« Ninnies PanicIt’s Your Money »
Josh Marshall on TPM gets moralistic, accusing McCain of “cowardice” in his performance in the debate and his subsequent Ayers slams. Pretty big accusation from some dweeb on the Internet. The Cowardice Issue:
After the first debate many people wondered aloud whether it was hostility and contempt or fear and intimidation that kept McCain from looking Obama in the face even once. But with two weeks and more evidence to consider, it is clear that it was both: Hostility that is magnified by the person’s mortifying inability to face the person who inspires it. That’s the kind of unchanneled, clogged up anger that makes you unsteady, that makes you make mistakes.
McCain’s moral cowardice has been one of the subtexts of this campaign ever since he wound up the nomination and turned his attention to Barack Obama. But I did not realize it would reveal itself in such a physical dimension.
The tell came this week as McCain unearthed the Ayers story which, for whatever its merits, was fully aired months ago and has no clear relation to the particulars of October other than McCain’s collapsing poll numbers.
“Mortifying inability to face the person who inspires it … unchallenged clogged up anger that makes you unsteady, that makes you make mistakes.” The prose is a little … clogged up … but I think I get it. McCain is fundamentally unsuited to be president because he’s a chickenshit. (Not to mention a sleazy race-baiter … a kind of wussy way of insinuating he’s a racist. Kind of like AP’s “racially tinged” in that bizarre, nonsensical Palin bash that decried the McCain camp’s “racism creep” over the weekend.)
McCain the coward. That should work. America will buy that.
Obama got an easy pass on the Ayers thing during the primary. Barely a blip. You wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t on the right half of the blogosphere, because no one else much wanted to talk about that bit of dirty laundry. They clearly don’t want to now. I doubt Obama really wants to, his own squawking about it not being said to his face not withstanding. I haven’t noticed his camp is too eager for any face-to-face confrontations over Palin’s experience or McCain’s health, either, despite having raised questions about both.
Here’s that profile in courage Biden, who usually lets the campaign and the proxies do the dirty work for him:
“In my neighborhood, when you’ve got something to say to a guy, you look him in the eye and you say it to him.”
(Google search turns up this image for Biden’s house. Tough neighborhood. You gotta hike, get past the butler when you need get in someone’s face.)
Back to Ayers and the brooming that his not-inconsiderable Obama association got in the primary. The primary was between Democrats, and what they did then was their business. This is the general election, and in three weeks Americans will choose their next president. One who threw his America-bashing bigot of a pastor under the bus, along with his grandma; who tells small-town Americans he understands their problems and then calls them backward bigots behind their backs; who pals around with one unrepentant ex-terrorist and would like to engage with others, with a foreign policy based on people liking us better. Or one who spent five years being tortured and was permanently maimed when he could have had an easy, coward’s out, and then spent more than two decades repeatedly defying his own party on matters of principle. If Josh Marshall wants the election to be about cowardice, that could be a heck of an issue.
Related commentary:
Riehl: Do you really want to do this, Obama?
Ha, this is good. Profile in courage John Cole at Balloon Juice: John McCain is a Coward. That’s from a guy who throws hissy fits if anyone identifies the university where he works as a communications instructor. Can’t say I blame him, though, given that his idea of political discourse involves such liberal use of eff words, calling people a-holes, etc. Parents and alums might blanch.
Welcome RCP, Memestreamers, etal, always so good to see you. Don’t be strangers, come on in. On the subject of potty-mouthed heroes of the left, be sure to check “Q Pulpit” in comments below, with a windy, bilious, semi-literate screed that admonishes us to “BE POLITE.” It’s a tour de force of the genre.
