McCain's biggest attempt at a blow missed the mark so badly it's been essentially forgotten.

[Berry Cool]

"I don't even have a seal yet."

When he said that, it was a blatant attempt to call Obama on his presumed arrogance and presumptuousness and "acting like he's already president"--harkening back to the logo created, then quickly abandoned, long ago by the Obama campaign because critics had attacked and ridiculed it for looking too much like a presidential seal.

Yet, that blow didn't hit its mark. It was supposed to be a laugh line--the kind Reagan used to get when his audience would chuckle along with him at some supposedly embarrassing aspect of his opponent--but it sank like a stone. It seemed as dated and weak as a joke about Jeremiah Wright.

You don't even see people commenting on it--or at least not many. Which is proof--it was inept, and it just didn't have the intended effect. Perhaps because it was just "soooo June." The same thing will happen if he tries to take a swipe based on Wright, Rezko or Ayers. The general public considers those water under the bridge and any references to them now to be dated and a sign of desperation on the part of his opponent. At one time they might have been campaign killers, whether or not they deserved to be, but the fangs have been removed. They're as harmless as the Abominable Snowmonster was once Hermey the Elf pulled out his teeth.* And so it is with the "presidential seal" thing.

The only thing that can sink Obama now is something new--and it had better be really, REALLY bad. Otherwise, I don't think it's going to work with voters. Or, McCain will need to come up with something new for himself that is really, REALLY good. Continuing to say "I'm a maverick" and "I don't want to raise your taxes" and "I'm going to cut the pork" and "I love the veterans" and "I was a POW" just isn't going to cut it.

*Yeah, I know...enough with the obscure highfalutin intellectual references, right?

[av8rdave]

1. I do wish Obama had called him on the "I love the veterans" crap

McSame's voting record on veteran's issues is abysmal!!!

IAVA, the largest association of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, reviewed senate votes on 155 pieces of legislation relating to veteran's issues since 9/11. They then assigned a grade to each senator.

NO senator go an A. Obama got a B+. McSame? He got a D.

'nuff said!

[Spritz57]

3. I fully agree but the talking heads did carry water for him afterwards on CNN and MSNBC.

[av8rdave]

8. For Obama?

[av8rdave]

9. Rarely does the dem get any water carried for them by the MSM

[Spritz57]

17. Yes, on both CNN and MSNBC they brought up McCain's voting record and wondered

why Obama didn't use it against him. On CNN, they went into fairly elaborate detail on his voting record back to the early 90's. I agree rarely does this happen but in a back handed way they did and I celebrated the moment for in the final analysis the message got out!

[Tyler Generation]

12. Thank Hillary

Seriously, the primary wore out everyone of Obama's perceived flaws. Nothing left for the electoral but table scraps for McCain. I knew the Clinton attack would do more good than harm in the long run.

[pinto]

2. I remember that. McCain's whole performance seemed "canned", fwiw.

Like his team set up lines ahead of time and he just dropped them in. Till he got a little rattled, then is was his "horseshit" moment.

[undeterred]

4. DU should send Gramps a SEAL!

[truthisfreedom]

5. That's because it was a worthless joke to begin with. Obama's symbol doesn't look like a seal to

most people. It looks like a button.

[Eric J in MN]

11. It was probably a reference to a campaign logo which resembles...

...a presidential seal which Obama used briefly and then dropped amid criticism:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/20/when-the-obama-logo-and-presidential-seal-morph/

[Berry Cool]

15. That would be the one.

And really, nobody cares anymore. It was an unwise design because it was so easy for the opposition to make fun of, which was quickly realized, so they dropped it. It was one of the few missteps in an otherwise brilliantly run campaign--but he stopped using it MONTHS ago. To try to crack a joke about it now just makes him look like he's reaching.

[ejbr]

6. I did like this exchange

because Obama took him at his word that he would not meet with a NATO ally, ignoring the distinct possibility of McCain's ignorance. And for McCain to come back and claim that he was not president yet was lame on so many levels, one of which you aptly point out. The other is the ridiculous notion that a presidential candidate, at ANY point of his/her campaign, should not indicate with whom he will or will not meet.

[ejbr]

7. I did like this exchange

because Obama took him at his word that he would not meet with a NATO ally, ignoring the distinct possibility of McCain's ignorance. And for McCain to come back and claim that he was not president yet was lame on so many levels, one of which you aptly point out. The other is the ridiculous notion that a presidential candidate, at ANY point of his/her campaign, should not indicate with whom he will or will not meet.

[Berry Cool]

16. Very good point. It was like, Obama didn't tell the teacher McCain hadn't studied for the test,

he let McCain admit it himself--and proffer the lame excuse to the teacher of "Well, the only reason I didn't study for the test is, I didn't want to come off as just acting as if I already had an A on it, like Obama."

[Eric J in MN]

10. Most Americans expect the next president to be willing to meet with the leaders...

...of NATO countries.

So when McCain said that he refuses to say if he'd meet with the prime minister of Spain because, "I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule before I'm president of the United States. I don't even have a seal yet."

It was strange.

[alsame]

13. He had nothing else, he knows he screwed up that interview and

was confusing Spain with Latin American countries. So he tried a stupid joke and it fell flat.

[ecstatic]

14. sort of the way his I'm no "Ms Congeniality" line flopped twice

I guess McShame felt it would be funnier the second time around? :eyes: :shrug: