…
Of course, the “fiercely independent” McCain spent the bulk of 1999 and the early months of 2000 (and many years after that) trying to please other people. The difference then was that Ignatius and other members of the Washington press corps were the ones he was trying to please and unironically, accurately referred to members of the media as his base. During the 2000 campaign, he referred to the GOP establishment as the “evil empire,” which seemed perfectly fair and satisfactory to his boosters in the press because they thought this was simply a description of reality and not a slur. Pretty much every “maverick” episode in McCain’s career has involved staking out a position in opposition to his party in the interests of attracting good press and cultivating a reputation as one of the “good” Republicans–the “noble, tolerant” McCain that Conason refers to in his piece–and he has done this by adopting a haughty, self-righteous tone as a champion of reform fighting against the forces of corruption (campaign finance) and bigotry (immigration “reform”) within his own party. By endorsing the worst prejudices about his party held by his party’s political opponents (while enabling some of their genuinely worst attributes in his warmongering), he became renowned for his integrity, just as Republicans have been lauding Joe Lieberman for his character and courage for denouncing liberals, his own party and that party’s nominee in terms that perfectly fit GOP talking points.
…

Government bonds? Make them federal bonds, because someday the feds will get so desperate for money they will no longer permit state and local bond income to be tax-free. (Actually, no government bond income should be tax-free; this is “cheating” by governments to lower their debt expenses by engaging in unfair competition with open, free market resources.)

Given the reality about who is easily fooled, Obama's people may reduce the deficit from 400-500 billion to somewhere around 200-300 billion and declare a Great Victory. The deficits will involve spending on the “right” things and all will be well, we'll be told (and the fooled ones will nod their heads and sit down, on cue).

* * *

John Kerry's being a Massachusetts liberal doomed John Kerry from the start.

McCain has BECOME his ad campaign. That's why for you to say, in another thread, that McCain is unlike Bush, is wrong. He is a full-on Rove disciple now. His old maverick schtick was either little more than a media fabrication, or if it was real, is now gone. The real John McCain is a pathetic, desperate, old man whose sole reason for running for the Presidency is that he was a POW 40 years ago.

Now the bloggers are obsessing with McCain and what he is doing and what he is going to do next. Poor Obama he can't win for losing. Its all about McCain and his adds.

Free publicity. Think how many times they get played for free over and over again.

Of course, this is just one of about ten daily posting at The Moderate Voice about the horse race aspects of the presidential election. Even energy policy is defined in terms of the horse race instead of in terms of whether either candidate is making sense. Maybe someday, someone will actually begin to review the policy proposals and see who the winners and losers will be.

LIke I have said before, look at the election from a fund mangers point of view. Where should anyone invest their retirement money with the policy proposals of Senator Obama?

Jerome Corsi was a bit too late this time.

Talk of “swift boating” is just panic garbage. The swift boaters did not defeat John Kerry. Fearmongering after 9/11, Kerry awful personality and Rove's superb GOTV campaign beat John Kerry.