Obama's Run Against McCain Begins Today
Last week saw an event in our politics so giddy that we have yet to absorb its implications. Hillary Clinton, flush from her "comeback" in Ohio, told reporters that John McCain inspired her confidence on foreign policy; McCain had certainly "crossed the commander-in-chief threshold." She herself had crossed it, too, she said; but as for Barack Obama, "you'll have to ask Senator Obama" whether he is really prepared to serve as commander-in-chief.
Puzzling: a contender for the Democratic nomination, praising the Republican nominee as preferable to her Democratic rival. It was a rash act and probably unprecedented. Joe Lieberman did something like it, but only after he declared himself an "independent."
Nor was Senator Clinton finished. In the same session with reporters, she glowed at the thought of herself and John McCain together. "Both of us will be on that stage having crossed that threshold," she said. And again: "I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech made in 2002."
As other observers have noted, this is the kind of thing you say if you are John McCain's running mate, not what you say if you mean to campaign fiercely against him. It was a remarkably destructive statement--a defection from party loyalty, and a subversion of the principle that is supposed to underlie such loyalty.
To speak so emphatically about the president's role as commander-in-chief is to speak in code. It means all of the following: that war is the foremost thing in our minds when we think of any president; that this is especially so because we are now entangled in a necessary war on many fronts; that what we look for in a president is "a war president" (George W. Bush's description of himself); that the war in question is indeed the "global war" initiated by President Bush; and that a worthy commander-in-chief must be an enthusiast for the perpetuation of that war.
Hillary Clinton is the social-democratic candidate of the war establishment.
John McCain is the right-wing candidate of the war establishment. Both Clinton and McCain know this. They look on each other kindly, and share a disdain that borders on contempt for Barack Obama.
Obama cannot not join them on that stage. No: he cannot make a third on that "threshold" (as Mrs. Clinton oddly called it). He could not beat them at their game, even if he wanted to. But in this year, when so many lives have already been lost for the wrong ideas, if there is to be a contest over ideas and not just persons, Obama will have to show in every speech how wide is the gulf that separates him from Hillary Clinton and John McCain.
Obama's campaign is haunted by a fear of "going negative." Obama, it is said, has made a certain high-mindedness his touchstone. Yet to mount a strong attack on the "war presidency" will hardly undercut his proper fame as a politician of greater candor, probity, and gentleness than Senator Clinton. Hillary Clinton's sharpest attacks will always be directed against Obama, and those attacks will have to be sharply answered--Obama cannot play the part of the statesman above the battle until he is elected. And there are occasions (such as the mental and moral lowness of the "red phone ad") when a mere concern for truth warrants an impassioned response. But her attacks on him should not distract him from his larger work of opposing McCain.
These two contests are really one contest. It is Senator Clinton who has spent the past week tying herself to John McCain as fast as McCain could tie himself to the purse and leading-strings of George W. Bush. They have thus simplified Obama's task. The most direct and appropriate way for Obama now to run against Hillary Clinton is to run against John McCain.
Treat McCain as the opponent, and Clinton, with all politeness, as the ghost on McCain's threshold. If she dares to follow Obama into opposition again, let her try; but here Obama is the one with the "lifetime of experience."
An open run against John McCain, starting now, will also be a referendum on the presidency of George W. Bush. Because, to repeat, McCain has pinned himself to Bush just as Clinton has pinned herself to McCain.
Every honest accusation against George W. Bush, as things now stand, becomes a challenge to McCain to diverge from Bush in some particular; but if McCain budges an inch to criticize Bush, he exposes himself as a hypocrite for having warmly defended Bush's policies, and for a great many superfluous favors on both sides: the "hug" that helped to re-elect Bush in 2004; the endorsement of "the surge" that baited a bigger trap for the U.S. in Iraq; the acceptance of Bush's political, moral, and financial support, on which McCain's campaign in
2008 will be predicated.
Hillary Clinton's evident pleasure in the company of John McCain goes naturally with her reluctance to attack President Bush in any but the most general terms. This fact would be fairly brought to light if Obama now turned to make his case in detail against the Bush administration, with an informed judgment of the cost in destruction it has brought to America and to the world.
Let us never forget the moment when we saw this president's first reaction to Hurricane Katrina, or rather his first series of reactions. We had a glimpse of the abyss then--of a leader singularly wanting in comprehension, foresight, and competence (and any proper respect for competence in others); of a staggering deficiency of humane feeling, and an irreparable loss of contact with reality. All this, Americans learned once and for all when Katrina hit New Orleans; but the world had seen it when George W. Bush hit Baghdad. And John McCain heartily endorsed and Hillary Clinton authorized that war.
This is not, finally, an election of the new against the old. It is an election about the place of America in the world of nations, and whether we are to be known primarily as a dreaded superpower. It is an election about catastrophes, both natural and man-made. It is the election of Katrina and Baghdad.
