Jiminy Christ -- 2 minutes and 24 seconds?!? If he has to buy time for this thing, he'll be broke by Labor Day.

I can't comment on the ad, though, as when I saw the 2:24 at the bottom of the screen, I hightailed it back here.

I kinda like that ad on idealogical grounds, believe it or not. It takes the Lincolnesque position that the founding of America was with the Declaration of Independence and its announcement that "all men are created equal," and implicitly not with the drafting of the Constitution. It thus echoes the Gettysburg Address. Oddly, when Obama was discussing these matters in his speech on race, however, he took the founding date as 1789, not 1776, which I thought was too bad. Lincoln, and to his credit, McCain, take it to be a latter, with the compromises over slavery in the Constitution implicitly a step away from the ideals in which our country was "conceived and dedicated."

"2 minutes and 24 seconds?!?"

Well, in the end, he'll probably cut the echoes of the Gettysburg Address in favor of the Iwo Jima monument.

That was a little bit over the top, dontcha think? Good gawd! Does anyone really believe that McCain wants to buy us a coke and give us a hug? Jeebus...

Meantime, MoveOn.org answered the question "how do you spend a hundred years in Iraq?"

Does anyone really believe that McCain wants to buy us a coke and give us a hug?

Sure. Long as we don't paint our faces like trollops.

I thought you were linking to "Here Comes McCain Again." But that would turn the discussion back to his position on torture.

But his wife is American. How come he can't give her tolerance and respect? Kinda shows his hypocrisy.

1776 - Declaration of Independence

1789 - US Constitution ratified

No problem with using either date for a rhetorical device.

Ok, that's the worst piece of tripe I've ever seen. Seriously, could they have fit in any more meaningless cliches? It was so wordy.

And it reminds me of every time the Bush Administration said after one of their colossal screw-ups "now is not the time to play the blame game."

It's basically begging people not to be mad that the Republicans have made mistakes that have screwed up their lives, from Iraq to Katrina to gas prices to the housing market collapse. It's all just good-faith differences of opinion! Because running a country is just like arguing in debate club or something, we should all shake hands at the end and be friends because it's just a game, sillies!

Gotta love those Republicans. When they screw up, then is the time for bipartisanship. But the rest of the time, it's the Democrats' fault.

Noam Chomsky had a recent column (here is the link) that addressed this sort of diversionary tactic. Of course McCain wants to talk about "character" because if he talked about where stands on issues, he would lose in the most monumental landslide in American political history.

For a guy who cheats on his wife and narrowly escaped indictment as one of the Keating Five, it is more than a little ironic for McCain to trumpet his character. Well, I guess he was a captive 40 years ago.....

"maybe a few people will start seeing through it this year"

Unlikely

Bipartisanship is a way to use partisanship to pound on the opposition. McCain and Lieberman have become masters of this form of partisanship. Moderates suck on it like a Monica.

Why is it that when John McCain prattles on for two minutes with tired platitudes and cring-inducing cliches about bipartisanship, it sucks, but when Obama builds his entire campaign on it, it's inspiring? Maybe McCain should add something about reclaiming America's soul and how "we're the ones we've been waiting for." God, all the candidates are such immense douchesacks.

Holy Mackerel Andy, how did McCain get the Republican nomination? It as if the conservative voters had nothing to do with chooseing McCain and the whole thing was some kind of Diebold set-up from the start.

God Bushie made McCain in his own image, so I wonder why Bush's brain, Karl Rove would have ever allowed such a boring ad like that to be telecast?

It's all very weird, to the point of being completely surreal. This ad gives new meaning to the phase, WTF? I see too, that Matt Yglesias is really wondering about what he calls the GOP's "Lemming Strategy

I did a Current in which I briefly wonder why it is Republican members of congress seem to have convinced themselves that the alleged success of the surge is a great campaign issue for them. All the data I can find indicates that the war continues to be extremely unpopular, with only a third or fewer of the public wanting some kind of open-ended commitment to seeing the job through.

It's all very twilite zone s*it to me.

Flip-Flopping like a hooked fish on a hot pier is bipartisanship..who'd'a thunk it?

Nobody, its still flip-flopping.....

It was the kind of ad that is sure to drive the comedian Rush Limbaugh back to his street source of illegal drugs and painkillers.

Kevin, may I compliment you on your choice of words : "more preening, faux highbrow"
Nice.

Funny thing is, this ad sounds exactly like what McCain would actually say! It's not too late for him to switch parties.

McCain is a senile, angry, two-faced, lying piece of shit. And the sooner that dems who admire him see that, the better.

Did I mention dumb as a box of rocks?

Holy honking crap that ad was the dullsville. I kept waiting for the commercial break or the word from the pledge drive sponsors. It was like the worst, most earnest low quality local PBS special on [Your City's] famouser and famouser landmarks.

Every time print came up they used the same disintegrating text animation like seven hundred times. When they focused on the black dude with the 'stache, it was "Respect" and when they focused on the two women it was "Character" and "Sincerity." Jeez, obvious enough for ya? All they were missing is a white haired presidential looking guy with the text "Is 'Is'" under it.

Plus, someone needs to learn how to frame McCain if they're going to film him. That low-slung angle up at his face accentuates his chipmunk cheeks and gives his head a baby-like pear shaped look.

They had me right up until they said "Paid for by Johm McCain." Who's Johm McCain?

It was a test to see who could possibly be bored enough to watch it all the way through.

It is up to Obama to point out the lies, ignorance, hypocrisy, and double dealing of John McSame. I hope to God that he does so loudly and often. Otherwise, we're going to end up with a worse president than Bush, even...if such a thing is possible.

1776 - Declaration of Independence

1789 - US Constitution ratified

No problem with using either date for a rhetorical device.

Maybe no problem, but for a short review of the important difference, I recommend Garry Wills' Lincoln at Gettysburg.

1776 - Declaration of Independence

1789 - US Constitution ratified

No problem with using either date for a rhetorical device.

Maybe no problem, but for a short review of the important difference, I recommend Garry Wills' Lincoln at Gettysburg.

McCain is a senile, angry, two-faced, lying piece of shit. And the sooner that dems who admire him see that, the better.

Did I mention dumb as a box of rocks?

Posted by: Econobuzz on April 9, 2008 at 9:36 PM

Agree with you 100% there, Econobuzz. Unfortunately, for the country, he will be the next POTUS because neither Hillary or Obama will be able to beat him.

"Agree with you 100% there, Econobuzz. Unfortunately, for the country, he will be the next POTUS because neither Hillary or Obama will be able to beat him."

That's similar to what you said in 2006, Chi. How did that work out for you?