...to a low blow accusation is to come back with a tougher low blow accusation.

As I commented elsewhere, in this instance, instead of complaining about what McCain did, just say that McCain's accusation was ridiculous, and shoot back with a substantive question about whether McCain was more committed to his political career or the welfare of the troops in 2003, when US troops were sent into Iraq without proper armor and a post-hostilities withdrawal plan, and McCain was the #2 Republican on the Armed Services Committee. Did McCain know that there wasn't enough body armor and armored vehicles to go around, or did he not even bother to check?

That disaffected Republicans, evangelicals, and new registrations more than compensate for the lifelong Democratic women who won't vote for him (too lazy to dig out that link right now), then God love him, he should go ahead with what he's doing. Alternatively, if that strategy is too risky -- and it seems risky to me -- it would make more sense to figure out how to recapture that part of the base he's losing. And Hillary showed that boring bullet points about policy work for that portion of the base.*

Whatever the fireworks are at Investiture Field, they will no doubt impress the young, evangelicals, and possibly the new registrations. But that's very shallow support, based solely on spectacle. I doubt, for example, that cellphone texting is going to impress anyone who isn't already committed -- ready to "Join Us" as Obama's creepy and soft pr0n-like campaign collateral has it.

NOTE * And he'd have to do that without everything sounding like an insincere laundry list thrown together by people who really don't care. Eh?

[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

Nobody likes a whiner (or a tattletale). It's sad, but true. Complaining about McCain isn't going to make him stop, it's going to encourage him because it's a sign it's getting under Obama's skin. What's worse, the complaint only keeps the original smear in the news.

Why does Obama insist on modeling his campaign after John Kerry and Michael Dukakis? When Bill Clinton got hit he hit back and/or would change the subject by saying something like "this election isn't about me, it's about the American people and I'm going to do X for the American people. My opponent doesn't want to talk about that because he knows he's wrong."

McCain isn't Clinton, the press isn't going to do the heavy lifting for Obama this time. He can win this, but he's going to have to do the work.

that's the narrative because they are looking to blame Clinton and women if Obama falters (because it couldn't possibly be the party's or Obama's fault).

But if you look at electoral-vote.com, Obama was above 270 in the electoral vote since at least June 3rd (I didn't go back farther than that). And for most of June and early July he was above 300. Today, for the first time since before he won was given the nomination, he's below 270, he was at 316 on Aug. 1. It's not a matter of convincing hold outs, it's a matter of him having lost voters he at one time had.

This running to the center thing is really working for him. So is being a blank slate onto which people can project their hopes fears.

Obama shows he can do negative just fine

A year or more ago I was writing posts saying I'd support anyone but Hillary. Then I got a look at the Democratic field and there wasn't anyone but Hillary. So I don't feel like a Hillary dead-ender.

I might have liked Edwards (I did in 2004 after Dean dropped out), but I just felt he was insincere this time around. I guess that's been validated (although I really don't care who he's been schtupping).

I won't vote for Obama because I haven't liked him - based on his issue positions - since his Senate campaign, and he's done nothing to change my mind since. If Hillary had never existed I wouldn't have supported Obama.

And until Democrats can show some spine on things like FISA or offshore drilling (or health care, or economics, or ... ), I don't plan on voting for any D. And the only R I'd vote for (a local woman) died 5-6 years ago. And I don't often vote 3rd party. So I guess count me out.

That may abrogate my right to complain about who gets elected, but I still get to say "Told ya so".

Democats aren't saying that Obama has squandered his lead.

I don't know which Democrats he's referring to. That's been a major topic lately among the ones I know.

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“When someone engages in divisive behavior, any resulting division is their responsibility” - Melissa McEwan

did work her ass off to get to where she is (or was). The treatment of her by the press is very depressing. I suspect she has a mental illness, but even if it isn't clinical, she's clearly struggling and they treat her like some sort of freak show. She's not alone, of course, there seems to be an entire strain of "journalism" that does nothing but cover these struggling young women with a sick kind of glee. For some reason they're always women. A coincidence, no doubt.

What the boiz are now saying is that the key thing for Obama is to go on the offensive against McCain.

What they will never, ever say is that Obama should repair relations with the base.

[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

From Real Clear Politics:

The Obama campaign released an ad linking McCain to Ralph Reed & Jack Abramoff. McCain's campaign responds:

"Barack Obama's ad is ridiculous. Because of John McCain, corruption was exposed and people like Jack Abramoff went to jail.
However, if Barack Obama wants to have a discussion about truly questionable associations, let's start with his relationship with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, at whose home Obama's political career was reportedly launched. Mr. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group responsible for countless bombings against targets including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and numerous police stations, courthouses and banks. In recent years, Mr. Ayers has stated, 'I don't regret setting bombs... I feel we didn't do enough.'

"The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama's relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?"

Obamanation is using Rove's playbook. McCain has Rove. Talk about a mismatch.

http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics...

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“When someone engages in divisive behavior, any resulting division is their responsibility” - Melissa McEwan

He most certainly can't unring that bell, though, I suspect he may try it, anyway. I always said that setting himself so high and raising his positive rhetoric so high there would never be any way for him to come back down to being "just another politician." He doesn't have that option, any longer. He's not driving the car; the car is driving him.