What's up with that giggle?

Was this supposed to be a trick question?

He is the creepiest damn presidential candidate I've ever seen and that includes Nixon.

That picture that was on the front page of TPM for days - that closeup of McLame where all the folds in his neck were highlighted - creeped me right out. He looked like he has a scarecrow head- a stuffed feed sack.

He's just flat creepy.

While it's clear we've been given the gift of a somewhat weak opposing candidate, complacency is not an option. I really hope to hear Obama hitting back on some of this crap soon.

That video is hilarious for all the wrong reasons, the same way you might laugh at an extremely low budget slasher flick. The cryptkeeper called, he wants his painfully irritating giggle back. This is why the debates can't come soon enough, Mike Tyson vs. Leon Spinks, the 85' Bears vs. the Patriots, the 92' Dream Team vs The World, Obama vs. McCain. Its not even going to be close.

I thought the 90 Countries Crocs sold to were all in Colorado... not around the world.

What an informative speech.

He seems like a terrible comedian trying to deliver poorly written one liners. I kept waiting to hear the "ba-domp bomp" of the drum.

The last bit is the best. The air quotes, the lame attempt at a witty soundbite, everything.

"Ya know, some economists don't think much of my Gas Tax Holliday..."

I believe that was the high-water mark. Un.Effn.Believable.

Has anyone else noticed that C-Span has stopped televising Presidential campaign events?

During the Democratic and Republican primaries, it seemed like they were on three or four times a week, if not daily. Now, nothing.

I wonder why that is.

John McCain will be 72 years old on August 29th, 2008. How long before The Grime Reaper sets a McDrawal date?

I have a question for everyone. I admit, I didn't follow the 2000 Republican primary very closely. Was McCain a similarly charismatic performer in 2000? Does anyone remember?

Okay, we've gone from the cackle to the giggle.

Some of the comments here, seem to indicate that we should elect people that are just smooth for television.

You know, like Reagan.

The truth is we like to see McCain portrayed this way because we already aren't voting for him. However, if the Dem candidate were the one who was a stiff guy who didn't seem to relate to the public, but really had all the good ideas, how would you feel if people used that stiffness as a reason not to vote for him.

Like Gore in 2000.

Let's remind ourselves to what we are really saying before we conveniently pile on.

Say "G'night," Grampy.

Just watched some of the painful experience of "hardball" with Howard Fineman giving a post review of the speech McCain gave in Colorado. Towards the end he mentioned that McCain now has to use 3 teleprompters now rather than the traditional two. How can he say that he is going to save us money? If he were to become president we as taxpayers would all have to foot a partial portion of the bill for that x-tra teleprompter every time he gave a press conference! Barack Obama surely would not need the x-tra teleprompter and would thus cost us less. How could McCain claim that he is going to save us money if he himself needs x-tra equiptment just to give us a conference? McCain's telepormpter Tax will surely tip us over the edge!

To hardball's credit they pretty much cleared Obama of a flip-flop on Iraq and stated that it was mostly to the credit of MSM. But not to their credit they made it sound as if this was some sort of test on Obama on this issue becoming a bit of a murmur in the MSM. They have been murmuring about Obama seemingly non preferential treatment to the media. Could they maybe come to the conclusion that because of the created drama episodes such as this "faux Iraq flip-flop" hoolabaloo and their failure in the lead up to the war in Iraq that he might want to keep a bit of a distance from the press for its lack of accountability and the dangers of gossip campaigns?

McCain:

1. All the charm of Richard Nixon

2. All the awareness of Ronald Reagan

3. All the fortitude of George H.W. Bush

4. All of the love of corporations over flesh and blood humans of William J. Clinton

5. All the ability of to understand the universe of George W. Bush

The big story that is going untold in this cycle (Olberman will no doubt hit it) is conservatives going after Mccan pre-convention. This could get really ugly for him and force him into that awkard no win situation Bush Sr faced in 92' when evangelicals dominated and dictated a losing strategy.

And so the reason Obama didn't want to go up against him in a series of town halls is ......??

If I have one criticism to make of the Obama campaign, it was that decision. McCain is (well, can be) excellent in a town hall -- but so can Obama. I know Obama's ahead in the polls and frontrunners aren't supposed to take chances like that .................. but the more familiar people are with him the better he does. Right now to a LARGE section of the voting public, he's a total unknown. And remember where the "don't know enough" or "can't decide" vote went in the primaries --- at the last minute they broke, significantly, for the familiar.

