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

[Sabreen60]

He's sorry, right. Well there's a brand new ad with several Dems talking about how much the like and admire McSimple. And guess whose voice you hear last - Hil C.lin-ton saying that McSimple brings experience and 0 has a speech. Here we go. Everyone of the Dems on that ad need to get together and do a counter ad. They have been giving press releases, but that's not enough.

[Seattlelite]

I agree Sabreen60 press releases are NOT enough! I really am seeing a pattern here, O with the exception of Kerry is standing alone!

[coloradosiren]

So McSorry is willing to use Obama's "celebrity" status to benefit him. He wants bigger crowds at his town meetings. What a lying, sorry, SOB.

[williamg]

"Here is a man [O bama] who grew up in a broken home whose father left at a young age and who was raised by a single mother," said David R. Gergen, director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, who has previously served as a White House adviser to Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bi ll Cl inton. "It's an admirable story of rising from rags to riches, one that resonates. In many ways he's a modern Horatio Alger."

"Now the Mc Cain campaign wants to create a dramatically different narrative," Gergen continued.

[truthynesslover]

When paris hilton has a better ad adressing policy than the repugs you know they got nothin to run on but more war,fewer jobs!Obama should be giving out his own tire pressure gadges and thank mccain for supporting his ideas!

[srtjsrtj]

So SInce Sen. McCain could not get his way to have Town Hall Meetings He Decided to Go Negative to Bully Sen. Obama?

How Childess.........................................This would be the kind of Leadership we could expect from Sen. McCain who has displayed the same Temperment in the Congress.

We don't need this kind of Child-Like Behavior running the country in addition to having no Plans, preparpation, just attack attack, attack and spite in the face of hard working Americans as if we don't deserve to have him speak simply on the Issues and nothing but the Issues

How insulting Sen. McCain. We won't give you the chance to use the Same Child Like Behavior in the future.

[SoCalNick]

McCain and his Handlers are trapped. They know they need to try and tear down Obama BEFORE the first Debate. The first REAL debate NOT a set-up pro McCain town hall will be the END of McCain and they know it. Expect more and more whining that Obama will not do townhalls or "Debates" with him in order to try and shame Obama into a set-up.

Fact is Obama wanted 5 Debates (real ones that is) McCain would only agree to 3 and we will see if they hold out for " ear pieces and Pre- Approved questions so he can rehearse his responses and try to memorize facts.

In a true debate McCain is done for. I challenge ANYONE who has seen this man speak or " answer" a question that he is not expecting to deny it.

[mandalaina]

Seems like MrMcCains got that "blame the victim" routine down cold. Experience? Being a bully seems like nothing new to him.

[nellie]

"I'm Very Sorry About It"

I'm confused.

But not as confused as he is.

[Seattlelite]

I could not believe my ears the other day as I listened to media defend Mc Cain's negative campaign tactics! Poor Mc Cain, this is not the real Mc Cain he's a honorable, respectable guy. This is not Mc Cain's style, it's not his fault it's his campaign people. GIVE ME A BREAK! This media love affair of Mc Cain is out of control.

Okay, for grins let's say this is true, then what it tells me is, Mc Cain lacks crucial management and leadership abilities If he can't lead, manage and control his campaign staff then he most certainly can NOT run a successful administration to run this country.

[Beninn]

I know, I saw that, too. "He's being poorly informed and briefed by those around him, like when he said that about Ob.ama not visiting the troops overseas."

When Mc spread the lie about Ob.ama for days? He's being poorly informed?? If he were to win, these are the people he'd have around him advising him!

[SwingingFromCenter]

McCain: I'm very sorry about it....just not sorry enough about it to stop.

[srtjsrtj]

YHot Off the Press Just Minutes Ago....................................Go Barrack!

Iraqis: Deal close on plan for US troops to leave

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 42 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Two Iraqi officials say the U.S. and Iraq are close to a deal under which all American combat troops would leave by October 2010 with remaining U.S. forces gone about three years later.
A U.S. official in Washington acknowledges progress has been made on the timelines for a U.S. departure but offered no firm date. Another U.S. official strongly suggested the 2010 date may be too ambitious.

A timetable is part of a security agreement being negotiated by U.S. and Iraqi officials. Both sides stress the deal is not final and could fall apart over the issue of legal immunity for American troops.
One of the U.S. officials said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had a long and "very difficult" telephone conversation Wednesday in which she pressed the Iraqi leader for more flexibility, particularly on immunity.
___
Associated Press reporters Anne Gearan and Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.

[CaptainVideo]

"I'm very sorry about it," McCain said in a Saturday interview"

What a hypocrite. Of course he is going to try to blame Obama. More hipocracy.

[mogran]

McCain quote: "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 this an old man having a temper tamtrum. he didn't agree to my townhalls, so I am going to speak bad of him, WOW!

[blasphemera]

It's worse! It's an old man being vengeful -he is saying to BO, "If you don't voluntarily agree to a townhall, then I'll barrage you with dirty ads until you relent."
Sounds like blackmail.

[Beninn]

If it were up to Mc, he'd choose Jay Leno to host a sit down debate.

I want the debates of 20 years ago, with the League of Women Voters in charge, and the candidates put through a grueling grilling.

[Beninn]

"I'm very sorry about it."

Talk is cheap. Actions speak loudly.

When you can't talk about the issues, which clearly he can't, you hurl negative attacks on your opponent.

Republicaans spell the end of the American dream, and that's no misspelling.