Across the scale John McCain has turned 'the Straight Talk Express' into a bad punchline. From persistent lies about Obama's tax proposals to falsely portraying Obama as a sexual deviant. From the lipstick on a pig hypocrisy to "rescuing" DNC flags.
Welcome to the Sleaze Talk Express.
But it's not McCain's fault that today he's the king of sleaze. Oh, no. It's Obama's fault as McCain said on The View.
John McCain:
"If we had done what I asked Sen. Obama to do, because I’ve been in a lot of other campaigns where I have appeared with the opposition with the people and listened to their hopes and dreams and aspirations, I don't think you’d see the tenor of this campaign"
Senator McCain, seriously you're former Military. What happened to taking responsibility for your own actions? If a Private came to me with that excuse he'd be doing push-ups until he cried.
(CNN)
OBAMA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS
Obama, speaking to a crowd Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire, said, "John McCain wants to have a debate about national security; let's have that debate. I warned that going into Iraq would distract us from Afghanistan. John McCain cheerleaded for it. John McCain was wrong, and I was right."
And that we need more troops in Afghanistan. And that there would be no military-only solution to Iraq. And that we should be talking to North Korea and Iran. And that we should go after key al-Qaeda members in Pakstan if their leadership can't or won't do it on their own. But let's digress.
"The McCain-[Sarah] Palin ticket, they don't want to debate the Obama-Biden ticket on issues because they are running on eight more years of what we've just seen. And they know it," the Democratic presidential nominee said. "As a consequence, what they're going to spend the next seven, eight weeks doing is trying to distract you.
"They're going to talk about pigs, and they're going to talk about lipstick; they're going to talk about Paris Hilton, they're going to talk about Britney Spears. They will try to distort my record, and they will try to undermine your trust in what the Democrats intend to do."
Yes. That, and push lies to the media at a faster rate than your campaign can possibly refute them.
Asked why the campaign's tone was different from its tone during Hurricane Gustav, Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said, "We have enormous concern for people down there ... that's why we canceled 'Saturday Night Live' ... but these people also came out because they're really concerned about the future of the country, and he [Obama] wanted to talk about those issues."
McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds criticized Obama for showing "zero restraint" given the storm and said the "attacks mark a new low from Barack Obama."
A new low? Tell me something lower than your 'sex-ed for kindergarten' add.
The Obama campaign's response was even tougher.
"We will take no lectures from John McCain, who is cynically running the sleaziest and least honorable campaign in modern presidential campaign history," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "His discredited ads with disgusting lies are running all over the country today. He runs a campaign not worthy of the office he is seeking."
Ouch! Sometimes the truth hurts.
Meanwhile, McCain's campaign said a new Spanish language ad set to air in battleground states blames Obama and Senate Democrats for the failure of attempts to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
"Obama and his congressional allies say they are on the side of immigrants. But are they?" asks the announcer in the 30-second spot, "Which Side Are They On?"
"The press reports that their efforts were 'poison pills' that made immigration reform fail," he continues. "The result: No guest worker program. No path to citizenship. No secure borders. No reform. Is that being on our side? Obama and his congressional allies ready to block immigration reform, but not ready to lead." Watch the ad
But Obama and McCain cast identical votes in the major congressional showdowns on the issue last year
Senator McCain, the novelty of the inexperienced media bomb right after the DNC is running out. Hiding behind Palin's gender has been over played. And whining the media into compliance won't work indefinitely, as signs are now showing.
IT IS TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES