McCain Walks It Back: Obama Is Decent, Nothing To Be Scared Of

John McCain sought to walk back some of the hostility that he and his crowds have projected towards Barack Obama in recent days, saying he wanted to run a respectful campaign and urging his supporters to think of Obama as a decent person.

After an attendee at his town hall said he was concerned about bringing up a child under a president who "cohorts with domestic terrorists such as [Bill] Ayers," McCain didn't take the bait. Rather, he sought to calm the questioner's obviously emotional tone.

"[Senator Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States," he said, before adding: "If I didn't think I would be one heck of a better president I wouldn't be running."

McCain was subsequently booed.

Later in the townhall McCain was pressed again about Obama's "other-ness" and again he refused to take the bait.

"He is a decent family man and citizen that I just have disagreements with on fundamental issues," he said.

Earlier in the campaign stop in Lakeville, Minnesota, he told the crowd that while he was "going to take the gloves off" when it came to bringing up Obama's voting record and past associations, the campaign would remain "respectful."

There are two possible interpretations to the somewhat conciliatory tone. McCain could be sensing a political backlash to the vitriol of his crowds, which have labeled Obama a terrorist and traitor, accused him of treason, and called for his death. Certainly, polling suggests raising the Ayers issue has done relatively little to advance McCain's electoral cause. Or he could be playing a classic political game, in which he leaves the mudslinging to his campaign and vice president while he himself stays clean and above the fray.

After all, just hours before McCain spoke, his aide Brian Rogers sent a statement to reporters defending the McCain-Palin audiences as everyday Americans.

Comments

[ella52]

Watched this on TV last night... as soon as they booed him about the "decent man" remark he took a large step back and immediately began saying ...'hey that doesn't mean I don't think I would be a much better president"
This man is beyond belief!
He can't even be a statesman leader, good man for more than the time it takes to boo him. He was never in charge of his party. He is not even in charge of the crowds that are there to support him. (Oh that'ss right they are not there for him, they are there for Palin.)

[munki]

thank you for being a gentleman...
give him a credit... that is what the real race is about...
p.s. neutral undecided - but it is a fact...
prefer this type of race... issues and not personal attack

[GoBarryGo]

He couldn't even manage to spit out that Obama is "American" -- best he could do after obviously struggling with his words was "citizen." A few reasonable words does not change the trajectory of their whole campaign. Palin is going to continue the personal attacks and the negative ads won't stop running - wait and see. If that happens, will you still think he is such a wonderful guy?

[munki]

I never said that...thanking him for his acknowledgment of the fact - damage done by Palin of negative is not good... VERY BAD

[brownforall]

Anybody else think the woman in red was staged? Sound like she said no before Mccain did.

[ChewyToy22]

The truth is, I think many of them are plants, and that's worse than people who stand up on their own. It means McCain is trying to incite just the reactions he's been getting.

[bygollymissmolly]

The black guy who was quoted the other day about how scared of Obama he was turns out to be a right leaning talk show host who sells his services to the highest bidder.

I'm betting that pretty much everyone who speaks at the so-called "town hall" meetings are all plants.

[LemonMeringue]

Wake up people !!!!!

These violence inciters are plants because they WANT TO IMPOSE MARTIAL LAW

An infantry brigade from Iraq was re-assigned to the U.S. and they are undergoing training to subdue American citizens for "crowd control and civil unrest."

Started October 1.

Search "martial law" on YouTube. Democracy Now reported this, as did Alternet.

[OlderBudWeiser]

Declaring Martial Law would be a disaster in itself. You would have FEMA all up in your business. We don't want to go there! Who is FEMA, really? Check it out. Martial Law would unleash this larger than life monster.

http://www.sonic.net/sentinel/gvcon6.html

[DietmarorWally]

What a disgraceful human being. McCain tries to play nice, but at the same time the attack ads continue. You cannot have it both ways. You are a dishonest human being and have lost your honor a long time agao, if you ever had any honor.

[YesWeCanada]

This is just another co ward move by McCain prior to the 3rd and final debate. If he is called out on it on Wednesday he can claim that he tried to beat back the flames, After the debate he'll go right back to flinging poooooo.

[ChescoMom]

I loveit-- the privileged flyboy has painted himself into a corner by having hislackeys whip up the base, and now he has the nerve to be stunned at the results. Did you see his face at that rally? Now he's trying to put themonster back in thecage and it's too late. See ya, Johnny.

[nellie]

The problem is that, after days of telling people to be afraid of Obama, McCain can't simply say he's nothing to be afraid of. Listeners have only two ways of interpreting that statement. (1) McCain was lying before. (2) He's lying now, probably because he's being forced to by the press. I think most people in his mobbery crowd will go for the second explanation.

This is truly a miserable ticket.

[OhComeOnNow]

And we are surprised at the comments made by those Neandethals? On a local TV Poll, the results say it all:

QUESTION: Have you watched any of the political debates this year?
Yes, I have watched all the debates. 667 Votes
I have watched a few of the debates. 986 Votes
No, I have not watched any. 832 Votes

2485 Total Votes

[truth2008]

Mcsame walkback is not sincire, polls showed that his character attacks on O were not working.
Mcsame is not a honorable man, he wants to win by any means necessary!

STOP THE DRAMA, VOTE OBAMA!

[GoBarryGo]

I do not believe for a nanosecond that McCain had any sort of moral epiphany and finally figured out what he was doing was disgraceful and dishonorable, I believe the RNC and several of John's cronies told him to knock it off, that it was a losing strategy, and that the GOP was going to get slaughtered in state elections (rightfully so) if McCain didn't distance himself from the whack jobs at his rally. I think it pained him immensely to try to say anything positive, albeit weak, about Obama. The RNC is willing to throw him under the bus if they can salvage some seats in the House and Senate. If only they'd done this a month ago, maybe it would have worked and maybe they wouldn't have rendered their own party DOA.

[GwenElle]

Just as likely, the U.S. Secret Service had a conversation with McCain. I don't know the laws on endangerment, but the following information taken from the US Secret Service's website should give some idea of why it would look unfavorably upon the rhetoric of the McCain campaign:

"The protection of an individual is comprehensive and goes well beyond surrounding the individual with well-armed agents. As part of the Secret Service's mission of preventing an incident before it occurs, the agency relies on meticulous advance work and threat assessments developed by its Intelligence Division to identify potential risks to protectees."

This statement of mission would seem to indicate that inciting an audience to rage and vitriol that could lead to who knows what would fall within the scope of the agency's concerns. McCain's and Palin's rhetoric wasn't doing the Secret Service any favors.

http://www.ustreas.gov/usss/protection_works.shtml

[foxbat]

You are correct. The proof is in the pudding when Norm Coleman makes a public statement that he's pulling all of his negative ads. What's so ironic is, as fast as McCain was running away from George Bush, it looks like his colleagues will be running as fast as they can to get away from McCain. Talk about making a case for associations being toxic; perhaps that's the biggest irony of all.

[IowaKid]

Thank you Senator McCain for trying to tone it down, but just the same I trust you less now than I did before to bad your not sincere about this.

[Whinger]

Because this was forced upon McCain it is disingenuous, hypocritical and phony!

We've seen the true colors of McBush and Palin, we won't forget.

[koyak23]

there is no unringing of this bell of hate...

[GoBarryGo]

Is there a more profound example of "too litle, too late"? He stokes the fires of hate and division with gasoline until they're raging out of control and then tries to put it out wiht a child's water pistol. And some people still think this man should be entrusted to lead this country???

[bandolier]

What a sight - watching that old man feebly try to stuff the genie back in the magic lamp of hate. These folks have lost their minds.