By now you know that both Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been pretty explicit in their taunting of McCain regarding his lack of courage in asking Barack face to face about William Ayers. Like this during the interview with Charlie Gibson:
Well, I am surprised that, you know, we've been seeing some pretty over-the-top attacks coming out of the McCain campaign over the last several days that he wasn't willing to say it to my face.
Then we heard Joe Biden during a stump speech today:
"All of the things they said about Barack Obama in the TV, on the TV, at their rallies, and now on YouTube ... John McCain could not bring himself to look Barack Obama in the eye and say the same things to him," Biden said this morning. "In my neighborhood, when you've got something to say to a guy, you look him in the eye and you say it to him."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
And even our friend Josh at TPM joined in by calling McCain a coward. Yes, a coward.
The Cowardice Issue
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McCain's moral cowardice has been one of the subtexts of this campaign ever since he wound up the nomination and turned his attention to Barack Obama. But I did not realize it would reveal itself in such a physical dimension.
(snip)...He's releasing slashing new TV ads like this one. Both of them are ginning their crowds up into spiraling gyres of right-wing delirium -- a ready-made Lord of the Flies (and let's admit that's a gentle allusion, given the tone of these barnburners) if Obama happened into one of the auditoriums at the wrong moment.
He ever swaggered on for a couple days about how he was going to 'take the gloves off' when he met up with Obama in Nashville. But when the two of them were there in each others physical presence ... nothing. By a myriad of gestures and reactions Obama owned him.
snip
And now Obama can lightly taunt McCain with that very cowardice, his inability to just say it to his face. And if my take on the inner workings of McCain's mind at the moment is right that should simply unhinge him even more.
--Josh Marshall
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
Even Andrea Mitchell calls out Tucker Bounds and said that calling Ayers & Obama friends is far from an accurate statement. AND, she brought up the Annenberg Foundation, who most of us now know supplied over $4 million in funds to the charity of which Obama and Ayers were Board members.
Mitchell: There's been no question that there's been an exaggeration in a lot of the things Sarah Palin has said about the relationship. Why do that? What are you trying to suggest? Are you trying to make Barack Obama seem to be some sort of terrorist himself? This man has been running for President for the last two years and has been vetted through twenty two primary debates. Already two debates in the general election. Um, What's your point?
Bounds: Well I think most Americans who are sitting at home watching television sets know that they don't have any friends that they've gone to their living rooms and helped with their career that are also...
Mitchell: Even calling him a friend Tucker, I mean, even calling him a friend is an overstatement according to all the fact checking that we've been able to do.
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Mitchell: That was the board of Walter Annenberg, a stalwart Republican who created an education foundation in Chicago.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/...
This, my friends, is the tell. Obama, Biden and other Democratic surrogates can continue to double dog dare McCain to have the guts to bring this up in the last debate. And they can continue to do it because if McCain is stupid enough to actually face Obama with this idiotic connecting of the dots...that he/she who consorts with Ayers is by association a domestic terrorist. Then McCain is boxed in and has to paint Lenore Annenberg, a very wealthy supporter, with the same brush. And Obama can bring up her name in response to any face-to-face remark by McCain. How do you think the Annenberg Foundation will feel about that, Mr. McCain? How do you answer that, Mr. McCain? And on national TeeVee with maybe 50 million Americans watching?
Thing is, I believe Obama wants McCain to bring this up and perfectly explains why he has challenged McCain to do so. And why Biden has done so. And why surrogates are doing so. I'm fairly certain that at the time of his Board Membership with Ayers, Obama didn't really know this guy which of course he can say. He can also say that with the Annenberg Foundation providing the funding and the stellar reputation of both Ambassador William Annenberg and his wife Lenore, that the thought of checking other Board Members out never even crossed his mind. Perfectly reasonable IMHO.
So now, Josh Marshall publishes the word coward and McCain together. Others are following...no links here but when I did a search for these two words together, low and behold, there were hits. With McCain's erratic behavior, his temper, and his irrational thinking of late it won't take much for him to take the bait and bite down hard. We have a few more days of sleezy ads all during which Obama & Biden can call the bluff of the bully and people can use the word coward. If the debate comes and goes without nary a mention of Ayers from McCain's mouth...we will have our answer. Either he takes the bait and gets squashed and embarrasses a big donor or he chickens out. Lose, lose for him. Win, win for Obama.
Comments & suggestions welcome!