The voters will always know where McCain stands--all they have to do is ask James Dobson . . .

The McCain plan for defense spending is simple.

Money for Pentagon contractors: Good.
Money for additional troops and veteran services: Bad.

Study the details and you, too, can make a GOP commercial.

Hey Steve,

I'm probably jumping the gun on your campaign roundup, but could you give the readers here some good news? Anything at all would do.

cheers
neil

Oh wait! I KNOW, I KNOW!! McCain stands as "Me first, Country second". It's changed since he started running for presidency, but it's this kind of McCain change that we can count on and believe in. The change that leaves all American's scratching our heads and saying, "What the fuck did he just do?"

Steve,
It's touching that you still appear to be capable of some surprise at McCain's tactics. I'm with Lily Tomlin: No matter how cynical you get, it's hard to keep up (except I'd change "hard" to "hopeless"). It's clear that their campaign simply operates in a truth-free zone, or Orwell's 1984, or a parallel universe where words mean nothing and reality is whatever you say it is THIS MINUTE--take your pick.

voters will "always know" where he stands

Because John McCain will continue to deceive them, tell them exactly what they want to hear regardless of how outrageous a lie it is. No, the voters will never be made aware that McCain has flipped and pandered on at least 76 issues. The pundits and media are making sure that the voters are familiar with some make-believe version McCain that does not exist in reality. The media will continue to genuflect and voila, hello Prez. McSame. 4 more years...

Still waiting for the Obama campaign and the Democrats to go on offense.

Is it really such a great idea? When you spend more on the military than the next 19 biggest spenders put together, your military is too damn big. Switching some of the big-ticket money to funding an increase in troop strength would help our preparedness, but mainly we need to stop being the world's policeman.

If this were a boxing match the ref would step in and stop it.

There is no excuse for this. It's actually a betrayal of everyone who has contributed and supported this campaign.

So what is it, exactly, that McCain is whining about here?

He's not whining. He's fighting dirty and it's working. Somebody needs to throw some ugly mud at McCain pretty fast or this thing is going to slip away. I hate to say it, but two years from now we might have Palin's finger on the button, or worse- McCain's.

Hit his charactar. Hit it. HIT IT!

Yup, ya always knows where John stands. More and more lately, where he stands smells, like, like the stuff that a male cow dropped in the pasture. It just seems to waft up from his tippy toes all the way to his sorry ol' white crown.

Did I say crown? Oh my.

*

Obama has included an increase in the size of the military in his platform from day one.
What is McCain doing using Corsi for facts?

Steve:

The problem is few people know about McCain's flip-flops. As I've said before, Obama is taking a democratic tailwind and blowing it up his backside. Why aren't we seeing Obama ads that show McCain's changing of positions?

We have 8 weeks. If Obama doesn't change his advertising soon, only the debates will change his luck. And I promise you this: the expectations game will be played perfectly by McCain. Soon, he'll be moaning that he can't possibly stay even with Obama in the debates. Eventually, the electorate will see him as it did Bush: he didn't look totally stupid so he "won" the debates. And the election.

I'm used to McCain lying, but normally the statements actually make some sense. Where is Obama supposed to be flipping here? We don't normally refer to troops as a 'future combat system', so it seems logical that one might increase troops while cutting non-troop systems.

John McCain's campaign is increasingly, obviously, based on insulting the intelligence of the electorate.

Ah, yes, we've now entered that portion of the campaign where the Repugs throw up a barrage of bullshit, hoping that something will stick, and knowing that a lot of the electorate is too dumb to know the difference or too disinclined to find out those messy little things called "facts."

Good times.

St. Zak:

There is no excuse for this. It's actually a betrayal of everyone who has contributed and supported this campaign.

Yep. Always playing defense.
Sort of like Kerry...

Why don't we just all chip in and by Barack a wetsuit and a windsurf board?

By the way, for lack of anything better to do, I just wrote Andrew Sullivan suggesting he organize a 527.

I am done with giving money to Barack's campaign. Until a 527 comes along that will go after McPalin, I am content to let America go to the husky-bitch that at least has the temerity to pee like a man.

