Legal Commentary

Another Reason Why McCain's Whine Was A Mistake

By Big Tent Democrat

The only chance, imo, McCain has to win this election is to go nasty, via third parties if possible, on Barack Obama. Eric Boehlert reports on one of the planned assaults:

The notorious [Swift Boaters'] group also remains a hot topic because the same publisher of the anti-Kerry Swift Boat book, Regnery Publishing, is planning to release an August book on Sen. Barack Obama called, The Case Against Barack Obama. The book's roll-out will be pushed by the same well-connected conservative public relations firm, Creative Response Concepts, that was behind the Swift Boat blitz. Conservatives hope to catch lightning in a bottle again and derail the Democratic nominee with the release of this sensational book, but in order to disrupt Obama, the publisher will have to do more than lob all sorts of wild accusations. It will have to enlist the help of the Beltway media.

(Emphasis supplied.) After using the Beltway Media to whine about General Clark, McCain has boxed himself in on the necessary dirty attacks that he would need to be made on Barack Obama for McCain to win in November. And for what? For three days of early July coverage? More . . .

Even the most ardent of the Obama, um, let's call them skeptics, at this site must admit that the McCain strategy has to be to question Obama's readiness to be President and to raise questions about Obama's character. And the REAL dirty work has to be done by "independent" groups. McCain has really undercut their ability to do this with support from the Beltway Media, who was not going to be eager to do it to Obama anyway.

Strategically, and I believe tactically frankly, McCain blew it on this issue. He has muzzled one of his best weapons - using the crazy Right to make wild attacks on Obama. Now he has to denounce it and the Media will follow suit.

The more I think about it, the more I think McCain may have lost all chance to win the election this week.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 02, 2008 (boomark / email).