Once you step out of the dutiful 'first lady' role, then fair game. Once on the campaign trail and attacking, game on. Anybody have a Vicodin?

Ummmm...yes?

White Republican women are stand ins for Pure White womanhood. By definition this indicates perfection. Cindy is white, blonde, rich and therefore beyond critique--unless it is being leveled by Bush-Rove. Bush could get away with this crap because he is her symbolic superior.

Just imagine this pill-popping daughter of a criminal as first spouse. Imagine if Michelle's hardworking father had been a criminal. Imagine Michelle a pill-popper. Imagine Michelle butting heads against Mother's Against Drunk Driving. Imagine her not releasing her tax returns. Cindy knows that NO ONE in the MSM with question or challenge her. She can do or say anything.

Cindy McCain is more pitiable than odious. She clearly is not the brightest bulb in the darkroom. But she is being used by her husband's campaign to create this phoney sense of umbrage, much as Lynn Cheney was used when Kerry mentioned that Mary Cheney was a lesbian. She's also used as a sex object and a stepford like wife (which Republicans tend to prefer). If I were Cindy, I would be doing more than Vicodin.

Yep...as soon as she opened her pie-hole.

Pill Poppin' Momma. Where the fuck are the surrogates HILLARY! - I'm talkin' to you. These lowlifes are milking all manner of airtime with these outrageous statements. We need someone to hit back.

McCain campaign WANTS Obama campaign to attack Cindy McCain.

They're dying to go after Michelle Obama, and desperately want to be able to say they're just responding to Obama's attack on McCain's white women, yo.

Hey folks, cut her some slack. It's the vicodin talking, not poor Cindy.

I say no, until they attack Michelle. The exception would be to have Biden say in an ad:
"John McCain voted against funding for my son in Iraq because he opposed a timetable for withdrawal. Barack Obama voted no once because there was NO timetable. If Congress and President Bush had listened to Obama instead of McCain, my son - and Cindy McCain's son - might have been safe at home by now."

The question is whether we would gain or lose by going down that path. Lose, probably. The only person who could respond to Cindy would be Michelle, and that would be a sideshow we don't need at a point when the media narrative favors us.

It's a trap...

Have we seen Cindy's tax returns yet? If she's going to actively campaign for her husband, why should she be exempt?

I agree with comments upthread -- Hillary is the best person to respond to millionaire heiress Cindy Lou Who. She's just a distraction for Obama at this point, bait to take him off message.

Why is John McCain sending the women out to do his most vicious attacking?

What bdr said.

Is anybody paying much attention to Cindy McC? If not, why go after her, when (a) it may create a sympathy backlash, and (b) it would probably distract attention from more effective lines of attack against McCain?

Going after Cindy McC would be fair, but it wouldn't be smart.

I say no. Just note that John seems content to let his women folk do his fighting for him and leave it at that.

Let Cindy rage. Does the McCain campaign have any idea how bad it looks for the candidate's spouse to attack his opponent? I've never seen it done before.

They said Michelle was the angry one. Guess they were wrong again. Everything about McCain's campaign right now looks angry. Angry, hateful candidates lose every time.

yes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/cindy-mccain-unleashedbrf_n_133089.html

http://www.geekasaurus.com/clint/images/20050702cryptkeeper.jpg

"The day that Senator Obama cast a vote not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body, let me tell you,"

Nah, that was just DTs.

one thing that i have noticed recently is that obama, in both debates and his ads, has always taken the high road and not laid down in the gutter with mccain, et.al., and i am getting the feeling that this year, for some reason, people are noticing the difference and, more important, preferring obama's approach. he's doing fine the way it's going, he should stay on the high road, and maybe it will help poison the bush/rove/mccain method of campaigning.

orange

There's a difference between attacking a person's statements and attacking the person who makes them. As Steve points out, it is a matter of record that by Mrs. McCain's own reckoning, her husband--and the father of the son she refers to--also is guilty of that which she says Obama is guilty. One could snarkily ask her whether Sen. McCain's vote also sent a cold chill" through her body; but the perfectly-legitimate question to her would be, "Why, as you framed your statement, is Obama guilty of this claim yet your husband is not?"