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Senator Clinton has by endorsing the great experience of Senator McCain, proclaimed her war vote! She is now effectively the war momma that she truly is. Her posturing about removing the troops is nothing but that, and we know it!
Very smart thinking. Polls show most Americans oppose this "war" (really an imperial occupation), are embarrassed to have bullies as leaders and are sick of letting defense profiteers suck our economy dry.
Hillary, as we know, is heavily funded by those profiteers and Obama needs to make the fact vivid.
As we use to say in the 60's. Right On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only "presidential threshold" Hillary has crossed is that of becoming a "moderate Republican
Why has no one yet asked her point-blank whehter or not she will support Senator Obama if he is the Democratic candidate? She will either say "yes, of course," or she will her usual weasel dance.
I keep saying this to my Hillary supporter friends time and again, if you want this kind of president, just vote for McCain. He will do a much better job of waging war than Hillary.
Barack Obama shouldn't go "negative", and in fact, going negative will be seen by many, at least be heralded by many in the MSM over and again, as a betrayal of his "new way" of politics.
What Obama needs to do now is continue with his previously winning themes: he need to first declare that Clinton's recent tactics, while marginally successful in the short term, are once again the old school, divisive, partisan-type politics that America has suffered through for the last few decades. He can argue that the Republican machine is just as good at that game and that her "experience" pales compared to McCains, so her run for the presidency would be more difficult. He can exhortively convince us that he will continue along his path of positive, inclusive politics to address America's real problems and heal the wounds of partisanship; and second, he needs to return to the theme of judgment matters more than experience, that Cheney and Rumsfeld and McCain represent experience, but they have all been disastrously wrong for America over and over again.
In short, Obama should now begin his campaign against McCain to show the remaining Democrats how he will wage that debate, and to utilize his prodigious fundraising in that battle while he can. At the same time, he can maintain his campaign against Clinton by lumping her style of politics, and her experience and lack of judgment, with the old school of John McCain and George Bush.
I think that this is a very thoughtful and articulate summation of where we are today. Senator Obama, by beginning to run against McCain obliquely fulfills his pledge not to indulge in the old politics and at the same time answers her rabid accusations with a tacit "consider the source; sure, she would like to debate" kind of innuendo answer while the campaign and the blogospere pull every one of her royal feathers.
Barack follows in a strong line of Presidents like Lincoln who built an army from nothing to overcome a polished Confederate force. He is a progressive like Teddy Roosevelt who built a great navy and made us a player in world affairs without bogging us in protracted wars. He will be a President like Franklin Roosevelt who made sure that the world was on our side before he committed us to war and spat upon the idea of preemptive wars even knowing that the Japanese would soon attack us. He comes like a Kennedy who when he looks into the maelstrom of nuclear warfare, knows that the survival of mankind will only happen sometimes through the sternness of peace. He will be a feared commander because he will not be as predictable as the Presidents of the Bush-Clinton dynasties. Bill Clinton's successful peace for political survival strategy later ennabled Bush's war at the fall of a feather tragedy.
Barack will follow the lead of a Reagan who defeated the Soviets without firing a shot. Reagan knew that war like politics was really not much more than public relations and that even Hitler was almost that smart. The military-i
And even if he is not required to emulate any of the defensive postures of the great presidents, then Barack can perhaps become the prophet of peace. What's wrong with that? Our God was referred to as the Prince of Peace. Barack has a Princely mien. If he can bring peace to this ragged world, then he will be a Prince indeed!
Larry David talks about a mosh-up or montage of HRC's violent mood swings as an Obama commercial.
However, I think a more effective one in Pennsylvania would be to start with a monatge of First: McCain (Obama criticism); Second: Bush (Same Obama Criticism) then Finally: HRC (Same Obama Criticism) and cycle through different ones 3-4 x. Some are eerily similar in wording and cadence.
Then I'd show a graphic of the wroding of the bill to authorize military action in Iraq with a voice over saying "Senator McCain?" "Aye [McCain sounding voice]"; "Senator Clinton? "Aye [Clinton sounding voice]"
Then show how many times she's actually voted with McCain, highlighting the Iran authorization bill, the bankruptcy bill etc.
Then string together her 10 or so glowing statements about a "President John McCain".
The the finale is the tough part but I think a down to earth message directly from Obama to the voters of PA that the upcoming primary represents a clear choice. Politics as usual versus real change in Washington.
Obama needs to hire you...
Thanks, I am working grass roots for him and have already donated more than $1500 to his campaign. I just got a big year-end bonus from my company so he has another $800 earmarked for the Dem primaries and $2300 for the GE.
Maybe if I continue to give like this they will at least listen.
It turns my stomach to see another Democrat use Rovian tactics of big lies and fear against another democrat. However, I am outraged that she is more comfortable with a Republican president than she appears to be with losing fair and square to Obama.
