If there was any doubt that the "McCain Wins Debate" SNAFU telegraphed the campaign's high expectations for their candidate, they've now upped the ante even further. The McCain campaign seems to be handling the expectations game about as well as Palin's interview prep.
All sides are expecting a debate where McCain will be in his element. Obama's campaign released a memo lowering expectations, pointing out McCain's 26 years of foreign policy experience could give him the upper hand.
And now McCain's campaign has responded, telling America that Obama had received less than stellar reviews for previous debates. True enough. With all of these advantages, McCain better debate Obama right off the stage tonight if he wants to meet his own campaign's expectations.
Here's the petulant missive the McCain camp sent out today:
In a memo that perfectly captures the nastiness and politics first approach of Senator Obama's campaign, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton distributed a memo this afternoon as part of a last minute attempt to lower expectations for his candidate in tonight's debate. The memo mocks John McCain's efforts to put politics aside in order to achieve a bipartisan solution to the financial crisis now confronting our nation, and questions John McCain's record of bucking his own party and reaching across the aisle in order to bring about badly needed reforms. The Obama campaign also includes in the memo an AP piece that characterizes their candidate's previous debate performances as "lifeless, aloof and windy." In fact, that is a better characterization of Senator Obama's brief record in the United States Senate. He has never once bucked his own party in order to enact major legislation, he has never once taken real action when he had more to gain from speechifying, and he has never once risked his own political life in the service of a cause greater than winning his next election.
Well, ok then. If they really want Americans (and the media) to watch this debate expecting John McCain to have a natural advantage against an inferior debater, all I can say is, knock yourselves out!
These guys are clowns. Is the inner circle of the McCain campaign in complete meltdown mode? It sure looks like it.