We all make dumb statements, and it defames no one's character to point out that sort of thing--especially if reason and fact conspire to provide the evidence in support of calling them dumb.

Have we ever in our history as a nation had a certifiable home-wrecker as a First Lady?

I think that's a simple and fair question.

NO. Ignore Cindy McCain. She's pathetic, and we can't win gunning for her.

However, as somebody mentioned above, there should be counter-ads making it clear that both McCain and Obama made tactical votes against troop funding.

Cindy McCain should be fair game, but I hope the Obama team has enough class to stay away from that one. The McCain crew would love it if the dems went after Cindy. Then ol John Boy could feign rightous indignation. How dare they attack my wife (the slut) !!!! No. No. No. Let Cindy babble. Let Palin use her baby as a prop on the campaign trail, but don't let them have any issue to distract the voters from the economy. Just keep hitting them on the economy. Michelle Obama was on the Daily Show last night and she had nothing but nice things to say about Cindy McCain. Michelle is a classy lady and will (hopefully) make a great first lady. All dems should follow her lead and go out of their way not to bad mouth Cindy. If no dems take the bait, look for the rethugs to try to create an incident so they can go after Michelle.

No. On their first meeting, she and McCain both lied to each other about their ages. The fact that they ended up with each other speaks enough truth about both of their personalities.

Thinking people already view her comments as just another lie on the endless saga on the Far Side trail. And going after her will only anchor her statements more firmly with the the non thinkers, aka the followers. So it it best to just let this fade.

If it riles you, send another donation to Obama and Biden.

On good morning america this morning Meredith made a point of juxtaposing millionaire heiress Cindy Lou Who's rantings over her son with news about McCain's own vote against war funding two months earlier. Meredith pointed out McCain voted no on the funding bill because it contained a timeline. Obama voted against a later bill because it didn't contain a timeline.

People outside washington don't understand the voting process very well.

"First Home wrecker", I like it

Mrs. McCain, like her husband, is counting on voters not knowing the difference between misleading smears and the facts.

The aim isn't just to mislead with smears, it's to feed an insane character narrative that inundates the airwaves which some people find all too easy to believe: Obama (or any Democrat or liberal for that matter) is a radical leftist, anti-military in all respects, and hates America. The right-wingers put all their effort into defining who Obama is, no matter how ludicrous or dishonest the result. So, as with similar framing for Kerry, if Obama doesn't vote for a budget bill it's because he hates the troops, and this works because they have masses of people believing that he (or any Democrat) already hates the troops. Democrats can't say the same about McCain's "defunding" because they don't define McCain's character to be someone he isn't, and because most Democrats are sane.

Why would we want to make Cindy McCain fair game, when (1) it will invite the same to Michelle and (2) undecideds seem to be breaking away from negative campaigners, (3) her comment (the dirtiest campaign ever) does not have much salience because it has no specificity and (4) we are ahead in the polls and don't need to play catch-up.
I think that we are being baited into overreacting, when we have every reason to be cool.

Cindy wants to trade shoes with Obama?

She wants the GOP base to call her a worthles n****r & joke about killing her?

Wow, she's a maaochist. Go figure...

As much as I'd love to see someone call Cindy McCain a lying, manipulative pill-popping, over-Botoxed rich bitch, it wouldn't be the smart move.

However, I think Hillary Clinton, Kathleen Sebellius, Claire McCaskill, and others should POUND THE EVERLIVING HELL out of Palin.

Wasn't Nancy Reagan the first "First Home Wrecker?"

No, not on her past. Useless and unnecessary. (Besides, I think she comes across so badly her entry into the campaign only helps.)

I do agree with Richard Greenslade's comment above about what Biden should say, and I'd also like to hear Obama say something like "Cindy McCain wants me to wear her shoes for a day. I.m sure she has a couple of hundred pairs to spare, but I don't think they'd fit me." (Hitting her on her wealth, with maybe an echo of Imelda Marcos.)

Well, we have one very good thing to say about John McCain marrying a much younger wife.

She's too young for the word "confused" to be interpreted as a slur.