My dream ad above would be hard hitting and negative, however, it would be using her own words and actions. Seriously, the Bush/McCain/Clinton criticism of Obama is disturbingly similar
AYE AYE to THAT!
You should contact their campaign headquarters with that.
Seriously.
Funny you should bring up the Doctor analogy.
By Clinton's amazing truthiness stretches, being the WIFE of a doctor would give her the necessary experience to operate on you, even with no medical experience of her own!
Ouch - just ouch (oh, yeah and have a nice funeral after your operation).
Is HRC qualified to be president? No but she did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
I predicted a long time ago that Sen. Clinton would be running as John McCain's VP. It wasn't hard to see coming. You don't wallow in the muck of the DLC without playing kissy-kissy with the Republicans. How any liberal/progressive could vote for her is beyond me.
"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party."
Senator Edwards, let's have your endorsement of senator Obama now!
All senior Democratic senators: time to endorse Senator Obama!
Edwards isin't going to back anyone yet, the coward. He is a likely candidate for VP!
In yet another stunning performance, charismatic Illinois Senator and Presidential HOPEFUL Barack Obama delivered a killer blow to the junior Senator of NY and Presidential Hopeful, Hillary Clinton in the Wyoming Caucases. This victory is particularly sweet coming on the heels of another victory in the state of Texas that was once seen as Hillary's firewall. To date, MSM has continued to claim that Hillary won Texas even though the numbers now show that Obama took it and Hillary now finds herself farther behind in delegate count.
Do you have a link to where I could see the numbers for Texas that are reliable?
I keep seeing/hearing that the Texas primaries would be days away from being fully settled...
A direct comparison with John McCain will expose the empty suit that is Obama. Further, with Michelle Obama's slight of our nation and its glorious past- the general election will be a foregone conclusion for McCain. According to Pew Research, a full 25 % of the Democratic voters will vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee. I believe the poll- since I and most of my friends and family are in that count !!
QUOTE
_________
According to Pew Research, a full 25 % of the Democratic voters will vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee.
_________
I have to call bullshit on this. If you are inclined to vote for McCain:
1. You are not a Democrat in the first place.
2. 25% of Democrats are not going to vote for somebody who is going to keep Iraq going.
But some will. Enough to give it to McCain. She cannot draw in moderate but disaffected republicans, and the growing number of independents.
She'll get a subset of the democratic vote, and lose to McCain on both the war issue (he's a real warrior, she just plays one on the campaign trail), and on authenticity.
She's a losing choice.
"It's glorious past"? Are you for real? Have you ever read a history book? We have alot of good things going for us, no doubt, but let's try not to get too far down the rabbit-hole here. Our country has been responsible for some seriously nefaroius shit over the years. Ask a native-american. Ask a Japanese-american. Ask an African-american just how "glorious" they think our past is.
Pride in America's good requires, indeed demands, acknowlegement of the bad. Integrity and intellectual rigor clearly don't mean a hell of a lot at the "4Clinton" get-togeth
This makes no sense because Obama is beating the pants off McCain in polls in a one to one match up with McCain. And Obama is doing far better than Clinton does against Mcain in the polls. There are just as many people like me who are Obama supporters and lifelong dems who would rather see MccAin win than the dissembling Clinton who is a traitor to her party; she actually praised McCain and in effect endorsed him over Obama. She knows no shame. Like Tricky Dicky, she will do or say anything to win. I have no doubt that she would order a burglary of Obama's headquarters if it meant she would win.
McCain will use her endorsement of himself if she(heaven forbid)wins the nomination. How could any Democrat vote for someone desperate enough to endorse her opponent?
Senator Obama made commercials for victorious Congressman Foster. He's already got coattails whereas Hillary only has pantsuits!
"our nation and its glorious past" So for you, it is "To Empire! To Victory!", eh?
Sorry, but there just isn't room in the Democratic party for warmongering flagwrapped hypocrites like yourself anymore. Vote Hillary, vote McCain, who cares. America is tired of that crap.
According to Pew Research, a full 25 % of the Democratic voters will vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee
__________
As will 50% if Hillary is the nominee. If you want another "war president" why not save a step and vote for the real hardened veteran, John McCain?
Senator Kerry ran for President against W Bush with the same position that Hillary still embraces. I was for the war before I was against it. Her failure to ever fully recant her vote is untenable for the primary season or the general election. She has maintained that position so long that should she recant now, she would not be believed.
Adding to my previous post. Yes, I am a woman, democratic, american, and proud of it!
Absolutely!
Obama can attack McCain by name for his policies and behaviors, and by similarity, attack Hillary's policies and behaviors.
For instance: When it's general knowledge in Washington and even generals warns us of McCain insane temper, we should not vote for McCain..
