No, there is nobody as uniquely awful as George W. Bush. McCain is clearly not as enthusiastic about gay bashing and other right-wing social policy as Bush. But on economic and foreign policy, John McCain is only marginally different.

McCain is nothing like the pro-choice Republicans you listed. He only pretends to be different to impress the media and burnish his 2000-era maverick image. But much of it is BS. He may be a disloyal conservative Republican who loves to bash his party in the NY Times Editorial Page. But he's still a conservative Republican who would lead the country in the same direction as George W. Bush.

He _is_ different. He has at times been like Collins, Snowe, Chaffee, Specter, so-called “Republicans” who should be Democrats.

But is he as different from the GOP as Obama, a liberal Democrat? Do Dem leaners ever settle for a Dem Lite when they can get the real thing? (This also applies to GOP-leaners who want to punish the GOP this year as in 1996.) No.

Actually, no. Only the stupid believe the lie that McCain is another Bush. And they're not voting for McCain, anyway.

Now McCain (despite his Dem Lite antics) as a continuation of the *** GOP *** is an intelligent suspicion. After all, he won't be running Washington by himself, no?

Obama should be running constant ads in continuous loop showing McCain hugging Bush and McCain adopting the same GOP policies as Bush.

McCain can only win if voters think he is different from the standard Republican. Obama needs to remind voters of every time that McCain has agreed with Bush – which is most of the time.

Obama needs to exploit Bush in his ads. Bush makes Independents angry. The very sight and sound of him makes Independents scowl. So push Bush on the TV next to McCain!

BTW, that's what is effective about Obama's “pockets” ad today. Forget the gas proposals. When you say “In the pockets of the oil industry” and show Bush, voters make the obvious connection. McCain is Bush.

Why does this matter? A large portion of the electorate does not pay attention to politics until the conventions. Attack campaigns before the convention don't do as much damage as attacks AFTER the conventions.

Silhouette, ain't no one gonna touch that one unless as a desperate 11th hour move. The possibility of blowback (pun intended is too great.

As Dan Rather learned too well in 2004, if you are employing dubious means to take out a prince, you had better be damn sure you take him down. If you don't, he becomes invulnerable . . . and you are the one going down (D'oh!…pun unintended

I totally disagree. The MSM celebrated McCain's gaffes on a daily basis. That is why the McCain campaign is in radical lockdown mode. The “Straight Talk Express” in 2000 witnessed numerous gaffes, that the reporters swallowed as they like McCain and hated Bush. Now those same gaffes are magnified. No more “Straight Talk” from McCain for the duration, I suspect.

McCain's lockdown is more absolute than Obama's . . . and its closest analogue is Kerry's in 2004.

McCain is very similar to Kerry in that both like talking endlessly, and given enough facetime with reporters will hang themselves. McCain's campaign recognizes this vulnerability, and so has adopted a strategy straight out of Kerry's playbook.

This is a clear vulnerability. . . and one that Obama would do well to exploit, as Bush/Rove did with Kerry.

Sinclair. Google it. The GOP has..

The pundits universally despised it. . . even Jon Stewart – who should have known better – ridiculed it. But it is the only explanation, as “Celeb” fitted perfectly into the public's awareness of Obama's ubiquitous media coverage.

And yes, I am still waiting for McCain to fire Schmidt and Co. who developed those ads . . . as pundits with sources deep inside the McCain campaign (quoted here at TMV) promised us would happen for McCain mocking the all-powerful Hilton family.

Hahahahaha . . . McCain is burning the pundit palace down about their ears.

But Obama is still ahead in terms of the electoral college. Plus, I believe his staying on “Positive Point” will yield him long term benefits after the debate.

But Democratic surrogates in the MSM and the blogosphere are caught flat-footed in their negative pushback against McCain on these ads. Given the huge Democratic advantage in money and MSM penetration, this is interesting.

My take: They need a new negative meme on McCain. McSame doesn't work. Old man “Grampa Simpson” McCain is tired. I would suggest linking McCain to retrograde elements in the GOP, throwing racist and homophobic charges at him continually on a daily basis. . . while Obama sighs and reaffirms positively that he believe McCain is neither racist nor homophobic.

It's going to happen. Wishing it won't isn't going to change a single thing.

Here's a foreshadowing, again, of one key issue their going to sling:

****

“..The Main Stream Media has taken a huge shopping spree, buying up everything offered in the Obama Cover-up Store! They have bought into the lies and smears, lock, stock and barrell, without looking into the facts, without asking a single question, or showing a modicum of respect to an American, Larry Sinclair, who bravely asked that the truth be told. The Main Stream Media is as guilty as Obama when it comes to the cover-up of this story! Shame on them!

Over the 4th of July, I saw a program on an Italian fireworks master and how those displays were created. I saw the Boston barge loaded with the show, ready for the celebration. It is amazing stuff. Couldn't help thinking about the explosion that is going to happen when a decent Investigative Reporter takes all the information that Larry Sinclair has made available and writes, really writes, this story…”
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What does this except from: http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/331... really say? It says that the GOP are going to paint Larry Sinclair out as an American hero who dared to tell the truth. Obama will be cast as the villain. The whole thing will be blamed on the “liberal media” for “refusing to air this story before.

The net result will be that the democratic hopeful will be dethroned at a critical moment to affect a GOP win in November. That's the long and the short of the whole enchilada.

You can choose to ignore this, laugh it off, ridicule other concerned democrats for daring to even discuss it. You can threaten, cajole, stonewall, ban and even interrupt satellite service if it comes to that ; ) but you cannot quell the reality that will soon be knocking on every democrat's door.

The GOP does not play fair. They are downright diabolical. This will not change with respect to the Sinclair story.

They are still leading in the electoral votes so they are still playing it safe. Once that lead continues to shrink then you will see them unleash some heavy hitting adds and get dirty just like McCain.

AFter all it is about winning, no matter what Obama might have you believe.

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You and I are on the same page friend. For months now I've been hammering this point home to democrats.

Forget August. They'll still be nice to him, relatively, in August. It's after-August and more towards October after the ballots have been printed and sent out that they'll hit with Sinclair..

No matter how “off-field” his supporters are playing now, they will be dragged on-field kicking and screaming to watch the merciless trouncing of their worshipped candidate as the election nears.

Like I said before, if the current criticism bothers Obama and his supporters, they'd better get heavily medicated in preparation for what's to come..

If you think the GOP is going to hold back the Sinclair story with the risk of a democratic president, democratic Congress and democratic Supreme Court, you ain't right in the head.

Ironically, Obama's only hope is to fall behind in the polls clear up until the day of the election. And that is no hope at all..