Alternative Title: John McCain: You, Sir, Are an Idiot
So, about a week ago it seemed obvious that a clear tactic of the Obama campaign was to deliberately and openly taunt John McCain on the fact that he didn't bring up Bill Ayers in the second debate. The Obama people, as well as the McCain people, know that the Ayers kerfluffle is nothing but a campaign stunt, and so the Obama campaign, and television surrogates, went to the airwaves and called him out on it.
Even Biden got in on it, essentially taking a Dirty Harry approach and saying, in more words or less: "Hey punk. You got something to say to Barack, then say it to his face."
Frankly, this is a brilliant tactical move, and I'm surprised to see that John McCain has so stupidly, and blindly, fallen into the trap. As Halperin notes, McCain is now saying that is probably assured to be a topic at the debate on Wednesday, and then goes on to say that it's because of Obama's call out - in McCain's words: "I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised I didn’t have the guts."
As my grade school teacher used to say to a not particularly smart student in our class: "John, are you really that dense, or are you just putting us on?"
Kevin Drum brought this up last week and wondered if this is simply Obama and Friends playing head games with McCain, or if there is more to it.
My opinion? Yeah. I think there's more to it.
The Obama campaign knows exactly what they are doing. By beating the drum so hard for McCain to bring up the Ayers issue in the debate, they are forcing McCain's hand. They are dictating McCain's behavior, and they are driving the direction of the conversation. "If this is so important, why won't McCain bring it up in the debate?"
So, ultimately, one of two things will happen tomorrow. The first option is that McCain doesn't talk about Ayers at the debate, and is proven to be a coward. But where's the fun in that? Come on, everybody likes a smackdown. That's why I hope McCain brings it up. Because Obama is planning an epic knockout punch, and he's setting McCain up beautifully.
Here's how it will play out. McCain will mention Ayers, and talk about Obama's honesty, and his integrity, and his ambition, and his judgment. Then Obama will pounce.
John, I'm glad that you brought this up, because I think this points to a fundamental difference in our campaigns, and in the way we are promising to lead this country. You know, guilt by association is an old political trick, and sometimes it works. But this time, this election, the stakes are too high. Now, people know that I served on a board with William Ayers that had the goal of school reform in Chicago. Maybe they don't know that the board was funded by a conservative philanthropist, Walter Annenberg. I've also denounced the despicable acts that Bill Ayers committed in the 60s, when I was a boy of eight years old. But you see, John, the guilt by association game can go both ways, and you don't have your hands clean, either. Now we've chosen in this campaign not to bring up the fact that you're good friends with G. Gordon Liddy, a convicted felon who threatened to kill Federal agents. We haven't talked about the time you sat on the board of the U.S. Council for World Freedom. We didn't do that, we didn't make campaign ads about that stuff, we're not talking about that in our stump speeches because, at the end of the day, the American people don't care about that stuff. They care about the fact that this country is losing jobs at the fastest rate in 8 years. That people's 401Ks have imploded. That abandoned houses litter entire city blocks and suburban streets. We are facing an epic crisis in this country, and you choose to talk about a man with whom I served on an educational reform board with. It is beneath you, Senator, and it is beneath the American people. Now is the time, amidst great turmoil and economic crisis, that we start talking about solutions to get our country back on the right track. Now is the time we come together as Americans and fight, fight to rebuild the country that we all love so much.
Game over. Obama brings up McCain's sordid associations while disparaging McCain for making an issue of Obama's connections.
You have to think that the Obama people are praying every night that McCain tries to bring up Ayers in the next debate. A hanging curveball over the middle of the plate. Knock. Grand slam, gave over, smell you later, hello President Obama.
And McCain? He's walking right into the trap, which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that the Obama people are practically shouting, "Hey John! Look at this big trap we've set for you! You should step in it! Really, you should! It'll be cool, John! This huge trap! Just step right in it!"
John McCain: is he actually this stupid, or is he just putting on airs?