Steve Benen wrote: "So what is it, exactly, that McCain is whining about here?"

McCain isn't "whining". McCain is LYING.

McCain and Palin know that they can lie with impunity. The "deferential" corporate-owned media has already given them a blanket pass on whatever lies they want to tell, no matter how sickening, brazen or preposterous.

Steve Benen wrote: "As for McCain's argument that voters will 'always know' where he stands, McCain does realize he's flip-flopped on 76 issues, right?"

McCain knows that voters will "always know" what the corporate-owned mass media tells them, and as ckelly correctly notes above, the corporate-owned mass media is pounding the voters with a fake, phony, made-for-TV John McCain -- and a faker, phonier, made-for-People-Magazine Sarah Palin -- neither of which has any relation to reality.

The problem is that the Obama campaign is trying to win an election by communicating with the "reality-based community", while the McCain campaign is communicating with the "reality-TV-based community".

You don't have to guess which approach wins. We've seen it already, in 2000 and 2004.

It might be a good idea to spend more money on things which can actually be put into use. Like now. Decidedly low tech stuff like more grunts with better personal, squad and platoon level equipment. And speed up the procurement process for obviously good ideas that can be turned into stuff that helps the troops win battles.

Fer fucks sake, Jessica Lynch and the rest of her column took the wrong route and got caught because their trucks weren't equipped with GPS ... in the year of 2003.

And cut back on some of the more wacky and gadgetry programs. Yes, I know, you have to prepare for the future, but what good will all that preparation do, if the present is fucked up due to inadequate spending on things that actually matter in the now?

I haven't got a clue as to whether the US needs to pony up more dough for the defence as a whole, but it needs to pony up with more dough for programs that actually wins wars in the now. And that is, as said, decidedly low tech stuff most of it.

Did I just cite Obamas policy? I honestly don't know; this is my 5 cents written from a semi-professional Danish point of view.

Regards.

Maybe its time for people in great numbers to contact the Obama campaign and voice their extreme displeasure over the direction his campaign has taken. I don't think people have been contributing their hard earned money in these troubled times for someone who's willing to roll over and play dead.

I'm calling them tonight.

the problem is that personnel cost money, a lot of money.

even allowing for some cuts in systems procurement and R&D (believe it or not, the current administration has already done a fair amount of this)...increasing the end strength of the military will inevitably mean a boost in defense spending.

No matter what the facts, people will believe McCain because he's a former POW. What Obama needs to do is realize this and take the offensive. Hit McCain hard on everything. Hit Palin for failing to know what Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac are.

Obama is beginning to panic and has increased his capacity to say whatever he thinks will get him votes.

You misspelled "McCain"

Steve,

Why do you repeat McCains attack points day after day then justify yourself by asking how anyone could believe them?

Steve,

Why do you repeat McCains attack points day after day then justify yourself by asking how anyone could believe them?

Bloggers seem to be the only ones talking about the fact that most of what McCain/Palin says is completely wrong factually. It doesn't matter who's telling the truth and who's not. It only matters who's talking the loudest, and right now McCain is a lion of BS, while where I stand I can't even hear Obama meager responses. Sure the media are not helpful, but that is a hurdle, not an excuse...

This is an 8th grade personality driven campaign. Staying above the fray, as Obama is doing, is a sure way to lose. The correct response to McCain is humor and ridicule - to call him on his lies publicly and often. Anything else is weak and in my opinion will lead to a loss.

This is not the time for Obama and his team to go tentative or timid or rely on positive messages alone.

I'm tired of being beaten by inferior messages and if the Democrats lose the gift that is this election, I will likely find it impossible to support them in the future. After all, if they can't win in such favorable winds, why not vote for a third party that doesn't rubber stamp endless war and curtailments of basic civil liberties? Why continue to vote for losers?

"My friends, you may not always agree with me but you will always know where I stand."

This is quite true. I always know where McCain stands - at exactly that spot designed to gain him maximum cheap publicity and/or political advantage.

