Single Issue McCain Calls a Time-Out
Honestly, when I first saw the breaking stories that McCain is suspending his campaign to come to DC and address the "fiscal crisis", I wondered if it was some odd "Half-way to April Fool's Day" joke.
How is it helpful to the process or to McCain? He's not on the committee handling the legislation, he's not an expert in economics (that's not a partisan attack - that's a self-assessment), and the last thing anybody needs here is more false urgency as the guys in suits gravely tell us we need to give them money quickly so they can help us.
Is anyone on earth somehow feeling better about McCain because he feels he cannot possibly give this issue the attention it deserves while continuing on with his scheduled activities? In a McCain administration, will the United States have only one issue facing it at a time - will we have a season for making sure Wall Street rich people remain sufficiently "incentivized", a season for national defense/Halliburton, a season for energy policy/Exxon, and a season on tax reform? (But not a day for environment or civil rights, of course.)
I like to think that the next president of the United States will be able to walk from a briefing on China to a policy meeting on immigration to a press conference on corporate governance to an international summit on Greenhouse Gases without hitting overload on his intellectual capacity.
McCain can't do that.
When McCain announced his suspension, he called a metaphorical time-out on third and debate. Like a quarterback looking across the line of scrimmage and seeing the linebackers preparing to blitz, he buckled under the pressure. One linebacker was named Palin's Faltering Image. Another linebacker was Voter Memory of the Keating 5. Another linebacker was Increasing Worries About His Health. 100 Years of Iraq was another linebacker ready to lay a hit on him. And the biggest linebacker was Obama, looking fast and healthy and ready to sprint in and toss him for a bone-crushing loss as soon as the debate whistle blows. It seems like there are too many players on the field!
No wonder he called time-out. Today, he gets to go huddle with his Head Coach, George W. Bush, and maybe regain his nerve. But eventually he's going to have to face that snap. He's scared, he's weak, and he can't hand the ball off to anyone.
He's out of time-outs, and the opposition is ready to swarm him. In the real world, you can't only focus on one issue at a time.
Labels: Barack Obama, John McCain
posted by Dan at 9/25/2008 06:18:00 AM
10 Comments:
why cant Barry close the deal? THat is the question you should be asking
Apparently Bill Clinton doesn't think it's a joke.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/bill-clinton-do.html
I watched Clinton this morning on Good Morning America and Today Show. He didn't bash McCain; indeed, he said McCain isn't afraid of debates - he wanted more of them.
In my opinion, as a taxpayer, I want both McCain and Obama back where they belong - addressing the biggest financial crisis in my lifetime. One of them is going to be President and whoever that is better be watching out for ME.
I also appreciated the way Clinton addressed how the fault of why we are where we are layed with both parties. I thought I'd never say this in a million years, but I wish he was going to be our next President.
"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."
-- Section 8 of the proposed financial bailout bill
In a shocking development, Dan's assessment is on and Travel's is not. McCain brings nothing to address the problem, except to announce generally what he will support--as Obama asked him to do jointly yesterday, and McCain refused. McCain has no place in the process--he's not on the involved committees and he has no expertise, aside from a love of the general approach that created the problem. If anything, he brings a campaign circus that will be obstructive. His hanging around and looking panicked is not particularly helpful. Two best guesses I've seen--since his staff is mostly lobbyists, they had to get to Washington to line up at the trough for their clients; or he's trying to get his failing, flailing campaign off the front page, and avoid the debate.
Beth, "the deal" closes November 4; your assumption the "Barry" can't close is at best premature.
Best sports blog ever! Normally when it's sports I mark it read. But this one I really did read it & enjoyed & agreed with it.
For the more cynical: McCain's bringing the circus to Washington to attract attention, preparatory to voting against the package and restoring his Maverickness, then campaigning against the big spending, big government Democrats. Given that, like Bush and the modern Republicans, he really doesn't give a shit about governing, just winning and ruling.
Sorry to hog your space, but this is just too much:
(When asked) About why Secretary Paulson asked for seven hundred billion dollars:
“It’s not based on any particular data point,” a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. “We just wanted to choose a really large number.”
Across the country, satire writers sadly capped their pens and bookmarked monster.com.
McCain wanted more debates? On the economy? Are you serious travel? That's called grand standing buddy.
Clinton knows that McCain is a good forum speaker because he can use talking point cards and prompts, but he is definitely not the better speaker and sucks at debating.
If you haven't noticed yet, Democrats are really playing nice and building McCain/Palin up for the big show, to which they will definitely fail.
Single Issue:
Like Mark Defending Gloria.
In my opinion, as a taxpayer, I want both McCain and Obama back where they belong - addressing the biggest financial crisis in my lifetime.
Gee, sorry, Travel, missed the quote marks attributing this to Clinton...
Post a Comment
<< Home