I agree with the consensus. Other than setting the record state (i.e., going after the veracity of the claim itself), don't go after Cindy, or any spouse or child. If Obama wants to challenge the claim directly I wouldn't even identify Cindy as the speaker, but say something like, "the McCain campaign said . . ."

It's an incredibly cheap shot but I can only imgaine that the McCain campaign is salivating at the prospect of creating an opportunity to defend white women.

what was it Twain said? A lie circles the world before the truth gets out of bed?

sumpin like that...

The Pukes, including the Trollop/C*nt, have basically adopted the full-on fascist propaganda model, based on the big lie.

It doesn't matter whether something's true or not. What matters is that the charge is "Out There," causing the object of the lies to deny them. When you're denying, you're dying. So keeping on the pressure to deny lies is a great strategy, from the POV of the fascist propagandists, anyway...

"The day that Senator Obama cast a vote not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body, let me tell you,"

How can someone who's obviously been freeze dried feel a cold chill?

Cindy, the millionaire heiress,
Flew off for a weekend in Paris.
She bought two new homes
And lots of cologne
And said "Middle class, Go kiss my ariss."

Cindy needs to learn how to smile a little bit more! As she woefully tells tales of lament, her frown dulls her shine! Isn't negative attacks something she could just go out and buy? -Kevo

Cindy will become part of the MSM news cycle. She'll join Sarah in getting folks into a "revival-type" frenzy at rallies and other GOP events.

Cheerleaders.

So while the boys go at it on the gridiron, folks will have some eye-candy and babbling babes to distract voters from sticking to their game plan.

This is an election. Not a football game. You can't equate rabid Yankee-Red Sox rivalries with the next month as our country moves towards electing a new administration.

The Obama/Biden camp must stick to their gameplan. The bouncy yakky babes on the sidelines are not worthy (as Vp and First Lady) of the office their mate and running mate aspire to!

Awful pathetic McCain has to have a couple skirts do his dirty work. Lame.

Well said, Tom Nicholson @9:20.

People, try and be like Barack Obama. Just dust it off, respond like he already did (point out that the disagreement was over a timeline, not troop funding) and move on to important issues, such as the Iraq withdrawal timeline itself. Push comes to shove, throw in the GI bill vote.

Each time you do that, at least one independent vote moves your way.

"The day that Senator Obama cast a vote not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body, let me tell you,"

Well, given her inherent chill, she must have been damn near frozen at that point.

YES!! Abso-frickin-lutely!!! Bring the bitch down! She deserves about as much respect as a bag of cat turd. Make the stupid cunt eat her own words.

Cindy McCain "managed to say this with a straight face."

Botox'll do that.

Hmmm

I went to Central High School in Phoenix, Az with Cindy. I seem to remember her climbing out of the back of a Ryder moving truck along with the Central High football team at a boondocker party behind Squaw Peak. That's a distinct memory. And oh yeah, she defiantly inhaled...

You know, Obama & his campaign have the ability to correct Cindy's jackassery without calling her a jackass. And Obama's quite masterful at the subtle dig, making it clear someone just said something stupid or hypocritical without resorting to name-calling, the most recent Exhibit A being his slam when McCain accused him of being rash about Obama's talk of invading Pakistan if it meant getting bin Laden. It was powerful, it was masterful, and there was no whiff of "cheap shot" about it. I'd suspect Cindy's comments will be addressed in a dignified pitiable manner. Not pitiful, but pitiable, as in "It's sad Cindy doesn't understand her husband voted aginst her son, too."

I would generally say no. But generally, spouses aren't called upon to be attack dogs. Once Cindy went on the attack, she became fair game.

Whether that's a winning hand or not is another question. I would guess it isn't. Most reasonable people would find it distasteful, regardless of Ms McCain's behavior.
A better strategy might be to ridicule McCain for hiding behind his benefactor's skirt. The big tough war hero is too afraid to throw his own punches, so he hides behind a girl.

But then again, who knows? Maybe his secret plan to get bin Laden is to send an armed Cindy into the mountains of Pakistan.

Contrast Cindy's statements with Michelle Obama's interview last night on Larry King. Michelle was gracious to a fault, and refused to get in the mud.

