He's stuck to his pledge of not brining up Rev Wright. He clearly has nothing to lose at this point, and conservative pundits have been itching for it to be raised (including his "diva" V.P.), but Mccain has stuck to his guns. I give him props for that.
Mccain Deserves Some Credit
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GeeMack
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Well, in a manner of speaking. But the National Republican Trust PAC just bought 2.5 million dollars worth of television air time in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida to dangle this ad in front of the public...
So although it may not be McCain himself doing it, the Reverend Wright issue is still rearing its ugly head in the campaign. Now let's see how quickly Mr. McCain repudiates this one.
(More from ABC News.)
So although it may not be McCain himself doing it, the Reverend Wright issue is still rearing its ugly head in the campaign. Now let's see how quickly Mr. McCain repudiates this one.
(More from ABC News.)
Ausmerican
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Damn, I came into this thread to agree with the OP and say that I would give him even more credit if he got rid of that fool on his campaign staff in PA. And oh look, a twofer. 
Quickly, I hope. I saw a glimmer of the old Mccain when he took the mike away from the old woman who called Obama an Arab. I'm hoping that resurfaces again.
Damn, I came into this thread to agree with the OP and say that I would give him even more credit if he got rid of that fool on his campaign staff in PA. And oh look, a twofer.
Who's that? The person pusing the "big black guy" mugged me story?
ZenFountain
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He's stuck to his pledge but it was disingenuous to begin with since Obama has already dealt with Rev Wright, first with a speech that received much praise and then distancing himself from Wright when he wouldn't stop making trouble. The McCain campaign knows the half life of a scandal, taking the high road was strictly a political calculation.
I would agree that to some extent McCain hasn't punched as hard as he could and certainly not as much as the Republican pundits want him to. It's difficult to ascertain exactly why, but my observation from his body language at the debates and campaign rallies is that he's often uncomfortable attacking someone until he's provoked, at which point he breaks into an emotionally charged outburst. McCain still seems to envision himself as a right of center maverick that's going to win over middle America with his style and ideas.
I would agree that to some extent McCain hasn't punched as hard as he could and certainly not as much as the Republican pundits want him to. It's difficult to ascertain exactly why, but my observation from his body language at the debates and campaign rallies is that he's often uncomfortable attacking someone until he's provoked, at which point he breaks into an emotionally charged outburst. McCain still seems to envision himself as a right of center maverick that's going to win over middle America with his style and ideas.
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Ausmerican
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Not the girl. The guy that seems to be the one that did most of the talking to the reporters. I think he was also the one that sent out that charming email comparing electing Obama to the rise of Hitler.
dudalb
Penultimate Amazing
Which is the guy I supported back in 2000. But I think that horse left the barn when he choose Sarah Palin as his running mate.
jberryhill
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If McCain had remained true to the candidate he was in 2000, had selected a credible running mate, and had not run a campaign on the basis of the "gimmick du jour", he'd have had a real shot at winning.
One of the things that irritates me about this entire election is that the simply bizarre campaign he's run has deprived voters of a genuine dialog on things that matter.
One of the things that irritates me about this entire election is that the simply bizarre campaign he's run has deprived voters of a genuine dialog on things that matter.
Pragmatist
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Call me a cynic but (given all the other fecal matter he's been throwing) I personally believe that keeping that promise has little to do with honour and a lot more to do with keeping his own inconvenient associations with crazy pastors out of the limelight.
For example Pastor Hagee, more information here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/29/john-hagees-mccain-endor_n_89189.html
Or Reverend Parsley: http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
NotJesus
Unsaviory
On the other hand, McCain's giving a platform to Joe the Lying Dumbass to say that an Obama presidency would mean the death of Israel, and whatever else pops into his head, so I can't give him much credit for taking a pass on Wright.
dirtywick
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After eight years of Bush McCain had a huge uphill battle to fight, and Obama has run an oustanding, almost mistake free campaign. I don't think there's anything he could have done to have anything more than an outside chance of winning.
Well, that'll learn my non-cynical ass to expect something from a candidate.
Gnu World Order
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Yeah, Obama's had five or six months to prepare a response to the Wright thing, should McCain bring it up. McCain realizes that, and has wisely left it alone. Not out of honor but out of pragmatism.
Tricky
Briefly immortal
Give Obama some credit too. There are a lot of things that he has omitted from his campaign like:
No doubt, there are probably some cynical reasons why the politicians have avoided certain topics that seem like they would be good mud, but after having watched G W Bush operate (particularly in the campaign for Governor against Ann Richards), this is practically a tea party by comparison.
- McCain's school record
- McCain's philandering and divorce of his disabled wife
- McCain's abandoning of his own tradmark act, the McCain-Feingold bill.
- McCain's bouts with cancer
No doubt, there are probably some cynical reasons why the politicians have avoided certain topics that seem like they would be good mud, but after having watched G W Bush operate (particularly in the campaign for Governor against Ann Richards), this is practically a tea party by comparison.
Actually (this is my polite version), that horse had escaped by 2002 when he realized that he needed to be more Bush-like if he was to have any chance by 2008 and decided to go that way. The hope of winning trumped honor.
ponderingturtle
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But could he have gotten nominated?
Darth Rotor
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Was that supposed to be combined with the age discrimination memes embedded in the message from the Obama camp?
DR
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Tricky
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I don't think so. Anybody can get cancer at any age. My father-in-law died at 65 from skin cancer. Ms. Tricky can barely stand to look at McCain because that big lump on his left cheek looks exactly like the tumor that killed her father.
But I will still maintain that a candidate's age is a legitimate issue. If you've ever had a relative who grew erratic as they aged (especially after age 70) then you might agree. I think there's little doubt that Ronald Reagan was not allowed to be in any way in charge of anything important during the last couple of years of his presidency.
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