Not surprisingly, Barack Obama claimed the nomination of his party this evening, and he did it with his usual flair. No doubt the man is eloquent and able to whip any crowd into a frenzy, but I still have NO EARTHLY IDEA what he would do as President, besides raise our taxes and "do lunch" with the likes of Ahmadinejad.
What was the response of the "Presumptive Nominee" to the GOP, John McCain?
He went on the attack immediately, which is exactly what he needs to do to compensate for the lack of enthusiasm conservatives have for his campaign. It would be foolish of McCain to think he can out speak his opponent; he must go after Obama's record (what there is of it) and anything in Barack's past that can undermine the confidence people have in him to lead on important issues like the war in Iraq.
A couple excerpts from McCain's response to the Illinois Senator clinching the nomination:
"Americans ought to be concerned about the judgment of a presidential candidate who says he's ready to talk, in person and without conditions, with tyrants from Havana to Pyongyang, but hasn't traveled to Iraq to meet with General (David) Petraeus, and see for himself the progress he threatens to reverse,"
McCain has already set the direction of the debate to Iraq, and Obama's intention to pull troops out immediately if elected. He simultaneously highlights the fact that HE has actually been on the ground there and spoken to those who have the best view of what is happening, the troops; while pointsing out how Obama hasn't even set foot in Iraq. McCain's war record is already well known so there really is no comparison between the 2 candidates on this issue, unless you are a big fan of the "Cut and Run" strategerie...
"They've seen me put our country before any president _ before any party _ before any special interest _ before my own interest. They might think me an imperfect servant of our country, which I surely am. But I am her servant first, last and always."
McCain has embraced his own "imperfections" as a Senator and a Presidential candidate, which may just muzzle those who were planning on pointing out just how imperfect his voting record has been as Senator as seen through the eyes of staunch conservatives. I believe this to be a good move, not to mention his lack of apology for being historically bi-partisan. This paints him as the guy you may not agree with on every issue, but at the end of the day, you can trust him and he sticks to his guns. It also impresses independents.
Good start for McCain by coming out strong and not letting Obama catch his breathe before the next fight begins. The question is, can he beat Obama in the fall, after being out spent and out-gunned in the charisma department?
1 comment:
Word has it that Barack may make Wesley Clark his VP to deflect all the criticism of his lack of foreign affairs/military experience. That'd be a wise move.
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