I think this sums up the McCain attacking defensiveness quite well. Evidently any questions from the press constitute an attack on Palin, and anything but unquestioning adoration is an attack on the republicans. It was kinda sad watching the convention, seeing all the empty seats, and all the white people staring off into space - very white crowd there.

What was truly bizarre was hearing all the calls for a more consrvative govt - considering the fact that the repubs have run everything for the last 7 years. If they want more conservatism - why didn't they do it while they were in control? If they want the budget cuts - why didn't....sigh.

Instead, they are going to play the vicitm card - screaming about media coverage while spreading rumors in order to appear properly victimized.


Is the McCain Camp Spreading Smears in the Name of Fighting Them?
September 03, 2008 6:17 PM

Did you read the National Enquirer this week?

I didn't.

Why am I bringing it up?

Because I just got an e-mail about it from the McCain-Palin campaign.

“The smearing of the Palin family must end," said McCain-Palin campaign manager Steve Schmidt in the statement. "The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer, insinuating that Gov. Palin" (something untrue) "are categorically false. It is a vicious lie. Gov. Palin is the most popular governor in the country. She is a proven leader, an accomplished executive, a champion for ethics reform, and a fighter against corruption. The efforts of the media and tabloids to destroy this fine and accomplished public servant are a disgrace. The American people will reject it. ... Legal action will be considered with regard to this disgraceful smear.”

I didn't even know such a story existed.

Any campaign faced with false allegations has to decide whether responding to them is giving them more voice and notice -- certainly the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., faced that problem for months and months with the Manchurian Muslim candidate stuff.

But this e-mail comes in the context of an aggressive pushback after only a matter of days in which the chief talking point the McCain campaign seems to have about Gov. Sarah Palin is that she's being smeared by Democrats, the Obama campaign, and the media.

Lumped into this description of smearing are any questions about her experience, her time as mayor or governor in Alaska, her relationship to the Alaskan Independence Party -- which her husband Todd was a member of, and any other issues in which you might be interested.

Obviously, they want to rally voters behind her. But are they doing Palin a service?

"Members of this campaign went to off-the-record lunches with reporters today," Schmidt told Katie Couric, Tuesday, according to Politico, "and they were asked if she would do paternity tests to prove paternity for her last child. Smear after smear after smear, and it's disgraceful and it's wrong. And the American people are going to reject it overwhelmingly when they see her."

First, that's an intriguing definition of off-the-record, but second, what a reporter asks is not the same thing as what a reporter reports. It could be argued that Schmidt, raising the notion of paternity on national TV, did far more to spread that unpleasantness to millions of voters than anything anyone in the mainstream media did.

Some of the tactics the McCain campaign is using could certainly be seen as spreading rumors in the name of fighting them.


Political Punch

__________________
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
- Robertson Davies

Because it wasn't the conservatives that have been in power these past seven years but, instead, the neoconservatives - a very different group of people.

__________________
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

Well, I have to agree with you there - coming from Goldwater's state, I appreciate the differences between neoncons (who manage to combine the worst of liberal and conservative) and paleocons (or true conservatives).

__________________
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
- Robertson Davies

What are you talking about? Can you say that 10 times real fast?

All Leftist Gobblydigook..

obviously a neocon!

__________________
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
- Robertson Davies

Obvious to whom, a leftist who throws around smears like bon bons?

You seem to be awfully defensive...

A Mayor of a small town is like a community organizer.. with responsibilities.

LOL.. and what is a community organizer? that is one who works for the Leftist and criminal group ACORN?

Since you are not debating the OP, apparently then you agree with the OP - interesting!

__________________
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
- Robertson Davies

Like you do?

__________________


"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

that is what it is all about.. and my point to this thread..

the Smears don't always come from one side in a campaign... if you want to throw 'em.. you had better be able to take 'em..

or get out of the kitchen...

So, the McCain's are smearing themselves and then screaming about it to get stronger?

__________________
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
- Robertson Davies