My friends, just look which way the wind is blowing, and there you will find McCain, boldly tacking to sail along with it!

Enough with the counter-punching. Hit first Obama. The Republicans get their lies out there and move on. They don't care if Obama refutes them. Nobody hears the refutation, they're busy hearing the next lie.

That's Just What I Said

"...slow our development of future combat systems."

That would be the future combat system(s), or FCS. McCain has been trying to kill it for years. Moreover, his (*cough*) plan to balance the budget specifically calls for an end to FCS, among other programs, e.g.:

...there are lots of procurements -- airborne laser, Globemaster, Future Combat System -- that should be ended...

Double Amen Sax!

Saint Zak,

Take a deep breath, and relax. It's not 4:30 EST on Monday. September 8th.

This thing isn't over yet. Not by a long shot. Just because we're getting the dirt from McCain's latest barrage of bullshit doesn't mean the rest of the electorate is as well.

And it certainly doesn't mean that Obama is cowering in a corner with no game plan.

Remember, he beat The Clintons.

I continue to have faith that his campaign will fight back when appropriate.

I mean think about it - if Obama went bare-knuckles at every insinuation from the MCain camp then don't you think that would feed right into the "Angry Black Man" narrative? And then you'd be seeing a whole lotta Rev Wright screaming all over the news and advertising.

What I mean is, even though the idea of Obama slugging it out with McCain is appealling to us, it would doom his campaign. Like it or not, his colour is a major hinderance here - there's a whole lotta people who still have a Birth of a Nation mentality whether they know it or not.

Don't worry Zak, the sky isn't falling (yet)

cheers!!

This isn't about this particular issue -- the Right is ginning up the narrative that Obama will say one thing to one audience, and another to a different audience, so you can't trust him. (See Sarah Palin's acceptance speech.)

It's time for Obama and Biden and the rest of the Dem team to advance the narrative that McCain is a flip-flopper who pandered on 76 issues -- in ads, in talking points, in interviews, everywhere. I mean, I know about that, and everyone who reads this blog knows that, but it's not part of the national conversation, while "clinging to guns and religion" is.

has407 is completely right!

McCain has explicitly recommended terminating the same FCS program.

This is the height of hypocrisy!

McCain wants to cut defence procurement by $160 billion!

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/08/22/mccains-proposed-cuts-insufficient/

"The "deferential" corporate-owned media has already given them a blanket pass on whatever lies they want to tell, no matter how sickening, brazen or preposterous.Posted by: SecularAnimist"

The Media bias is in this election up to every fiber optic they have.

Especially CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, these first Line Journalist are complicit to forge, fabricate, produce in your face smear, lie about poll numbers, red state, blue state, or swing state lean leaning that appears to be in favor for McCain and Palin for the rest of the election season. The October surprise would be a Palin screw up, so it is called hide and seek till November.

Its as obvious as Blitzer’s gray beard, and Chuck Todd’s new toy for big screen political rascal dazzle in numbers, or state, and electoral bullshit. Chuck Todd was on MSNBC illustrating the power of number crunching like the new election machines likely geared for a lopsided fixed forged Republican win. If you turn off the sound Chucky Pooh looks like the white elite version of black wrap rock disco vinyl record ripper finger twirling on the computer table screen rocking to the GOP stomp.

The biggest dazzler was listening to Sean Hannity the other day, between Sean and Michael Savage they seem to attract a huge following for brain dead great Americans. Anyway, here, Sean Hannity goes on and on about being happy there are evil rich American’s and he is happy too for them. For real and not kidding around or trying to bend the context of the narrative over talk radio because I am sure Sean Hannity would never say that on cable television. This totally made my mind wonder as what in hell makes Hannity say things like that. It’s crazy. He, Sean Hannity said “I am glad there are evil rich people in America�. And� I am glad I work for one�. Yikes…

Please then Andrea Mitchell tell America that the under educated electorate will only vote for Palin. That was funny like how many stupid Americans are out there at last polling Andrea said McCain Palin was ahead in polling. Does this mean America has advance in stupidness? Guess so. Remember what Joe Scarborough said “don’t fight with the media or your going to loose�.

