Well, Barack just got Colin Powell's endorsement on Meet the Press. But, it is what McCain had to say about this and other issues that is just astounding to me. He actually believes he is essentially tied with Obama in the polls, given measurement error. As a school psychologist pretty well versed in statistics, that is so beyond the pale as to not even warrant a response.
This is from McCain (from Fox News):
McCain on Powell endorsement:
"This doesn't come as a surprise" "I've always admired and respected General Powell.... This doesn't come as a surprise."
Powell has said that Obama is ready to lead. McCain said, "We have a respectful disagreement"
On McCain's polls numbers:
McCain noted that the polls are closing in and said that there were polls out this morning such as Zogby, Rasmussen, and Gallup that "all show us in the margin of error."
"I'm very happy with the way the campaign is going" "We're gonna be up late on election night."
On Obama's record September donation numbers:
McCain linked Obama's $150M to the Watergate scandal. He also discussed Obama's pledge to participate in public financing. "He broke his word to me...he signed a piece of paper."
He also discussed the reports of contributions online where the source is not reported. "There are a lot of strange things going on."
"What I worry about is future elections... What's going to happen next time around?"
"History shows us, where unlimited amounts of money are in political campaigns, it leads to scandal."
On how to turn his numbers around:
"I started turning it around the other night when I challenged Senator Obama's words" "He said on offshore drilling he would, quote, consider it."
McCain discussed Joe the Plumber, saying he "is the average citizen and now he is speaking for small businesses across America"
"50% of small businesses income would be taxed under Senator Obama's plan. That's 16 million jobs in America."
McCain criticized Obama's reaction to Joe the Plumber. "Senator Joe Biden attacked him the next day"
On whether Obama's plans are 'socialist':
"I think his plans are redistribution of the wealth... he said it himself."
"That's one of the tenets of socialism." "I don't believe in it... I believe in wealth creation."
On Robo-calls:
[Wallace plays tape of Ayers robo-call]. "That is absolutely true."
"These are legitimate and truthful, and they are far different than the ones made about my family [in 2000]."
McCain also restated his call to Senator Obama to repudiate the statement made by John Lewis connecting McCain and Palin to George Wallace. "The fact that Obama did not repudiate that statement, I think the American people will make a judgment about that."
Update: I just saw more of McCain's crazy defense of and lies about his Robo-Slime Campaign, and his statement that despite all the uproar, they WILL CONTINUE.
McCain defended his robo-slime by saying that the calls directed at him were worse than anything his own calls said about Obama.
"These are legitimate and truthful and they are far different than the phone calls that were made about my family and about certain aspects that -- things that this is -- this is dramatically different and either you haven't -- didn't see those things in 2000," McCain said.
McCain said his robo-slime was highlighting "a legitimate issue," which is the question of whether Obama is "being truthful with the American people," a clear reference to his robo-call attacking Obama's association with William Ayers.
Actually, this is false. McCain's robo-call about Obama and Ayers says absolutely nothing about whether Obama is telling the truth about his relationship with the former Weatherman. If you don't believe me, you can listen to the full call right here.
McCain's Ayers robo-slime is not about Obama's honesty at all. Rather, it's all about Ayers' domestic terrorism, and it's all about the false insinuation that Obama has "worked closely" with Ayers in his capacity as a terrorist and killer of Americans.
We're now at the point where John McCain has been reduced to distorting his own distortions -- he's not only running a robo-slime campaign that is totally at odds with his previously claimed principles, but he's now lying about it, too.