Kristol has a column today that shows he is completely out of touch and deluded about what it would take for McCain to win. He acknowledges that Obama is running an excellent campaign, and bemoans the climate that makes it so difficult for McCain.
Read the whole thing, especially the part where he trashes the McCain campaign in no uncertain terms. The part I want to discuss here however, is what he thinks the campaign should do next. Follow me over the jump for some excerpts:
What McCain needs to do is junk the whole thing and start over. Shut down the rapid responses, end the frantic e-mails, bench the spinning surrogates, stop putting up new TV and Internet ads every minute. In fact, pull all the ads — they’re doing no good anyway. Use that money for televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time.
And let McCain go back to what he’s been good at in the past — running as a cheerful, open and accessible candidate. Palin should follow suit. The two of them are attractive and competent politicians. They’re happy warriors and good campaigners. Set them free.
Ah, yes - free the candidates and they will do well. Let McCain be McCain, and Sarah be Sarah, and all will be well. Never mind that Sarah being Sarah means being an attack dog, which voters outside the hard core have already decided they do not like. (see Sgilman's diary with numbers from the just-released ABC poll showing that the recent attacks have backfired.)
The best part is this:
Provide total media accessibility on their campaign planes and buses. Kick most of the aides off and send them out to swing states to work for the state coordinators on getting voters to the polls. Keep just a minimal staff to help organize the press conferences McCain and Palin should have at every stop and the TV interviews they should do at every location. Do town halls, do the Sunday TV shows, do talk radio — and invite Obama and Biden to join them in some of these venues, on the ground that more joint appearances might restore civility and substance to the contest.
I think this is where Kristol has shown his desperation - he's taken leave of his senses. If McCain and Palin give the media accessibility, if they take questions and do the Sunday talk shows, they will have to answer questions! Questions that are not from "friendly" media outlets like Faux News or Rightwing talk radio.
Sarah Palin will have to discuss that Troopergate report that she's so determinedly spinning as an exoneration. She will have to answer questions on her knowledge and competence, questions on her association with the Alaska Independence Party, questions on those pesky rape kits and who had to pay for them. She may even have to answer questions about those "buddies" that helped Todd build their house.
McCain will have to explain his economic plans or lack thereof. He'll have to explain all his about-faces, and how he reconciles his idea of an "honorable" campaign with the garbage he's been putting out. And there's always the change he'll make more gaffes, or get angry on camera.
I hate to say it, but I agree on this one with Bill Kristol. Let the media in!
And let us all watch.