Why is John McCain sending the women out to do his most vicious attacking?

Says it all about the man, doesn't it?

I call manufactured controversy.
Both parties want to ramp up militarism and keep up the war on drugs so where's the controversy?
Like humans share 98% DNA with chimpanzee's the Tweedledee Dems share most of their politics with the Tweedledum repugs. This race has been one big yawn and distracted from any real opposition those in power were getting last year from the netroots opposition. Democracy without politics is as ugly as a baboons backside so anyone in this circus is fair game for betting pools.
Permanent retirement from politics of all of them? Si se puede with extreme prejudice. ( my 2c )

Another example (after the biker rally) of the candidate John McPimp offering up his wife.
Since Cindy obviously doesn't mind her pimp expanding his stable with the hockey-milf whore, I'm wondering when the tapes will start appearing on the intertubes.
Trollop three-way, coming soon (did I misspell that?)

Cindy is absolutely fair game.

Anybody on the campaign trail, including Mr. Palin is fair game.

Cindy McCain is still refusing to release her tax returns. She had business deals with Charles Keating and was involved in a shady drug scam.

Not to mention she helped bankroll her husband's first House race.

This is a person whose finances should rightly be suspect.

Oh, to be a SNL writer this week.

"How come I can't get my 13th house? Daddy promised me I could have it." or "This isn't fair. Republican smear and scare tactics have always worked in the past how come they aren't this year?" or How about her "fantasizing" about the big O dressed in her very expensive designer clothes.

Poor 100 million dollar spoiled Cindy?

The whining is worse than Hillary's if that could have been possible.

A little fact checking (like actually vetting of a VP) of her husband's voting record would have been a little prudent here.

For the "ice princess" to make this statement blows my mind -- she is a poster child for Botox -- Michele will make a FAR FAR better First Lady -- Cindy needs to drink her inherited beer and shut her mouth

On November 4th, Princess Cindy goes back to her miserable existence with Old Grumpystilskins.

Pass the tissues.

Didn't President Bush veto funding for our troops while in the midst of a war?

Where the fuck are the surrogates HILLARY! - I'm talkin' to you. These lowlifes are milking all manner of airtime with these outrageous statements. We need someone to hit back.

To all evidence, all their all-negative, all-the-time, garbage distraction B.S. that doesn't address voters real concerns is doing is driving the McPalin campaign's electoral prospects deeper into the ditch.

While its important to remain vigilant and keep fighting, this kind of negativity and woe is us is unjustified: all the objective evidence, taken together, suggests that Obama is on track to give John McCain an electoral butt-kicking almost as severe as the ones Bill Clinton gave George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole.

I know, as Democrats, we're used to our candidates running incompetent campaigns and getting their teeth knocked in for it, but can we maybe think about recognizing it when they are, by all reasonable measures, doing quite well, and trying to understand why that is and take it into account when we talk about what we "need" from the campaign?

The exception would be to have Biden say in an ad:
"John McCain voted against funding for my son in Iraq because he opposed a timetable for withdrawal. Barack Obama voted no once because there was NO timetable. If Congress and President Bush had listened to Obama instead of McCain, my son - and Cindy McCain's son - might have been safe at home by now."

"Barack Obama voted no once because there was NO timetable." Leave out this sentence and the above paragraph would have more impact.

The best way to combat Cindy McCain is to sit back and encourage her to go on running her mouth. They say when you're over 50, you have the face you've made for yourself, with or without expensive plastic surgery and Botox. Look at Cindy's face and nasty smile -- it's hard enough to cut diamonds.

Oh my goodness, no, one should always be polite and kind, so we should be kind to Cindy, and offer her Percocet and Vicodin.

Particularly damning regarding her drug addiction is that John McCain apparently did not even notice anything as her behavior became increasingly erratic and crazy. I don't really like in-depth analysis of relationships and wives, but it's great to see the genuine affection when Obama and Michelle embrace after a debate. That's some family values for my liberal, agnostic ass.

Hands off, Obama! Only I can talk about my wife spreading makeup like a trollop, that cunt.

