In the three-ring circus over the financial rescue bill, the Republican candidate has shown an instinct for his own jugular, grasping the issue for political advantage and then becoming encoiled in his own flailings.
"Even before the House vote, voters blamed Republicans more than Democrats for the crisis. Then McCain suspended his campaign to come back to Washington to rally support for a rescue plan," says CNN political analyst Bill Schneider. "He failed, so he gets blamed by both supporters and opponents of the rescue plan."
When the bill appeared headed for passage, McCain took credit for influencing House Republicans to support it even though, during the tense Saturday evening negotiations, the McCains were having a leisurely dinner with the Liebermans at a posh Washington restaurant.
Now, after his purportedly convinced confreres brought the House bill down, the Republican nominee is back on the campaign trail in mournful mode: "Yesterday, the country and the world looked to Washington for leadership, and Congress once again came up empty-handed."
This now-detached analysis is coupled with criticism of Barack Obama for the contradictory offenses of injecting partisanship and just wanting to "phone it in" on the issue.
McCain could have saved himself all these contortions if, like Obama, he just showed up as one member of Congress and didn't try to play premature president for the TV cameras. The one in the White House ended up with egg on his face yesterday, and so did McCain.
These days the Republican's have all the finesse of the "key stone cops". If you ask me, I'd say even the Republicans' in Washington don't the Republican’s back in Washington come November. I'm just wondering if Bush has one more big one up his sleeve before he leaves?
ReplyDeleteBill Maher said he imagines Bush walking away from the White House with it in a blaze of flames and billowing black clouds smoke pluming above it as he walks back to Texas. As silly as that sounds, you've got to wonder. I’d like to add to this picture that the tune by Frank Sinatra should be playing in the background “I did it my way.”
I can now actually say that when I stand back and think, I truly pity the Democrats for what they’ve had and have to put up with. Everyday people know what it’s like to try and reason with the unreasonable.
We will never see this, “they won’t allow it” but can’t you imagine how hard Bill Clinton and Al Gore must be laughing right now? I can see a group of them sitting around with a cigar and a glass, discussing, reminiscing and laughing so hard they’ve got tears streaming down their faces till someone’s pants split.