'The One,' and only

By now surely we've all seen the recent Internet ad released by the McCain camp. It sarcastically pointed out that Barack Obama, the recent presumptive nominee of the DNC, is also the presumptuous nominee of the DNC. More importantly it proves two very important things: First, it goes over the top without resorting to offensive tactics and shows beyond a doubt how ridiculously egotistical and self-centered Obama has become. Second of all it proves that John McCain still has a witty sense of humor, which the American people will like. John McCain will have to rely on his sense of humor more often if he wants to put away Obama once and for all.



Obama's gift as a great orator notwithstanding, he has a problem if all of his speeches are about the World rising up and fixing everything that most Americans don't believe is wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with being a great orator, but knowing how to channel that gift is key. Obama's problem is that when he channels is all he can do is display how out of touch with the American mainstream he is. All people can talk about is how impressed they are, but is that necessarily a good thing? I for one am very impressed. I have a distinct impression from Barack Obama--a far more distinct impression than I have been given by John McCain. Obama is big news because he's out there, and he's got people on his side, but if anyone thinks that puts John McCain in danger, they are insane. In fact the race is absolutely dead-locked going into this weekend despite Obama's aggressive efforts to distance himself and Obama's stardom in the press and on the nightly news outlets, which is proof that Obama may be special, but to be presidential, he is still going to have to run a presidential campaign just like everyone else that ever wanted to be president.

The Obama camp has come up red-faced in the wake of the recent very good McCain ads that take a stab through the press bias that Obama is getting. They've accused McCain of running a dirty campaign, being cynical, and they tried very hard to accuse him of being racist, too (it should go without saying both campaigns are trying as hard as they can to dump the race card on their opponent). It's more than just disingenuous to accuse McCain of running a dirty campaign and that accusation just further proves how clueless Obama is about American politics. If he thinks McCain will smear him, especially if he thinks McCain already has, then he's going to have another thing coming after the convention. Maybe he could just ask McCain about political smears.

There is a degree of separation between plain-good political ads that are effective and funny, and a down-right smear campaign, and accusing one of being the other is down-right lying from the Obama campaign that they shouldn't get away with, just like they weren't able to get away with accusing McCain of racism. Then they say that McCain needs to focus on McCain and not Obama, which is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard--how can someone not focus on Obama when all the spotlight is on him this month?--and this election has been said over and over to be a referendum on Obama, not McCain, so Obama will just have to get over that. It looks like McCain already has. Some of the most ludicrous press coverage that the swooning press has given the "McCain barrage" (lmao!) comes from veritable threats to McCain such as The Australian. It seems like the International community (which is to say, the not-American community) has their hopes riding on Obama.

"Berlin, can I count on your vote?"
"Yes, we can."