Topics: McCain, courage, media
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 7:24 pm on Thursday, October 9, 2008
Leave a Reply
Trackback URL
You must be logged in to post a comment.
zoloft long distance running G Postmessage Propecia Smiley Post accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Lipitor Congestion lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Prozac And Men difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Clomid Steroids symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Canine Prednisone Side Effects prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Subaction Showcomments Propecia Optional Watch accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Order Propecia Online lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Penis Growth Pills difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Zoloft Paxil Differences symptoms of zoloft working!
cipro and std treatment,
Female Version Of Viagra prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor;
U 3312 Viagra Cialis accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short G Postmessage Cialis Subject Online lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Accutane Before After difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Subaction Showcomments Cialis Archive Watch symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Alternatives To Zoloft prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Adding Prozac To Drinking Water accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Prozac And Percocet lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Propecia Baldness difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prednisone And Mania symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Prednisone 10 Mg prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa
Subaction Showcomments Cialis Smile Newest accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short Side Effectts Of Cipro lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Zoloft And Lorazepam difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Diuretic Lasix symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Prostatitis And Zithromax prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; Medication And Prednisone accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Levitra Vs Viagra lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Generic Lexapro difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Query Lowest Cialis Price Online symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Buying Nolvadex prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa G Postmessage Propecia Subject Remember accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Get Off Prozac lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Cialis Vision difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prednisone 20mg symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Prozac Dose Side Effect prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Is Ultracet Addictive accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Nexium Canada lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Nexium Side Effects difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Cheapest Cialis symptoms of zoloft working!
cipro and std treatment,
Prozac Weight Gain prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; Cheap Cialis accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Clomid Side Effects lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Treatment Of Ocd With Zoloft difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Levitra Side Effects symptoms of zoloft working!
cipro and std treatment, What Is Prednisone Used For prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa
Accutane And Results accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short Mexican Rx Cialis Low Price lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; G Postmessage Propecia Smiley Reply difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Purepac Prednisone symptoms of zoloft working!
cipro and std treatment,
Cialis Effect On Women prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short Accutane Buy Canada Pharmacy lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Herbal Meds Compatible With Clomid difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prozac Suicide Class Action Lawsuit symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Prednisone Without Prescription prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Cipro For Uti accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Zoloft Dosage lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Cipro Rem Sleep difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Lexapro Weight Gain symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Bad Side Effects Of Prednisone prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Esophageal Achalasia Swallowing Difficulties Nexium accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Prednisone Poison Oak lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Cialis Story difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Nexium Cost symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Cheap Generic Cialis prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Canine Prednisone accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Resting Heart Rate Lipitor lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Manufactor Of Prozac difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prednisone Titration symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Prozac And Weight Gain prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Nexium Rebate accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Zithromax Cost lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Prednisone For Dogs difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Cipro Dose Cat symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Symptoms Of Zoloft prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Alcohol And Zoloft accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Subaction Showcomments Cialis Thanks Newest lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Drug Interaction Prozac Sulfamethoxazol Trimethoprim difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Simcor Vs Lipitor symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Akathisia Zoloft prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Prednisone Homeopathic Replacement accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Zoloft Negative Side Effects lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Prednisone Homopathic Replacement difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Lasix Online symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Cialis Overnight prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Tadalafil Cialis From India accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Subaction Showcomments Cialis Thanks Watch lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Zoloft Generic difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Accutane Long Term Side Effects symptoms of zoloft working!
get a prescription for propecia Zoloft Thin Blood prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Multiple Sclerosis Lipitor Bad Reaction accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Clomid Pdr lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Zoloft Akathisias difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Cipro Warnings symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Secret Side Effects Of Zoloft prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Prednisone And Blood Pressure accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! New Drug Cialis lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects;
Subaction Showcomments Propecia Archive Newest difference between lexapro and celexa
prednisone menstrual cycle! Side Effects Of Cialis symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Info Levitra prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Buy Lasix Without Prescription accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Cialis For Order lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Buspar Zoloft difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prednisone Information symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; Lipitor Instructions Side Effects accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Cialis Injury Lawyer Ohio lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Zoloft Side Effects difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Weaning Off Prednisone symptoms of zoloft working!