Let vote against the media they lied with Bush and Company.

Vote Obama and Biden 2008. Instead of 24x7 news lets get Obama to create 24X7 free education on Cable television. Enough of this news bullshit.

Nathan: Obviously. Wages are the shit. But one would have to be either an idiot or wilfully blind (or both) not to notice that the US is running rather short on troops at present.

12-15 month combat tours with as little as 10 months in garrison back at home before the nest tour effectively amounts to some sort of torture.

And McCain is getting away with pretending he doesn't know this? That's getting away with murder, so to speak.

(And of course, enlarging the US Army isn't done in a jiffy ... you don't just procure 10 combat brigades (and 30 supply ditto) with the snap of your fingers. Buying a lot of hi-tech stuff is much faster and more sexy.)

Regards.

To repeat from earlier:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/27818659.html

St. Paul officials, including Mayor Chris Coleman, "required the Republican Party's host committee to buy insurance covering up to $10 million in damages and unlimited legal costs for law enforcement officials accused of brutality, violating civil rights and other misconduct...St. Paul officials, led by Mayor Chris Coleman, insisted the committee use its private donations to purchase the insurance policy. They had some leverage because the party had named St. Paul as the location for the convention before striking the city services agreement in January 2007."

THE RNC HAD TO BUY INSURANCE AGAINST THE GUARANTEED TORT PAYMENTS FOR THE BRUTALITY THEY KNEW THEIR CRONIES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WOULD COMMIT DURING THE CONVENTION.

Firedog Lake and Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald had great coverage of the protests, and the pre-emptive, unconstitutional raids of homes prior to the convention. Here is a link to a video of an unresisting man being mobbed and tasered by about a dozen policeman:

http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=81605

Having actually worked on FCS -- its a massive, bloated, overreaching, poorly managed program that needs to be slowed down. And given how expensive it is, Obama is exactly right: you can slow it down, increase funding & improve the readiness of the active military, and cut defense spending all at the same time. In what is becoming a regular occurrence, McCain lies again.

It's really a clever strategy Steve.

It goes like this: If you are technically weak on a particular point (flip-flopping for political convenience) attack your opponent for doing the same thing. It doesn't matter if the charge is bogus. What matters is that the media talks about it as if it might be. Then, all the low-info voters will hear is that "both camps are charging the other with flip-flopping."

It's the same strategy they are using with respect to earmarks. It really doesn't matter if the line that Palin fought against earmarks is 100% the opposite of reality. All that matters is that the daily media narrative is, "both camps are attacking each other on earmarks."

It's a classic smokescreen. And they are doing it because it has worked so well for them in the past.

And the only way to clear a smokescreen is a really big fan. My suggestion: call it a lie. Then the media narrative becomes, "Is the McCain/Palin campaign lying?"

But McCain is exploiting the simpleminded Manichean logic that the media, and entertainment complex has implanted though out our culture. It works thusly:
(1) Wants more soldiers: pro military Check.
(2) Wants to cut some systems: anti military Check.
(1) equals not (2) Illogical, illogical TILT TILT.

Of course these folks will exploit any sort of logic that suits their current motives. And the press will let it pass.

I don't konw about earmarks but Barack Obama does have big ears. PS. Don't tell the Harpy!

John McCain, September 8, 2008:

"My friends, you may not always agree with me but you will always know where I stand."

George W Bush, 2004 Presidential Campaign:

"You may not always agree with me, but you'll always know where I stand."

more of McCain sounding like Bush

It might be good politics to say we need to spend more on the military, but it's an absurd policy. We spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined, and many of the other top spenders are close allies. Who's threatening us? Mexico? Canada?

Last November 27th McCain told Charlie Rose we'll get out of Iraq sooner than later because of tribal and religious differences and they just don't accept us occupying their country. So much for the 4, 100 or 1000 year plan. Then he went on to advocate getting our soldiers off their streets and back on our bases while Iraqis patrol their communities. Somebody tell John McCain that is the pre-surge strategy.