McCain unveils fall strategy
McCain outrage
McCain unveils fall strategy
It doesn't work as well when you say it out loud:
Charlie Black, an adviser already in the spotlight for his past lobbying work, is quoted in the upcoming July 7 edition of Fortune magazine as saying such an attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." Black said Monday he regretted the comment.
Black is also quoted as saying the "unfortunate event" of the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007 "helped us."
That reminds me, does anyone know what the color-coded terror threat level is these days?
Comments (21)
I'm glad McCain has mostly kept to the high road in this campaign. However considering all the dirty tactics employed by the GOP over the last 15 years or so I find no fault in Obama and his team critizing what Black said. There is no doubt that a terrorist attack would help McCain more than Obama and you have to be very naive to believe that what Black said was only a harmless comment. It's part of the strategy. Have someone on McCain's team say something that McCain doesn't want to say himself, knowing it will help him. It is fear mongering. It's the only way McCain can win. A terrorist attack between now and September wouldn't surprise me. Of course if that happened all the neocons that post here could no longer claim that Bush has kept us safe from terrorism. That would be inconveinent wouldn't it? Hope it doesn't happen in any case.— James TL- "BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An explosion rocked a municipal building Tuesday in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, killing six Iraqis, two U.S. soldiers and two civilian U.S. Embassy employees, officials said."...Charlie Black is raising his glass and cheering right now, since this helps his main man McCain. Talk about the Hate America Crowd.— Captain Awesome
- TPS you're wrong on one point.. the Obama campaign cannot acknowledge the truth of the remark or stay quiet. That would easily be spun as an admission that Obama is weak on national security (as you say, that's their game). You're right that someone has to take the first step, but this wasn't the time and place for that, imo.— Politburo
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- We'll see how much McCain is interested in running a straight up campaign (not using the scare tactics used by Bush). Black's observational comments can be too easily misconstrued that the campaign is looking to reflect what Bush did so well in 2004. McCain has to dump Black, or it appears that McCain is on board with that strategy.— yobill626
- Comment removed.
- This isn't the first time someone on the Right has made this kind of statement, that we'd be better off if there was an attack. Seems that fear is all the righties have to peddle these days.— mike l
- I'm confused. Of course the McCain campaign is going to foment fear about terrorism to increase his election chances. But what does that have to do with Black's comment. Are you saying his comment was in some way an attempt to foment fear? He was just saying what we all know, an attack on the U.S. would increase concerns about security, which would probably play to the advantage of McCain because the frightwing mantra is that Republicans are tough guys and Dems are sissies. What is "gotcha" about this is suggesting that somehow Black saying that was somehow an indication that he wants there to be an attack so McCain could win. That's the Republicans game: to knowingly take twist someone's words to suggest that they meant something they didn't mean. There are more important issues to talk about.— Talking point sleuth
- TPS, I'm surprised by your comments. Surely you remember the election of 2004, with the color-code system -- which even the Homeland Security chief has conceded was misused and probably politicized -- and all the phony terror scares that were ginned up by the Bush admin. All of these were designed to create a climate of fear, to trick all those "security moms" out there into voting for another 4 years of Bush -- and it worked. Now GOP '08 is looking to the same issues to hang onto the White House by their fingernails. And you call this a "gotcha"? To the contrary, scare tactics to win an election is at the core of why this country is hanging in the balance right now.— will
- Ok, I admit I can't tell if you're being sarcastic. Are you really saying that you think that Black was saying he wants there to be an attack on the U.S. so that McCain would win?— Talking point sleuth
"Because McCain is assuming that the American public is too stupid to understand the comment" . . . . . . . . . . . Huh? I would hope that McCain is assuming that the American public is smart enough to understand how the comment betrays a dark soul way out of touch with simple human decency and tact.- And we shouldn't be satisfied until this guy either resigns or is fired from McCain's campaign. Let's see what kind of leader McCain really is, shall we?
- I dunno, MSL. I'd rather see everyone elevate the process - and it will never happen if no one takes the first step - and it's unlikely that the Republicans will take the first step given their high sycophant factor. Along those lines, it's disappointing to see Obama's campaign jump right on the bandwagon, to suggest that one of McCain's top advisors actually wants there to be an attack on the U.S. Given his fairly centrist platform, one of the distinguishing features of his campaign was that it tended to take the high road in situations like this (that plus the fact that he actually talked to the electorate like they're intelligent adults). To the extent that they fall in line with this nonsense, he loses his viability in my eyes.— Talking point sleuth
- And BTW, I find it disappointing that Obama's campaign is doing exactly the opposite of how it has tried to distinguish itself from politics-as-usual partisan pandering to "gotcha" press coverage. They could have taken the high road by acknowledging the truth of what Black meant, or they could have even just stayed quiet - but instead they're trying to use it to imply that one of McCain's advisors was saying he wanted the U.S. to get attacked. In general, I've been impressed that Obama's campaign has taken the high road. Given his relative centrist platform - that is what primarily distinguished him from Clinton. If they're going to continue pulling this crapola, my support for his candidacy will diminish.— Talking point sleuth
- "He who lays down with dogs, Will...." . . . . . Still, TPS, it's fun to watch the wankers squirm over this after heaping all of Rev Wright's BS at Obama's feet all these months. What's good for the goose......
- C'mon, Will. Because McCain is assuming that the American public is too stupid to understand the comment, and is reacting out of fear of the exact kind of journalism you're practicing when you promote this garbage.— Talking point sleuth
- So why isn't McCain defending him?— will
- Seriously, Will, why are you resorting more and more to this irrelevant, "gotcha," Fox News-style drivel? The guy obviously wasn't suggesting that he wanted there to be an attack - just stating the obvious: an attack would heighten worries about security, which rightly or wrongly would probably increase McCain's chances. You object to this garbage when it's used against Obama, but don't hesitate to spread it when it's directed against Clinton or McCain. He who lays down with dogs, Will....— Talking point sleuth
- This was an incredibly stupid thing for Black to say. That said, as soon as McCain was told about the statement he rejected and denounced it. McCain often says that he would rather lose and election than lose a war. I am sure, along those same lines, he would sooner the country be spared a terrorist attack than he win an election. (Having just flown, I can tell you with a high degree of confidence that the threat level is orange. I do not know what that means.)— bon
- yellow on the ground, orange in the sky, black in BushCo's swiss accounts
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