cipro and std treatment,
Prozac Side Affects prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; Cialis Faq accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Zoloft With Wellbutrin lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Lexapro Withdrawal difference between lexapro and celexa
clomid with triplets Cialis 20mg symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Atavan And Prozac prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa Prozac Long Term Use accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Prednisone Tremors lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects; Accutane Attorneys California difference between lexapro and celexa
clomid with triplets Levitra Medicine symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Lipitor And Muscle Pain prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa
How Does Cialis Work accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short Stopping Zoloft lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Side Effects Lexapro difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Prednisone Dogs Shrink Tumor symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost India Viagra Cialis Vicodin prednisone stopped taking side effects;
difference between lexapro and celexa
Buy Cialis In The Uk accutane timeline
clomid dosage lutenizing hormone short Cialis Lawyer Ohio lipitor drug cost
lipitor is there a generic; Average Dose For Zoloft difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Zoloft Overdose symptoms of zoloft working!
lipitor drug cost Snorting Lexapro prednisone stopped taking side effects;
cough and wheezing with lipitor; Buy Clomid Online accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working! Atlanta Accutane Law Suits lipitor drug cost
October 9th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
From: Q Pulpit
To: Republicans
Re: The pathetic McCain campaign
Date: 10/8/08
Pathetic.
You people are so pathetic, I just made another donation to the Obama campaign in celebration of your patheticness. Yes YOU, you with the McCain sign in your yard. YOU ARE PATHETIC. Go to the nearest mirror. What you see is what pathetic looks like. If you don’t agree, then you are pathetic AND stupid.
Our country is at war (which, by the way, we didn’t need to be), our economy is a wreck (which, by the way, is your fault too), and we face a terrorist threat (which, by the way, the policies of your party have made worse). You Neo-cons, supply siders, and theological misfits put the country into the intensive care ward. And then, to put the cherry on top of your mountain of stupid, you nominate John McCain. Republicans, this is what happens when you spend to much time listening to the lunacy of Pat Robertson and falling asleep in science class.
John McCain did everything he could to get George Bush, the architect of American misery, re-elected. John McCain can’t even take his daily vitamin supplement without checking to see if it was approved by George Bush’s ministry for untruths (aka Fox News). Don’t you realize that “lost on stage” Johnny is not just George Bush’s third term but is literally George Bush’s third testicle? Do you smoke 52 flavors of crack?
The country is facing big problems and John McCain is too cowardly to debate issues. Osama bin Laden is on the loose and John McCain is too cowardly to attack the cave where he is. John McCain is too stupid to analyze the problems we face, too small to meet the challenges we face, and too confused to realize that the ignorant, bigot rabble that have begun appearing at his rallies aren’t going to save his tired, wrinkled ass.
Republicans, good grief, even you don’t like him and it’s easy to see why. Just like you and your party, the man’s a coward without any moral or intellectual compass. John McCain cheated on his wife, that means you nominated an adulterous liar for the highest office in the land. John McCain flip-flopped on torture, that means you nominated someone who would rather take bamboo up his backside than stand up to George Bush. John McCain doesn’t want to talk to Spain (?? What in the hell ??), that means you nominated someone who would rather piss off every ally we have than tell the cowards in Iran what he thinks of them to their face. John McCain sat on the board of the World Anti-Communist League, that means you nominated someone who would sell-out Isreal for a piece of political candy. You beat your chest on national security, and then you nominate some clown who can’t understand that occupying one country and employing diplomacy with no countries will have no effect on a terrorist organization with operations in eighty countries.
