McCain Jokes Obama 'Inaugural' on Par With 'Dewey Defeats Truman'

[Amerigo Vespucci]

McCain Jokes Obama 'Inaugural' on Par With 'Dewey Defeats Truman'

October 25, 2008 8:20 PM



ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: John McCain added a moment of levity to his stump speech this evening in New Mexico, ridiculing his opponent Barack Obama for a news report that indicated his staff has already drafted his inaugural address.

“My friends, when I pull this thing off, I have a request for my opponent,” McCain said. “I want him to save that manuscript of his inaugural address, and donate it to the Smithsonian. And they can put it right next to the Chicago paper that said ‘Dewey Defeats Truman.’”

The crowd cheered and McCain senior staffers and some traveling press laughed at the line.

“There’s 10 days left in this election,” McCain continued. “Maybe Barack Obama will have his first State of the Union address ready before you head to the polls.”

The New York Times reported today that among the planning for a transition to the White House by both campaigns, is a draft of an inaugural address written for Obama.

The story also included speculation on potential cabinet officials in either a McCain or Obama administration.

But the Obama campaign said that is inaccurate.

“While this charge is completely false and there is no draft of an inaugural address for Senator Obama, the last thing we need is a candidate like John McCain who just plans on re-reading George Bush’s,” spokesman Bill Burton e-mailed reporters.

And the Web site of John Podesta, the aide reported to have written the speech, indicates that it was a literary device used to close his book about “the history and successes of progressive politics in the 20th century.”

Podesta says he wrote the speech in March, when he was working for Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination, and it wasn't clear who the party's candidate would be.

Obama's campaign says Podesta wrote the speech on his own, unsolicited, for his book, and not for Obama.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/mccain-...

[thunder rising]

1. If the first 4 paragraphs don't put the fear of God into you ..

We are waaaayyyy past money. It's time to put time into it. Go on down to the Obama campaign and make some calls or knock on doors.

[Deep13]

2. At this point, McC is only in it for the airline miles.

Ever candidate who is way behind compares himself to Truman. In this case the Truman effect will backfire on him. It is mostly young people with wireless as their only telephones that are not being polled.

[silverojo]

8. Not to mention, they don't know who the hell Dewey or Truman were

No more than McCain has any clue of what the "Start" button is in Windows.

[Deep13]

3. Nice pick, BTW. Straight Jacket Express.

[progressivebydesign]

4. McCain vividly remembers that day when Dewey almost beat Truman. n/t

[Democat]

7. McCain was known as the "senior United States Senator from Arizona" even then!

[RubyDuby in GA]

5. Ya know, this is twice now that he's tried to infer that he's like Harry Truman

Johnny boy, Harry S. Truman would have eaten your lunch and then made you thank him for doing it.

Favorite Truman quote of the day:

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a Republican. But I repeat myself."

or

"Republicans approve of the American farmer,
but they are willing to help him go broke.
They stand four-square for the American home--
but not for housing. They are strong for labor--
but they are stronger for restricting labor's
rights. They favor minimum wage--the smaller the
minimum wage the better. They endorse educational
opportunity for all--but they won't spend
money for teachers or for schools. They think
modern medical care and hospitals are fine--
for people who can afford them. They consider
electrical power a great blessing--but only when
the private power companies get their rake-off.
They think American standard of living is a fine
thing--so long as it doesn't spread to all the
people. And they admire of Government of the
United States so much that they would like to
buy it."

or


"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."

[FVZA_Colonel]

6. The fact that McCain is seriously trying to make a big deal about a hypothetical from a policy book

written by a then-Clinton supporter is one of the most absurdly stupid thing I've ever heard of.

[1corona4u]

9. He's just fucking crazy.

End of story.

[mwei924]

10. McCain and Dewey went to high school together.