McCain falls back on "semantics" (and more McCain chaos)
McCain has pushed back over criticism that he misstated the Iraq timeline regarding "the surge" and the changes in the Sunni west.
His contention now, is that "the surge" was underway well before it had been introduced to the President. His campaign is claiming it's all a matter of semantics.
Right.
There's also this "redefinition" picked up by Ambinder, “First of all, a surge is really a counter-insurgency strategy," McCain said.....
(This is getting still more coverage, extending into another day.)
Also, McCain's "oil rig appearance," the thing the McCain camp has been touting for two days as his big opposing image to Obama's Berlin appearance, has been canceled.
(CNN) Jindal rules himself out as VP. (I'm guessing he was told he was out, and they let him leave with dignity.)
(Politico) Yet more evidence that Maliki said what he said.
(Politico) The McCain campaign is going to try an online "money bomb" on August 1, ala Ron Paul. (If it fizzles.....)
(AdAge) Obama's got enough money to buy $5 million of ads during the Olympics.
And (Politico) The Obama campaign responds stupefyingly calmly to the McCain camp's latest over the top "traitor" charge. (Effective.)
His contention now, is that "the surge" was underway well before it had been introduced to the President. His campaign is claiming it's all a matter of semantics.
Right.
There's also this "redefinition" picked up by Ambinder, “First of all, a surge is really a counter-insurgency strategy," McCain said.....
(This is getting still more coverage, extending into another day.)
Also, McCain's "oil rig appearance," the thing the McCain camp has been touting for two days as his big opposing image to Obama's Berlin appearance, has been canceled.
(CNN) Jindal rules himself out as VP. (I'm guessing he was told he was out, and they let him leave with dignity.)
(Politico) Yet more evidence that Maliki said what he said.
(Politico) The McCain campaign is going to try an online "money bomb" on August 1, ala Ron Paul. (If it fizzles.....)
(AdAge) Obama's got enough money to buy $5 million of ads during the Olympics.
And (Politico) The Obama campaign responds stupefyingly calmly to the McCain camp's latest over the top "traitor" charge. (Effective.)
posted by mikevotes at
7:03 PM
6 Comments:
"Obama responds frighteningly calmly..."
This is not trademark Obama. Remember when Hillary was sounding like McCain's running mate with all the "ready to be commander in chief on day one" crap? Barack didn't lose his cool. As maddening as it is for his more ardent supports to NOT see Barack verbally slap around McCain, it's surely more maddening to the bully who impotently keeps trying to pick a fight.
Instead of reporting on a political dust-up between two combatant, the media are left reporting on McCain's "disparaging" remarks about Obama and Obama brushing off any notion there's a fight at all.... just a difference of opinion. Brilliant, really.
I wonder if the extended primary season really did make him a better, more disciplined candidate. Whereas McCain all along has pretty much been given a pass.
By
-epm, at 8:10 PM
I agree completely. It's hugely effective. It makes McCain seem irrational weak and out of control.
And on discipline, hard to say. He was like that (if you'll pardon the reference) from day one.
(And I may change that "frighteningly" to something else. I was trying to capture the breadth of gap in tone and didn't really intend the negative association.)
By
mikevotes, at 11:00 PM
I typed this "This is not trademark Obama." but meant to say "This is NOW trademark Obama." I hope you caught my mistake.
By
-epm, at 8:20 AM
Perhaps "Obama responds astonishingly calmly"
By
-epm, at 8:23 AM
wrt the redefinition of the surge, let's recall last year. Remember how Republicans kept saying that the surge only started in July, and that Petraeus' September report was too soon to pass judgement on the surge?
Most people saw the surge as beginning in April '07, but the Republicans vehemently took the position that it only began in July (or even August) when the troop levels reached "full-strength".
Now, of course, the line is that the surge actually started at least six months before it was even proposed by Bush in January '07. In Bush's Jan. 10 speech in which he proposed the surge, he clearly mentioned the Anbar "Awakening" as a successful work in progress, but he portrayed it as distinct from the surge.
Employing extremely fuzzy and suspect definitions is pretty much the modus operandi for Republicans, but the surge is something one would think that they want to remain crystal-clear.
Just as the "invasion" was re-defined to mean "everything that went right" and everything that went wrong was "Al-Qaeda", now the "surge" is being recast as "everything that worked" and everything that went wrong was the fault of the Iraqis.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 8:50 AM
Good point on the timeline.
BUT, ALSO lost in alot of this is the fact that McCain is now claiming that he invented counterinsurgency strategy. That it didn't exist without him.
Close to a claim of inventing the internet.
By
mikevotes, at 10:46 AM
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