Riiiight. Because months of intensive Democratic nominee stuff hasn't already introduced the nation to him in one form or another. To the Democrats and anyone who watched TV news in the last few months they already know a lot about Obama via debate coverage and the like.

The "Obama's an unknown" meme is one that's mostly past its expiration date by now. And Obama never refused to do the town hall thing, he merely wanted to do 2 town halls plus the regular three debates, which is still more than usual in general elections.

He sounds like a 6th grader giving a public speech in English class for the first time.

True, true. I didn't like it when people were calling Gore a stiff. Not because I thought that they shouldn't call him out on his public speaking style, but because they were suggesting that Bush had more charisma than Gore. BUSH! Geezus! That guy was so clearly a freakin' idiot from Day One, it was embarrassing to watch him. And the press painted him as being more likeable than Gore.

Like lipstick on a pig...

What is it exactly about John McCain that has much of the news culture enamored with him? Watching McCain speak before an audience, one is convinced that it's not charisma that draws the media in. And a quick glance of McCain's voting record reveals that McCain not only has a penchant for flipping on issues, but he is far from being the maverick that he is often portrayed to be. And listening to his agenda, it's quite obvious that McCain doesn't have a firm grasp of the issues nor a unique outlook moving forward. Some have pointed out that McCain makes excellent barbeque, but surely seasoned meat is not reason enough to provide favorable coverage for a politician for decades. While McCain was a prisoner of war some thirty-five years ago, does that experience alone provide a lifetime of media cover? And how exactly does the McCain biography help change the price of gas or turn the economy around?

McCain is awkward and disturbing. What pisses me off is that you fools think it is so easy for Mysterious Obama to beat him. McCain has the base, he has experience, he has a story to tell, he will likely win. Obama has nothing except a bunch of disgruntled outcasts and newbies. The Independents will once again decide this and by election time they will go with the crotchety old man they know instead of the elitist and arrogant one they don't know.

Clinton in 2012.

Creepy. Just Creepy.

The problem is that too many people will only vote party lines. My brother in law is a die-hard republican. He thinks Bush is crook and McCain is senile but will vote for McCain -- because he is the Republican.

Mccain is in a bubble imho and reminds me of someone else...

Post of Mine from July 5, Before Today's "Lost in the Wild" Performace:

Here we are barely into the general election campaign and one of the candidates has already imploded.

On a personal, human, level, it's kind of sad, disquieting actually, to watch a man wither away in the most public of venues possible: the glare of full-bore media coverage in a presidential election.

While Obama has had some stumbles himself over the last fortnight or so, they have generally been policy focused, not personal. He's still composed, still intelligent, still in command. Not so, John McCain.

He's no longer the shoot-from-the-hip, swaggering ex-Navy pilot; he's a guy who can't deliver a pre-written speech without stumbling over his words; he's a guy who makes off-the-cuff remarks that tend to indicate he's not quite aware of who's who or what's what in the game he's playing. He comes across on that all important medium of television as a cross between Capt. Queeg and the stoic Capt. of the Titanic. Either way, it's obvious his ship is taking on water.

He's now on his THIRD campaign management team; Barack remains with his original crew virtually intact and adds to it with stars from HRC's professional army, while McCain is forced almost back to square one.

In sports, there are those guys that are unquestioned Superstars in the Minor leagues or College who, when they make it to the Big Leagues, fold like a house of cards.

It would seem that the Republicans are stuck with running one of the all time great Minor Leaguers in the biggest league of them all: the contest for the Presidency of the United States.

One question for those more acquainted with the Rules: Can the Repubs nominate anyone other than McCain at their convention, or are they completely locked in to him?

one thing that sticks in my craw about the undending, and uncritical praise for McCain's war record, is that no one, no one, has made the obvious point that going into the military for McCain was the EASY way.

i mean he was no brain, nor a motivated student. what else was he going to do?

this was the closest thing to going into the family business as you can get. his father and grandfather were admirals in the navy. his dad was still an admiral. what school did mccain go to? the naval academy.

c'mon...

nary a mention.