McCain uses Cindy to his advantage as often as possible, if not every day. He is where he is because of her money. Cindy uses McCain to achieve her own desire to be in the circle of political power without having to play by the rules of an elected official.

Cindy is fair game by stepping into the arena as she has. BUT, by going after her puny rodent-like role, the focus is taken off of the bigger game. That would be foolish so close to the election.

Let Cindy twist in the wind as everyone looks at the campaign in a retrospective light later in November. The critique of Cindy will not be kind.

First and foremost, Sen John McShame is a coward and a hypocrite of the first order. Never in the history of our country has the spouse of a Presidential candidate hit the campaign trail and attacked the other candidate with outright lies. It just goes to show how desperate the McSleaze campaign is, they will do anything to get elected and it sets a new standard for dirty politics. The McSame campaign is trying to bait Sen Obama into responding to Cindy's comments. We don't need another circus sideshow so Sen Obama stay clear of that crap. Sen McChump should be ashamed of pimping his wife just to get votes. It's really sad!

Even though I burn with fury at the low, despicable tactics of the McCain campaign, I think Obama is wise in how he's handling it. And if you are wondering why surrogates aren't making nasty attacks FOR Obama, perhaps it is because he has made it clear to them that he doesn't want this. Obama seems to have his very disciplined campaign under iron control. Compare it to McCain's.

Justice will come in the form of an electoral smack-down on Nov 4th. Delayed gratification for us.

Have we ever in our history as a nation had a certifiable home-wrecker as a First Lady?

Nancy Reagan?

Pass the vicodin, Cindy. Your husband's going to get schooled on Nov. 4. Over/Under on EV's for Barack----370!!

Okay for those who felt the need to point out a fact or two about Cindy, here's another fact worth noting, when Obama met Michelle, she was working in the same law firm as Bill Ayers' wife, also a domestic terrorist, Bernardine Dohrn. Yet, Obama continues to assert his connection to Ayers isn't much of anything.

There's nothing in attacking Cindy McCain. Who cares what Cindy says? If you want to attack McCain regarding Cindy, the issue is what McCain did to help keep Cindy from going to jail for stealing drugs. We're not voting on Cindy. We're voting on McCain, and the issue is his possible abuse in office to keep Cindy from going to jail.

I forgot to add that even bringing up THAT issue would be nuts. There's nothing in it, and we'd all be deafened by the Republican noise machine lying that Obama was attacking Cindy etc etc. They'd love to see Obama bring the issue up.

Cindy McCain claims that she is an aviation pilot...it appears that the FAA does NOT confirm this. Might the FAA have "requested" the surrender of a once-held certificate/license during the DEA investigation of her prescription drug writing?
In which case, she no longer can all herself a pilot, just as a lawyer, doctor or architect cannot represent themselves as such after their licenses are revoked or voluntarily surrendered.
Is misrepresenting herself and deceiving the public part of the plan to become the First Lady of our country?

Okay for those who felt the need to point out a fact or two about Cindy, here's another fact worth noting, when Obama met Michelle, she was working in the same law firm as Bill Ayers' wife, also a domestic terrorist, Bernardine Dohrn. Yet, Obama continues to assert his connection to Ayers isn't much of anything.

I worked at the same restaurant with 2 felons. Is my wife guilty of consorting with felons?

Note that all these bozos making insinuations never assert any actual wrong doing on Obama's part. That's because insinuation is the name of the game. People, right and left, in Chicago all tell the same story: nothing there.

"Why is John McCain sending the women out to do his most vicious attacking?"

Because maladjusted man-boys who were never required to grow up by being responsible for their actions conduct themselves this way. When he was younger he hid behind his father to clean up after him. Later, he hid behind his POW status (as well as harbor continued resentment). In the House and Senate, he hides behind his maverick moniker. It has been his "differentiator" AND his cover.

How many bills has he sponsored or co-sponsored only to bail out at the vote; to join late when it looks like it will pass; or to let die after the press opportunities have passed? His changing the rules behavior (personal life, military life, and political life) is nothing more than a lifetime of the "dog at my homework" cover for the inability to truly develop a plan (and relationships), execute, and be responsible for the outcome.