Voters: will you be swayed by last minute lies? Is America doomed to Rovian campaigns because you voters keep falling for the same Tricks? I ask you to NOT BELIEVE any last minute "News" about the candidates. The timing should be the first clue that it's lies.
You are soooo right. America needs to stop feeding into the media propaganda and learn to think it through instead of believing every half-truth they read!
Thank you David Bromwich! Hillary needs to be drummed out of the Democratic party! She is hinderence to the Democratic party and and embarassment to all Americans! She has even been called a liar about her role in foreign politics, by one of the foreigners who was there! Let the media report that! So let's stop all this crap about her being treated unfairly by the media because she's woman! Let's stop all this crying that critical talk about her is talking critically about women in general. If Hillary Clinton is representative of American womanhood, then I'm off to Sweden for a sex change!
Some examples of how Obama could do this:
"If eleted president I will rescind every signing statement which President Bush made and instruct the executive branch to enforce every law of the last eight years as written." (Would McCain follow on with that promise? Would Clinton?)
"If elected president I will immediately issue an executive order requiring the CIA to follow the military field manual on interrogation practices" (Clinton or McCain might go along with this, but they might be slow to.)
"If elected president I will press for greater transparency in the office of the presidency. I will not only press for greater transparency in my own dealings but order an independent review of the last TWENTY YEARS of records to insure that those records being kept secret have a legitimate national security reason". (lets see either McCain or Clinton get on board with that)
"if elected president I will not use recess appointments to circumvent congress. I will use recess appointments only if the functioning of government is being harmed by having an acting officeholder for an extended period."
"if elected president I will de-politicize the process of selection of US attorneys by having canidates nominated to me by regional panels of judges and legal experts."
"If elected president I will organize within FEMA teams of experts on each type of disaster so that those in charge of Hurricanes really understand Hurricane problems, those in charge of earthquakes understand seismic damage, and those in charge of chemical attacks understand their unique challenges
"If elected president I will reaffirm the essential role of the FISA court in protecting the american people's privacy rights"
"If elected president I will get out of the bubble. There will be regular, uscripted meetings with randomly selected groups of taxpayers with no press present simply for the purpose of listening. Your worries about gas prices won't catch me by surprise"
Each of these are specific indictments of the Bush administration without being negative. McCain would be hard pressed to make the same without pissing off 'the base' and Clinton would have less credibility in making them because they would be 'me too' and don't match all that closely with the behavior of her husband's term.
DRaymond, you just got my vote as Sam Power's replacement. You raised several good points. I have to disagree on the recess appoinment issue. Dubya has abused it, no doubt, but I think it should be an available (albeit last-resort) option.
De-politicizing the selection of US Attorneys would be major statement. The President has, and I think should have, the option to hire/fire as he sees fit, but serious regional input from a wide range of interested parties would only add legitimacy to this process.
The FEMA idea is pure common sense. That you have to push for it only underscores Dubya's managerial incompetence.
No Torture. It dosen't work, and intelligent, professional interrogation is always going to give you better intel. Thanks for pointing that out.
Twenty years of Presidential records?? Wow. good luck with that, but it's a hell of an idea. I would vote for greater transparency as a matter of course.
Signing statements. Sen. Obama has already signed a pledge to support the Constitution's definition of the President's role. Your idea can only enhance that position.
The "randomly selected" sit-downs? Bang on! This kind of get-together would go a long way towards destroying the kind of "first amendment zone" insularity that has too many pols thinking that the world begins and ends at K street.
Dug the post.
Of course, ClintCain would never in a bazillion yeras go for any of this.
The preceding was just my opinion. This is fact-
Hillary Clinton isn't qualified to wipe the blood off of Samantha Power's hiking boots. I hope she enjoys her Pyrrhic victory over a woman who vastly outclasses her in any regard you care to name. The karmic wheel turns slowly, but it does turn....
With most positions the nominated person sits as the 'acting' officeholder with pretty much the full authority so what is the hurry with a recess appointment? As for judgeships there could be a situation where the majority will of congress is being blocked by a minority, in which case the recess appointment would actually be implementing the will of congress. The nominating panels for the US attorneys in fact is a return to prior practice. The twenty years of review I thought was cute because it would leave both Clinton and McCain/Bush with every reason to oppose it but no reason to justify thier opposition.
On top of all that it gets to the other criticism of Obama, that his speeches are all vision and no action.
Excellent! Tell America that you understand what's important in order to reverse the abominations of the last 8 years. Plus, you won't have to fall in the gutter with Hillary.
I would add:
"If elected president I will immediately issue an executive order declaring every single executive order issued by Bush null and void as of the date of issue."
--Hyde
Outstanding!
Obama's new statement :
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
And Hillary and McCain are part of the thinking that created our problems.
Obama can hire you, too...
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