Retro McKKKain: Town Hall Whining

If there were only one thing to be happy for, when this presidential campaign ends tomorrow, it will be (hopefully) the end of having to listen to Stumblin' Bumblin' John McKKKain whine, lie and obfuscate about how he had to run a Rovian, gutter-based, smearing, sliming campaign, because Barack Obama would not agree to do his proposed 10 Town Halls.

He even worked it into the script, of his pathetic SNL appearance this past weekend (or, maybe, he was just employing the Stanislavsky Method, of acting like a loser).

Yeah, right ...

Much like Mommy Moose's bridge, this crying of his should go down as "The Town Halls To Nowhere".

And he has pissed-and-moaned about it so much, he finally go that molded piece of cheese, often referred to as "The Dean" of political reporting, to buy into it.

David Broder, in his WaPO column yesterday, delivered the proverbial donuts;

In what history may record as his singular achievement -- dealing with the classic American dilemma of race -- he had the largely unappreciated help of his opponent, John McCain, who simply ruled out covert racial appeals used by politicians of both parties in the past. But Obama himself demonstrated repeatedly how to bridge the racial divides that still remain, by emphasizing his calm good judgment and respect for others. As a symbol of that national maturity, he carries a powerful, positive message to the world.

Obama is not, any more than other politicians, a paragon. He reneged on his promise to use public funds for his general election campaign, driving a stake into the heart of the post-Watergate effort to reform the campaign finance system. He rejected McCain's invitation to hold joint town hall meetings -- opening the door to the kind of tawdry exchange of charges that we have seen. In both instances, he put his personal goals ahead of the public good -- a worrisome precedent.

Get that ... "Opening the door to the kind of tawdry exchange of charges".

He even gives the Stumblin' Fly Boy a pass, as "who ruled out covert racial appeals ... "

Perhaps that's true.

It's just that the Dead Campaign Express used a few truckloads of covert other smears and lies, leaving the racial BS to those who attended their rallies, and the robocalls.

Steve Benen also called Broder on it;

But this doesn't make sense. If McCain wanted to be an honorable candidate, he could be an honorable candidate, whether his opponent is a Senate colleague or a total stranger. Building a rapport is not a prerequisite for honest campaigning -- character, integrity, and respect for the political process are prerequisites for honest campaigning.

Whether there are three debates or 300 is irrelevant. It's not like McCain and Steve Schmidt got together one day and said, "Well, I wasn't going to spend the fall lying pathologically and smearing Obama, but since there are only going to be three debates, we might as well."

The Retro Part, we hit on, back in September;

He's Still Harping About The 10 Town Halls!


Bonus McKKKain Whining Riffs

Glenn Greenwald: Poor John McCain: Forced against his honor to run an ugly campaign

Joe Klein: Senator Honorable in the Sewer

Joseph Palermo: If Only Obama Agreed To McCain's "Town Hall" Meetings

"So, maverick he is not ..."

We Told You He Was Just Like Bob Dole