I’d love to be campaigning against a maverick, but all I see is a gerbil named Sidney who cant even come out from under his drug addicted, trophy wife’s skirt to speak his lies in the light of day. Tell your coward Sidney to quit staring at Bozo the Palin’s chest and campaign on the issues. Tell your coward Sidney to quit hiding in the cornfields of Iowa and tell the truth for a change. Tell your coward Sidney to quit babbling about earmarks and try rewriting his economic plan for the fiftieth time (and no he can’t cheat off Warren Buffet’s notes). Tell your coward Sidney to quit hiding the idiot incest spawn of a religious fundamentalist and an illiterate 3rd grade dropout on Fox News and let Keith Olberman interview her so I can at least get some entertainment out of his crappy campaign. Tell your coward Sidney to quit running in place on his rhetorical gerbil wheel and get me my morning paper so I can slap him in the face with it.
John McCain has stuffed himself so far into the anus of dirty politics that it would take an army of proctologists to fish him out. John McCain nominated a running mate who is too stupid to realize what she has been reading (if Bozo the Palin can in fact read).
You moron Republicans are dwelling in the Outer Limits if you think a worthless, stray kitten like John McCain is worthy of the Presidency. Well what’s wrong is the chain of fools in your coalition. Make an attempt to adjust your thought process to the tweny-first century. We are controlling this election. If we wish to be louder, we will shower Barack Obama with small donations in order to turn up the volume. If we wish to be softer, we will use the internet to make your racist whisper campaigns look as inept as George Bush’s administration. We control the vertical. We control the horizontal. We can send YouTube clips out every day showing John McCain babbling about “bottled water for dehydrated babies”, getting lost on stage after his own speech, claiming he wants to “veto beer”, singing “Bomb, bomb Iran”, or blinking like some epileptic has a vendetta against a light switch. We can shove the image of Barack Obama down your throats until you deservedly choke on it. We can change the focus to the soft blur of John McCain long list of flip-flops or sharpen it to examine John McCain’s association with a pack of anti-semites and racists. So shut the hell up and get started on your list of cry-baby reasons as to why you are going to lose this election and when Barack Obama’s organizers come down your street to help your neighbor understand what jackasses you are, BE POLITE. Understand that the problem this country has is YOU Republicans. But rest assured, you are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and majesty of an Obama administration.
Help Sidney get off the stage without stumbling and send him home to his mommy; the ring in her toilet bowl needs a good tongue cleaning.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
John McCain is truly the last person whom radical leftists want to call a moral coward. Barack Obama - the candidate of appeasement and retreat - has already got the market cornered on that one.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I really think you should make you comments to McCain’s face, Q.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
“You people are so pathetic, I just made another donation to the Obama campaign in celebration of your patheticness. Yes YOU, you with the McCain sign in your yard. YOU ARE PATHETIC. Go to the nearest mirror. What you see is what pathetic looks like. If you don’t agree, then you are pathetic AND stupid.”
You can feel the confidence emanating from the screen, can’t you, folks? This is a guy who knows for sure that Obama is going to win.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:08 am
McCain is not so much a coward as he is a PUNK.
This guy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the son and grandson of admirals.
He attended an all white all boys prep school that in today’s dollars would cost $40K a year.
He has a history of gambling, anger, and poor judgement, including crashing 3 planes in training to be a pilot. The Navy didn’t want him to fly missions (see: crashed 3 planes), but his daddy had an airfield named after him, so McCain got to do what he wanted–fly in Vietnam. Then, again using bad judgement, he wasted US taxpayer money in the form of himself as a trained pilot and his plane and got shot down–even though he could have evaded SAMs. This was not Luke Sykywalker having one shot to take down the Death Star and save the universe. No this was more like one of Yossarian’s compartriots in Joseph Heller’s ‘Catch-22′ –another mission of thousands with minor strategic importance. The US would have been better off if he had pulled out when he realized several SAMs were locked on him and he could have saved himself-a valuable trained pilot–and an expensive airplane to fly more missions and drop more bombs.
Given, if the next President of the USA is going to be locked in a tiger cage and beaten for the next 5 years, then McCain is my man. He was courageous in captivity.
