Posted by
Catmman on Friday, April 25, 2008 4:43:01 PM
In an NBC interview aired on Friday, the Arizona senator said he has done all he can to persuade the state party to cancel the television ad that criticizes Obama as “too extreme” because of controversial remarks made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
“They’re not listening to me because they’re out of touch with reality and the Republican Party. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan and this kind of campaigning is unacceptable,” McCain told NBC’s “Today” Show.
What exactly does McCain have to do with a state gubernatorial race? This ad has absolutely nothing to do with the presidential race (other than than tying the candidates to Barack Obama, the Democratic opposition for goodness sake!). It has nothing to do with McCain. McCain isn't mentioned in the add. McCain isn't a representative of the state of North Carolina. WTF!?
McCain isn't the head of the national Republican Party either. He is simply a senator from another state. McCain hasn't even been given the nomination by the national party yet. So how does he feel justified in telling the residents of NC or the NC State Republican party anything? Especially when it pertains to a state matter like a Governors race? McCain has even admitted the NC party is an independent organization? McCain needs to jog on.
I can understand McCain coming out and giving some lip service to this in a general way if he wants. The tone of his campaign so far almost demands it. But he has absolutely no business telling anyone what they should or shouldn't be doing, especially as far as political ads go. Oh that's right, McCain-Feingold. He's been trying to tell Americans what to say politically for almost a decade, why not get more direct?
Hubris anyone?
I also heard a clip of McCain railing against 527's. McCain doesn't like 527's apparently. He wants both sides, Republican and Democrat to come out and tell 527's to knock off the silly business. McCain has forgotten it was his very legislation (McCain-Feingold)which resulted in the 527's creation to begin with. But he's said he doesn't know much about economics either, so why should forgetting the little details of the consequences of his political acumen be a shock?
McCain doesn't want to run a smear campaign against his opponents. He's said as much and has invited the opposition to join him. We (the unwashed masses) are still waiting for the opposition to join McCain. And waiting some more. 3...2...1...
Crickets.
But true to form McCain has returned to something which may ultimately lose him the election - smearing fellow Republicans. I've heard the arguments - he's the lesser of three evils and so forth. But I find this counter to those arguments compelling: If McCain can treat fellow Republicans the way he has, if he doesn't feel the need to be "more conservative", if he does ultimetly win the election on the backs of Independents or dissafefcted Democrats - what exactly would be the allegiance McCain would feel to us conservatives once President? Why would he feel the need to appoint proper SCOTUS justices? Why hold to his promises on tax cuts? Why do anything "conservative" at all?
I'm all for a someone having some ego. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you I've got one of the biggest. But there is a line between ego (demonstrated by timed and crafted bursts of arrogance) and being a pompous a-s.