All the reported no eye contact, finger in the chest, "that one", red-faced anger, gender and class disrespect, maverick b.s., etc. is a lifetime of symptoms highlighting the dysfunction.

Men face people, relationships, issues, events head-on. McCain is an insecure dysfunctional man-boy.

Ms. McCain made her bed and sold her soul many years ago. Continuing to sleep in it in emotional isolation might be punishment enough.

Send Cindy McCain back through the Stargate with the other Wraith.

The Media won't go there, but the obvious inference to be drawn is that Cindy can't see the obvious:

Bush/Cheney and McCain put her son in harm's way. They wanted the invasion. They pushed for war. They pushed for an invasion that was completely unnecessary, and that's why Cindy's son (and Palin's son) are endangered now.

Obama was against that war from the start. From before the start. And Cindy wants to bash him when it comes to her son's situation? Cindy McCain, you have only your own husband, your party, your president and VP to blame. Not Obama. Not the guy who said we should NOT invade a non-threat. Obviously, if we had listened to Obama you wouldn't have anything to worry about right now.

Reply to Florida Voter's open insinuation: "...here's another fact worth noting, when Obama met Michelle, she was working in the same law firm as Bill Ayers' wife, also a domestic terrorist, Bernardine Dohrn. Yet, Obama continues to assert his connection to Ayers isn't much of anything."

According to public records, Bernardine Dohrn was employed by the law firm Sidley & Austin from 1984 to 1988. Michelle Obama graduated in 1988 from Harvard Law School and then went to the 1800-lawyer Chicago-based firm as an associate.

I don't know how many lawyers were in the Chicago office at the end of 1988, nor do I know what month Ms. Dohrn terminated. Nor do I know if they were on the same floor, nor if they ever worked on a case together, nor if they had occasion to cross paths (if their employment overlapped).

Do you have relevant information to offer vs. a cowardly whisper?

The McCain/Palin crowd cheers no matter what is said.
Cindy McCain says,"I cannot stand this man, he's a terrorist and we should stop pretending otherwise before he gets into office. I think that the only way of stopping him is to shoot him for the sake of our country. Stop pretending, Obama needs to get out or die and after this rally I suggest we all go across town where he is appearing and teach him a lesson."
You would not be able to hold the cheering back. The majority of McCain's supporters don't care about truth, justice or anything else except being in control. Cindy McCain knows better...she will say anything like all McCain supporters regardless of truth to demonize Obama and McCain supporters can be counted on to cheer no matter what is said.
If McCain said to the crowd, "Most people would consider you all to be complete assholes..but to them I say yes, but they are my assholes". The applause and cheering would be deafening.
Fuck these people...they are a small bigoted loudmouth minority who have used fear and terror to steal elections but are up against an overwhelming opposition this time. We've had enough of the McCain's and Palins to last life times...we are so done with their ignorant supporters also. Enough.

Compare angry Cindys lying remarks to the gracious tone of Michelle Obama last night on Larry Kings show where she refused to denigrate Cindy or Sarah and praised Hilary clinton and then ask yourself which of the 2 women ,Cindy or Michelle would you rather have representing our country as first lady

She put herself in this so she is fair game.

Just a few of the bills supporting troops that McCain has voted against:

I have a message for Cindy McCain. Cindy, your husband did not vote for the following war funding bills over the past year:

6/26/08 HR 2642 Iraq and Afghanistan War Finding/GI Bill
5/22/08 S Amdt 4814 Funding for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
5/22/08 S Amdt Finding for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with Provisions Regarding Conduct and Congressional Oversight
3/14/08 S Con Res 70 Concurrent Budget Resolution
1/22/08 HR 4986 Defense Authorizations Bill
11/16/08 HR 4156 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense and Timeline for Withdrawal
11/16/08 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense
10/1/07 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008

As recently as June of this year, McCain voted against Sen. Jim Webb (D) VA, new GI Bill because it was "too generous". This from man who's birth was paid for by the gov't, who's education was paid for by the gov't, who's children's births were paid for by the gov't, and who's ongoing medical problems are paid for by whom, yes, the gov't. But it's "too generous" to help pay for the education of our nation's soldiers, who are risking their lives for an empty war.