Rep MINDLESS JERK to another.

[MissKaren]

You won't play my game so I'm going to get my posse to beat you up.

How very schoolyard bully that is.

Karen

[dagnome27]

Lies are the new McSame "integrity" -
smear the opposition, then say "I'm sorry" in your most heartfelt and contrite voice -
PURE ROVE