Second Thots

Sometimes one has to step back, take pause, and have some "second thots"

Monday, June 30, 2008

 

Are Dems now trying to "swift boat" McCain?


I have to say, I'm not exactly sure what Obama is trying to pull by having campaign-friendly military people attack McCain's military credentials.

Either the Obama people think it might help neutralize some of his opponent's strengths, or this is a political boner that will almost certainly backfire. I tend to think the latter.

For one thing, sometimes you have to accept an opponent's strength and simply adopt your strategy around it. Bashing McCain's service to his country is not an example of this, especially when your side howled and screamed about John Kerry getting the same kind of treatment in the last presidential election.

For another thing, the left-wing of the Democratic party really seems eager to "swift boat" John McCain this time around, even though his service to his country is probably much more "swift boat" proof than John Kerry's was.

So, this might not only be an example of unwise political strategy, it might also be an example of letting your own party's worse instincts get the better of you.

Stay tuned.

Oh, and for the record, I don't think that anyone is more to blame for being "swift boated" than John Kerry. That the term has become pejorative — even I used it in that sense — is largely the result of left-wing and Democratic myth-making.

UPDATE (5:07 pm): I just figured out another possible motivation behind these sorts of attacks. Some Democrats might be of the belief that John McCain can be provoked into a temper tantrum. This, after all, is supposed to be one of the man's weaknesses — apparently. So, maybe getting McCain angry in front of a camera could allow Dems to argue that he's not fit for the highest office in America. Something like that.


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