"Overheated rhetoric and personal attacks on our opponents distract from the big differences between John McCain's vision for the future of our nation and the Democrats'.
Throughout his life John McCain has held himself to the highest standards and he will continue to run a respectful campaign based on the issues. We expect that all supporters, surrogates and staff will hold themselves to similarly high standards when they are representing the campaign."
- Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager, March 11, 2008.
Yeah, right. Until their backs are against the wall, that is.
In light of the McCain campaign's gameplan of exchanging substantive discussion of the issues that matter with a full-on embrace of relentless guilt-by-association tactics, the Obama braintrust has decided to fight back and focus on the Arizona senator's involvement in the '80s savings and loan fiasco thru his membership in the infamous "Keating 5". A website has been set up featuring a 13 minute video that makes the case for the origins of the current credit crisis stemming from the culture of deregulation that McCain endorsed and promoted throughout his career in the senate, leading to the "Keating 5" savings and loan crisis and scandal which cost countless retirees their life savings and retirement funds.
Here's a 30-second teaser of the 13-minute doc:
Next up, in our humble estimation, should be shedding light on Gov. Palin's and her husband Todd's membership in the Alaska Independence Party noted for their secessionist platform. Their motto: Alaska First, Alaska Always. Nice.
Here's video of Gov. Palin welcoming those assisting the 2008 AIP convention. (She is said to also have been a member before switching her affiliation to the GOP. Todd Palin changed his political affiliation in 2002. More details here.)
If these people want to bullshit the American people into believing they truly put country first and that Obama is unpatriotic by association, let them convincingly defend themselves against their support of secessionists and the like. And when are McCain's numerous votes against funding for veterans' hospitals and his dismal ratings with veteran groups going to be brought up, front and center?
To say nothing of the following recent assertion by Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who researched John McCain thoroughly for a book he wrote on the GOP presidential candidate:
"...John McCain sat on the board of a very right-wing organization, it was the U.S. Council for World Freedom, it was chaired by a guy named John Singlaub, who wound up involved in the Iran contra scandal. It was an ultra conservative, right-wing group. The Anti-Defamation League, in 1981 when McCain was on the board, said this about this organization. It was affiliated with the World Anti-Communist League--the parent organization--which ADL said 'has increasingly become a gathering place, a forum, a point of contact for extremists, racists and anti-Semites.'"
If this is true, then McCain's opposition to the Martin Luther King holiday--which he has since has regretted and apologized for--can perhaps be seen in quite a different light.
These people are counting on the Obama campaign to not have the balls to take the gloves off and hit back as hard. They have the lack of pursuit of justice on the part of congressional Democrats in the numerous instances of high crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated by the Bush administration as their inspiration. Prove them wrong, I say.
