In an odd development in the 2008 presidential election, John McCain has posted prominently on his website the exact phrase Hillary Clinton has been using for months to critique Barack Obama.
The phrase "Ready To Lead On Day One," a key line in Clinton's stump speech since early January, now appears on the front page of JohnMcCain.com (see screen shot below).
This development suggests two possibilities about how the GOP is evaluating the state of the Democratic race for the nomination.
The first possibility is that the Republican Party has already concluded that Barack Obama will win enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee. In this case, McCain's adoption of Clinton's anti-Obama rhetoric could be a first attempt to define Obama as a political neophyte in the face of McCain the elder statesman.
The second possibility is that the Republican Party has concluded that Obama will likely be the nominee, but that they would prefer this did not happen. In this case, McCain's use of Clinton's rhetoric could be an attempt by the GOP to influence the outcome of the Democratic nomination process--to make sure Clinton wins.
Clinton has used the 'ready on day one' line in most of her stump speeches since January, such as her remarks following the "Super Tuesday" primaries and caucuses:
We know what we need is someone ready on day one to solve our problems and restore our opportunities.
("Hillary's Remarks on Super Tuesday," link)
Hillary Clinton is certainly not the only presidential candidate to use the phrase 'ready on day one,' but her use of it since January has been widely reported by the media. As such, it is generally recognized as one of the central themes of her campaign.
John McCain's website (2.14.08)
(cross posted from Frameshop)
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I just don't think Hillary can do this effectively because she had to try so hard to be a hawk.
http://www.politicalinaction.com
in his response today, he published some interesting facts for hillary supporters: she voted for the energy act she accuses him of voting for. not only that, he didn't vote for the final version because it gave the nuclear energy companies too much leeway. she voted for both versions. i suggest voters who want to be informed visit the "factcheck" section of obama's site. what's interesting is that he doesn't post something from his campaign: his sources come from clinton's own senate.gov page and her campaign's statements. this campaign season is turning ugly, and what's said is no one -- especially clinton supporters -- takes two minutes to research the facts him/herself. how lazy -- and these are the same people saying they want details; they're relying on their candidate of choice to give 'em, rather than concrete evidence.
I WAS AGAINST TORTURE BEFORE I WAS FOR IT.
MCCAIN 08.
NO SUBSTANCE-JUST A LOT OF WIND-CHANGAMANIA. WHERE IS THE BEEF?
"But, but, it's got all these words!!!! Where's the pictures!?"
One...MCCain is assuming that Obama will win the nomination and so McCain is adopting the losing strategy that assured that outcome...I see...Two ...McCain thinks Obama will win and therefor co opts Hillary's most unusual theme
and places it on his own website so that those Democrats who are struggling to decide between Obama and Clinton will go to McCain's website for his trusted insight...This is shear brilliance. Thanks for everything. I look forward to your next post....
-----"I believe that U.S. forces are still a part of the solution in Iraq. The strategic goals should be to allow for a limited drawdown of U.S. troops, coupled with a shift to a more effective counter-insurgency strategy that puts the Iraqi security forces in the lead and intensifies our efforts to train Iraqi forces.-----At the same time, sufficient numbers of U.S. troops should be left in place to prevent Iraq from exploding into civil war, ethnic cleansing, and a haven for terrorism."---Obama
--------Here we see contradictions so glaring, that we cannot believe a man of Obama's intelligence to be innocent of rank, purposeful obfuscation. If the U.S. troops are to remain in place in order to "prevent" Iraqis, in and out of government, from taking certain actions, then the Americans are meant to be a classic occupying force - the real power in Iraq."
Clinton and McCain voted together to put us in Iraq. Obama will get us out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/us/politics/26clinton.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
This is a weird issue - something they keep trotting out (McCain, Hillary and, recently, Bush) and something that DOES NOT play to her and will play badly for McCain in the generals as it is not a high priority for voters.
The other strange thing is that everyone knows that Obama has VERY deep, but - more importantly - broad and pertinent experience, particularly for this election.
INTERESTING, TOO, that the voters have simply not bought into this line of attack. So, borrowing from Hillary's failed, disorganized and discredited campaign "strategy" would seem an odd tactic for the Arizona Senator.
That's not even getting to the below the belt attacks that are going to happen from others in the republican party.
Perhaps the best thing that can happen to the Clinton campaign is for Obama to be treated as the frontrunner. Obama made the absurd statement that if he had gotten through the Clinton machine that he was ready for the republican machine. He ain't seen nothing yet.
Anything the Clintons have pointed out have been tepid compared to what is coming.
This may be the first election in which the democrats have a good idea of what is coming in the way of campaigning before they decide their nominee. The republicans basically have to campaign against both of them before we decide our nominee. With their lack of money, they will have to get the momentum started early. The democrats may be helped by finding out who really is the stronger nominee.