Then he gets back to the US, has an affair with a USC cheerleader 18 years is junior, divorces the ‘old model’ and and trades up a month later with the daughter of a millionaire.
Now, he can’t look his opponent in the eye when he debates him.
He insinuates, behind his opponent’s back, that he is a terrorist.
He is on Romanowski approved herbal ‘uppers’ during the day, and prescription sleep meds at night.
This guy is a punk–and it is so obviously clear which candidate has the steady hand at the tiller–and it is not McCain.
The sad thing is that McCain sold out all his ‘mavericky’ principals by choosing Sarah Palin–someone who has helped the Obama campaign raise more money than they would have because by choosing Palin, John has said he wants to reignite the culture wars.
This is a fundamental flaw with the ‘Republican as majority’ policy of the past. You can’t be for police intervention in how you raise your family AND be against government telling you how to run your family. If you are a ‘right to lifer’ then you must have laws and enforcement of those laws. Therefore, a cop could arrest you if one day you were pregnant, and the next day you were not. This is contrary to the right being for ’small government.’ And the coalition just broke when McCain chose Palin.
Two months ago, unexpectedly, my wife became pregnant. We weren’t trying to get pregnant. But we did. I am pro-choice one hundred percent. And after about a second of thinking about it, I realized I am one hundred percent pro-life as well. For me and my wife and my family, that fetus is a living human being. AND I DON’T NEED THE GOVERNMENT TELLING ME ANYTHING ABOUT IT. And I don’t need to have the government telling my sister, brother, cousin, or any other citizen anything else, if they have a different belief. As long as Palin and the Republican’s think that government should decide for people how they are going to create their families, the Republicans will consistently be weak.
However, if Palin were to adopt my point of view–that family choices are for the family and not for the government to make–and she said that the government stay out of family planning (ie become pro-choice) she could be the first female president of the USA.
-e
October 10th, 2008 at 12:49 am
I’m still waiting to hear what exactly this close relationship that Obama has with Bill Ayers.
So far what I have is this…
13 years ago Obama had a political event at his home.
They both served on a board together.
That’s it. Seems to me the only reason this is a story AT ALL is because the McCain campaign want to keep associating Obama with terrorists. That’s why McCain and his supporters are focusing on this story rather than the Wright or Rezko stories, 2 people Obama at least has real connections with.
But I guess the ol “Democrats love terrorists” meme is an ever popular one with the Republican base.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Are you sure it’s not racist to even point that out? Sure, those are the approved Obama talking points today, but what if his story changes again tomorrow? Just be prepared to be called a racist, is all I’m saying.
October 10th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’m sure you’re impressed with your own sarcasm but you didn’t, you know, answer the question.
Other than being able to link Obama to terrorism, why is this story relevant at all?
It’s fear mongering. They are trying to scare people about Obama non-existent ties to terrorism. No responsible people are arguing that Obama is an advocate or terrorism. They are simply arguing that he is dangerous because he was associated with someone who engaged in such acts 40 years ago.
But instead of answering the question you revert to “don’t you want to call us racists”? No I don’t. I want to understand how many of you honestly believe that this story is anything other than a political hatchet job.
October 10th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Jules, you scored a bullseye on this post. I can tell thanks to the Obamabots rushing to slam McCain. That’s their normal response when running scared; as Mr. Treacher points out, this isn’t the response of people with supreme confidence that The One™ has the election in the bag.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
So I take it no one is able to explain why this association is relevant?
October 10th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Flyerhawk, if you aren’t going to listen, why bother talking?
But, hey, if you want a terrorist supported (and possibly mentored) President in the White House, by all means, please, keep those fingers in your ears. Don’t forget to shout “LA LA LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!! LA LA LA L!” as well, just to keep in form.
October 10th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Hmmmmmmm……there’s nothing like a picture* that truly says a 1000 words.
=================================
*: OK, OK, it’s really a cartoon with words in it. Just pretend it’s a picture.