riddler

John McCain, out of costume

This is indeed a good ad -- the Obama camp slamming some not-so-straight talk from mushmouth McCain.

Why is this a good ad? Let us count the ways:

1. It's a haymaker right to McCain's alleged "strength," his image as a straight talking maverick Man of Honor. This "strength" is no such thing; it's in fact his glass jaw. Just ask Joe Klein, of all people. McCain's rep as Captain Integritude is a fraud bought into by a gleefully gullible fanboy media. A lot of the grisly details are here -- and if you've not read this article from a Phoenix reporter who knew McCain before he attained sainthood, you really should. It ain't pretty. McCain is a phony. He's arrogant, vindictive, short-fused, ill-informed... he's a dick, is what I'm saying. And this is not news, or a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention and isn't encumbered by the biases of incredibly wealthy and powerful media organizations who did not become wealthy and powerful by exercising an ability to acknowledge the obvious as opposed to trough-slobbering.

2. Ohio is a a working-class state. Whatever reasons McCain had for his maneuvering on this DHL deal, he was less than honest -- or more than confused -- when he looked a potential voter in the eye and made shit up. This does not play well with the working class. Or anyone else, either, but McCain is banking everything on how the Other Guy is the doubletalking elitist, and he's, uh, not. Which is crap.

John McCain and the rest of the Republican Party's only hope is that they can stave off the humiliating exposure of their bullshit-mongering until mid-November. I doubt they have that long.