http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16575.htmlMcCain finds Corsi hatchet-job funny, then backpedals
Posted August 16th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Much of the week has been spent responding to Jerome Corsi’s new book, “The Obama Nation,” and its lengthy list of transparent falsehoods. Yesterday, the Associated Press asked John McCain, who was on route to a meeting, what he thought of the right-wing hatchet-job. McCain responded, “Gotta keep your sense of humor.”
The Obama campaign was not amused.
“The old John McCain used to boast about honorable politics, while the new John McCain finds Roveian smears funny. Honor is not a laughing matter. What does John McCain think is funny about an intolerant smear artist who called Pope John Paul II senile and claims the government lied about 9/11? McCain has said he wants to run an honorable campaign, but his belief that these smears are funny makes people question whether he now approves of the same reprehensible politics used to smear his own character eight years ago,” said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.
The DNC’s Rapid Response Team added, “Despite pledging to run a respectful campaign, McCain is just standing by while Corsi and his publisher, former Dick Cheney aide Mary Matalin, poison this presidential race.”
Soon after, in an interesting twist,
a McCain spokesperson said McCain “actually did not hear the question, and would not be commenting on the book.”Now, ask yourself, have you ever thought to respond to a question that you didn’t hear by saying, “Gotta keep your sense of humor”? Isn’t that kind of specific as a response? As a rule, if I’m asked a question and didn’t hear the questioner, I might say something like, “What?” Or maybe, “Could you repeat that?” If I was at a distance, I might point at my ear and shake my head. It wouldn’t occur to me to respond, “Gotta keep your sense of humor.”
But even if we accept the campaign’s truly ridiculous spin at face value, I have a follow up question: why isn’t McCain commenting on the book?
No matter what one’s ideology or party preference, it seems pretty obvious that Corsi is an unhinged smear artist who lies about those he attacks. Indeed, four years ago, when Corsi was lying about John Kerry’s heroic military service, McCain spoke out publicly to defend his Senate colleague and dismiss Corsi’s work.
Yes, the circumstances are slightly different now. This time Corsi’s target is McCain’s direct rival, not just the nominee of the rival party.
But the underlying point remains the same: Corsi is lying, McCain knows it, but he refuses to say so because the lies may benefit him politically. It’s the difference between honor and whatever’s left of McCain’s character.Time’s Joe Klein argued the other day:
Back in the day, John McCain was the sort of politician who would stand first in line to call out this sort of swill. (As, I’m sure Barack Obama or John Kerry would do, if some hate-crazed, money-grubbing left-winger published a book claiming that McCain had been successfully brainwashed in Vietnam — as Kerry did indeed do when a group of spurious Bush-backing Vietnam vets tried to claim exactly that about McCain during the 2000 Republican primary in South Carolina.)
Ultimately, the first and last question McCain asks is, “Will this swill help destroy my opponent?”
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
