McCain's "That One!" - honestly, I think that is what cost them the election

[Taverner]

It was the stupidest thing McCain EVER did, and keep in mind this beats blowing up an aircraft carrier!

When he made that statement, he proved, once and for all, that he was not the Seasoned Statesman, but the racist old man telling you to get off his lawn. Everything else after that collapsed for him.

But why did he think that would be the right thing to say?

It's almost as if he was throwing the election...or maybe I just don't understand Arizona...

[KonaKane]

1. I think 26 years of GOP misrule lost them the election

although his stupid, unthinking comments certainly helped along their failure.

[Taverner]

2. Ahhh but at that point, polls showed them going neck and neck

After choosing Palin and saying "that one" the next poll showed McCain behind, and he never recovered

[Obamanaut]

3. With all the reasons to dislike McCain, he did not blow up an aircraft

carrier.

He did intercept a SAM with his own A4, but that proved to be imprudent.

[RamboLiberal]

10. I second that - I sure got tired in '08 shooting down that piece of

internet crap. McCain was in no way responsible for the accident on the Forrestal.

[SargeUNN]

4. A Little Caution is in order here

McCain is a jerk but let me also throw in that Hayworth makes McCain look good. Before we get too excited that McCain stands a chance to lose in the Republican Primary, let's remember Hayworth is a lot worse. The general feeling here among Arizona Democrats is that Hayworth is more beatable than McCain since Hayworth doesn't have the large warchest, but Glassman does have primary challengers that will cause him to have to spend money in the primaries and reduce what he has in the General. That fact alone is not good and Glassman is a great candidate, but as always some who want to make a name for future elections decided to run as Democrats. I am not sure Glassman will have the funds to beat either McCain or Hayworth but hopefully he will get them. Please if you will go to http://rodneyglassman.com and if you can afford to do so, donate. Regardless, McCain or Hayworth, our country doesn't need either and Glassman is one that we can take pride in.

[blm]

5. The Democratic nominee would win 2008 and it was a certainty by fall of 2006.

McCain or no McCain. Gaffe or no gaffe.

[Tempest]

7. McCain made it easy

His campaign was a disaster and his picking Palin didn't help either.

[blm]

9. True...McCain certainly made himself into a bigger dumbass than anyone expected

and made himself so obviously incompetent that even the fascists controlling the corporate media had trouble carrying his water for him in that election.

[Tempest]

6. "That one" barely registered

If you look at the polls, McCain's downfall was when he suspended his campaign to (what he said) meet with the administration on the financial crisis. Then word came out from the Bush administration that McCain was useless and had nothing to offer.

He took a huge hit on that.

[otohara]

8. Palin Was The Icing On The Cake

so to speak.

I'm with you - "that one" was stupid but no comparison to his financial quip and Barbie.

[Warpy]

11. I think it's likely the economic collapse

(which started in late summer, 2007, for those of us paying close attention) with his reassurance that the economy was great (at least for him) along with his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate that did him in, especially the latter.

I know a lot of people who were sitting on the fence because they bought into that whole war hero and independence from party dogma nonsense his publicists succeeded in pushing for so many years who were pushed over to the Obama side after Palin's disastrous CBS interview.

People were already on edge about the economy. His choice of an air headed fading beauty queen as a running mate pushed them completely over it and into the Obama camp.

If they had managed a campaign season in which Palin had been on the dais smiling and waving and doing nothing else, her lips super glued together, the race might have been close enough to steal. Had he made a rational choice instead of an emotional one, the election might have been closer.

As it was, a nervous population took one look at Sarah Palin and handed Obama an electoral landslide.

[hlthe2b]

12. Cringe worthy, for sure... in a career that is careening off the

"cringe" cliff.

Sometimes I wonder if he has pre-senile dementia... His lack of convictions doesn't surprise me, but the fact that he thinks he can get by with flaunting the fact.

[Taverner]

13. Would it be Dukakis' Tank moment though?

[hlthe2b]

15. No.. probably not... (doesn't have the visual impact)

[JI7]

14. nope, it was Palin, but he would have lost without Palin also

but he might have still won more votes and electoral votes.

he just sucked as a candidate. and Obama was a far superior candidate.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. Saying he didn't know how many houses he owned would rank higher on my list. nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. GOP had no hope in 2008 - they were doomed from go

That's why the Democratic primary was such a slugfest. Everyone knew that whoever won the Democratic primary was the next President.

[Taverner]

18. yes nt

[Touchdown]

19. Not quite. His whole campaign was a series of train wrecks.

Exposing "Joe The Plumber" as a welfare queen, then a no-show flake on the campaign trail didn't help much either.

Don't even get me started on Palin, Charleeeeeee!