McCain seems to have made a choice that many politicians succumb to but that he had always promised to avoid — he appears ready to do whatever it takes to win, even it if soils his reputation.
We recognize its not going to be 2000 again, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said, alluding to the medias swooning coverage of McCains ill-fated crusade against then-Gov. George W. Bush and the GOP establishment. But he lost then. Were running a campaign to win. And were not too concerned about what the media filter tries to say about it.
What this means is that they will lie and refuse to be accountable for the lies. In fact, because the lies are working, they will keep lying. All that matters to McCain is winning. By whatever means. By whatever lies. It's pure Rove. Which is why, if it works against a candidate like Obama, we will not have honest or rational discourse in American politics for a generation.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/why-mccain-is-n.html
And, with McCain telling Sarah Palin refusing to talk to Troopergate investigators, and trying to quash subpoenas...is that not reminiscent of the Bush years? Lying and not being willing to be transparent, there's a way of getting at Sarah Palin without attacking her directly. [BTW: a call for a "new attorney general, who will be independent and actually enforce the law, would get a very enthusiastic reception].
The strategy of tying a culture of lying to failed policies tears asunder the connections McCain-Palin lies are making with the electorate. And, it does so without getting personal. So, first, set up the premise -- everyone, even Karl Rove, agrees that John McCain has sold his soul, and his campaign is based on lies, and tick off a few. Then, the Republican brand has always been based on lies..and now, unfortunately, the chickens-are-coming-home-to-roost on the American people.
The examples are too numerous to count. Lying about WMD led to cutting and running from Afghanistan and invading Iraq, costing us $600B up to now, and likely $1.2 Trillion before it is done. The result is a resurgence of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the people that attacked us on 9/11. Lying about the irrelevance of deficits and tax cuts for the wealthy has led to a country that is nearly bankrupt itself and whose debt is held by such friends as China.
Lying about the crisis in social security would lead John McCain to privatize it, and can you all imagine how secure that would be in this market -- anyone want to trust their retirement security to John McCain? Lying about "Brownie doing a heckuva job" led to shameful inaction, tragic and unnecessary loss of life, and the abandonment of New Orleans--and recall but that Barbara Bush's comment, that "these people were disadvantaged anyhow, so this is working out well for them". Lying about the economy being fundamentally strong to avoid needed regulation has led to financial collapse, wiping out the major asset of the middle class, their homes.
Lying about the ability of the free markets to provide healthcare for all has led to 6 decades of an increasingly expensive insecure healthcare system. We (Obama and Biden) will make healthcare a right, we will not let your health and well-being be subject to market manipulations.Lying about the impact of free trade agreements, and lobbyist-generated loopholes, has led to an outsourcing of high-wage jobs. Note this also links McCain even more tightly to Bush whose lying is not really even a matter of question anymore. And, it is not name calling, it is tying lies to negative outcomes for the American people, and relying upon a general consensus that McCain-Palin strategy has become based upon lying.
But, there is another, even deeper opportunity the McCain lying machine has provided. As previously noted, McCain wrote in his book, Worth Fighting For, that he runs for President not to institute reform or even out of a grand notion of patriotism, but for his own personal ambition.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/how-obama-should-respond_b_126695.html
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