Well, it's pretty much official. With 30 days left to the election, the McCain campaign has decided that if the ships going down, it's gonna go down LBJ style!
While I don't know if the story is true or just apochryphal, but it was attributed to LBJ.
A man is running for county commissioner in east Texas, and he's far behind. So the fellow's campaign manager says, "Let's spread a rumor that your opponent fucks pigs." The candidate protests, "But it isn't true." And the campaign manager answers, "Sure, but can you picture him denying it?"
Pigs, terrorists, Keating, Alaskan Secessionists, Palestinians, lobbyists, Muslims, witch doctors...there's no rumor too baseless, no slander too great. It's sad it had to come to this. I never realized how desparate Sen. McCain actually was to win - but I guess that should have been obvious when he chose his running mate.
The whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth and when the election's over, I worry about the damage that it will cause. The Republican base has already taken up the "Obama is a Terrorist" cry - and it's just getting louder.
The wedge has returned and it's got Karl Rove's fingerprints on it. Will it work again this time? Will the base turn out; the independents stay at home and McCain eke out a win?
Not on my watch. Gotta hit the phone banks!