Redstate

Posted at 7:30pm on Jun. 25, 2008 The Only Thing To Fear - Open Thread

By absentee

Posted in 2008 | fearmongering | Open Thread | scary — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:48am on Mar. 7, 2008 Vote Obama and Die

the politics of personal beclowning

By streiff

That, says the Washington Post's Fifth Column of One™ Dana Milbank, is the theme of the new and reinvigorated Hillary! campaign.

On the call with Wolfson and Lewis, Jane Hamsher from the liberal blog Firedoglake pointed out that Clinton's phone-ringing ad was "reinforcing the be-afraid-all-the-time Republican campaign theme." And if that's the argument, she added, "isn't John McCain ultimately the winner?"

Whether he is or not, Clinton looked as if she'd borrowed a page from the Bush White House at her Westin meeting. Against a backdrop of six U.S. flags and several of the flag officers who support her, she raised the specter of terrorism and suggested that her opponent could endanger American lives.

She began with a statement about Thursday's explosion in Times Square. This, she said, served as a reminder that "it is imperative to remain vigilant as we continue to face threats at home and abroad."

That led, in a seamless but unseemly way, to Obama. "Often, when lives are on the line and a decision must be made, experience counts for everything," she said. "In this election, we need a nominee who can pass the commander-in-chief test . . . and keep our families safe."

It was a variation on the Republican theme in recent elections that Democrats mocked as "vote Democratic and die." This time, it's "vote Obama and die."

"It is imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate that we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold," she said. "I believe that I have done that, certainly Senator McCain has done that, and you'll have to ask Senator Obama with respect to his candidacy."

I've watched a few presidential primaries play out, but I have to say this is the first one in which I've heard one candidate unfavorably compare their primary opponent's qualifications to those of their general election opponent. It is a counterintuitive strategy, at least, on the part of Hillary!. Her experience at handling those 3am calls would seem to be no more profound than those of any of the other slew of women who found themselves in Bill Clinton's bed at that hour of the morning. Personally I don't find Hillary!'s résumé to be any more stellar than that of Barack Obama and in the area of national security the salient difference between the two is that Obama has studiously chosen to avoid difficult votes (or even holding difficult hearings before his subcommittee) while Hillary!'s votes all reek of cynical opportunism. I'm not convinced that either upon receiving that 3am call will do much more than roll over and show their belly.

Again, Dana Milbank:

"Senator, there's been a lot of talk about the 3 a.m. phone calls," one of the television reporters accurately pointed out. "Certainly your husband must have gotten some in his presidency. Can you talk about your role?"

"Obviously," the candidate answered, "I was there for a lot of phone calls at different times of the day and night, and I have a very clear idea of what it takes to be prepared and ready to not only answer the phone but then to make the decisions."

Sorry to break in on this party line, but here's an important announcement for Democrats: You are doing John McCain's work for him. While the presumptive Republican nominee rests, the two remaining Democratic candidates are working as hard as they can to make each other appear unfit to lead.

Bingo. Pass the popcorn, and while you're up can you get me another Red Stripe?

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | fearmongering | Hillary! | Incompetence — Comments (14)/ Email this page » / Read More »