Obama should start using two words over and over in connection with McCain:
- Cowboy
- Flip-Flopper
Re: 1
First the Palin choice, and now this stunt trying to back out of the debate. For McCain, "maverick" means gonzo cowboy. The question is whether the American people are really interested in getting another guns-a-blazin' cowboy in the whitehouse.
True, McCain's cowboy-ish-ness has to do with campaign rather than military decisions. But since candidates aren't given the chance to make military decisions, this is what we now have to go on.
The "cowboy" label could really stick, and it could really help tie McCain to Bush.
Re: 2
Why isn't Obama going after McCain on his many flip-flops in the last few years? Pundits never tire of pointing out that McCain has reversed himself on his own immigration policy, on the Bush tax cuts, and so on. Especially now that the Latino vote is swinging Obama's way, it would be a wise political move to highlight this tension in McCain's own record.
Moreover, now that McCain has selected I-Was-For-The-Bridge-Before-I-Was-Against-it Palin as his veep, Obama has a ready-made narrative.