Kristol Fends Off Criticism, Stands By Suggestion That McCain 'Liberate' Himself
[Via ThinkProgress.] Yesterday, Bill Kristol made waves after he offered up the doomsday suggestion that John McCain would be better off blowing up his campaign staff and fending for himself for the final three weeks of the presidential campaign. This proposal was met with stern objection from members of that very campaign. For obvious reasons! But, in fairness, Kristol's suggestion is sort of a non-starter for a candidate who's well known to be critically supported by a coterie of advisers who are lifers. Kristol also fails to take into account that McCain's current staff is the only force on earth that can keep the candidate even slightly grounded and on-message. Absent their influence, McCain would be almost completely governed by whim, wandering alone outside various Ohio Fudge Hauses. Besides, I'm not sure that Kristol's suggestion is any way different from the current governing philosophy of the McCain camp, in which an escalating series of stunts wins every news cycle, and then loses the election.
But whatever! In defending himself, Kristol at least shows that he understands one important truth in this campaign, which is that one can always feel free to make fun of Tucker Bounds:
KRISTOL: Is John McCain the best messenger for his campaign? Why isn't he on this show? Why do we have Tucker Bounds and a bunch of nice young kids who are spokesmen out there spinning implausibly on behalf of the McCain campaign? McCain is better than his campaign. He needs to liberate himself from his campaign.
Of course, if we're going to talk about speaking implausibly, you have to get a load of this load:
KRISTOL: No. It would send the same signal that Bush said when he replaced Rumsfeld, when we were losing the war in Iraq, put different people in charge, took command, overruled the generals, and won the war.
We "won" the Iraq war? Could've fooled...uhm - everybody.
[WATCH.]
CAVUTO: All right, they were not happy to hear your words. A spokesperson from the McCain campaign, earlier today, Bill, listen to this.
[CLIP]BOUNDS: My response is that there are going to be a lot of people on the sidelines that are willing to say what ever it is that comes to the top of their mind. I know Bill Kristol is an intelligent guy, I just don't think what he had to say was very intelligent, frankly.
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[END CLIP]
CAVUTO: He called you stupid.
KRISTOL: No, no, Tucker said I was an intelligent guy, Neil. You should listen to words of wisdom from McCain spokesmen.
CAVUTO: Three weeks to go, and you are already abandoning ship, that's what they say.
KRISTOL: I'm not abandoning ship, I think McCain can win. I don't think a McCain campaign that has, you know, routine spokesmen out there spinning implausibly, that veers back and forth on message from day to day, and is hiding Sarah Palin -- is Sarah Palin ... is she the right pick or not? If you think she was the right pick, put her on tv, put her on talk radio. Is John McCain the best messenger for his campaign? Why isn't he on this show? Why do we have Tucker Bounds and a bunch of nice young kids who are spokesmen out there spinning implausibly on behalf of the McCain campaign? McCain is better than his campaign. He needs to liberate himself from his campaign.
CAVUTO: Wouldn't that send a real alarm signal? That people would read into that, "Man, oh man, it's the Titanic."
KRISTOL: No. It would send the same signal that Bush said when he replaced Rumsfeld, when we were losing the war in Iraq, put different people in charge, took command, overruled the generals, and won the war.
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First Posted: 10-14-08 12:02 PM | Updated: 11-14-08 05:12 AM