I read that with amusement this A.M.

That sentence: "The man who hopes to inspire a new generation...." was such a garden path sentence! I immediately started thinking of Barack Obama, until to arrive at the end of the sentence to read "now attacks Obama daily" and was brought up short.

Say whatever you will about Obama's current campaign, but you have to acknowledge that he is clearly the one who wants to inspire a new generation of Americans, while McCain most certainly isn't, except in Brooksie's strange mind.

And this:

Can someone pass me a hankie? It's...it's...so sad!

Brooks is such a hack.

It's hard to imagine that the NYT shells out piles of good money to him and MoDo and gets nothing but low-grade manure in return.

Does this remind anyone else of Chris Rock's bit on the media??

"Oh shit. It's Mike Wallace. Run!"

From the Brooks op-ed...

In a thousand ways, he [McCain] has tried to preserve some sense of self-respect in a sea of pandering pomposity.

The implication is that McCranky has not been able to preserve any sense of self-respect.  Whatever was left went out the window when he hired Steve StupidSchmidt to run his campaign.  No news to readers here, of course.

McCain and his advisers have been compelled to adjust to the hostile environment around them.

It comes with the GOP territory.  Dubya dug a big hole, and McSame has been wallowing in it.  First rule of holes:  When yo ufind yourself in one, stop digging.

The current advisers say they have no choice.

Bwaaaah!  The Devil made me do it!!!

Greg--that hanky line. priceless. thanks for that.

So the meanies highjacked Johnny's righteous campaign and veered into the gutter.

McCain is just along for the ride. A candidate's got to do what a candidate is told to do.

Got your leadership right here, pal.

You realize now that David Brooks was a pimply faced "philosophy" major in college who was a "chosen" one by William F. Buckley, so of course he - who backed bush 100% at the beginning of his administration, and was one of the original neocons - sees mystical connections concerning Disney and Nietzsche that the rest of cannot.
At best he hopes William F. Buckley comes back to life so he can die again, that way David can repeat the "picked out of a crowd" claim to fame story again while at the same time showing us how much hatred and jealousy he has toward Obama.

"It hasn't turned out that way. McCain hasn't been able to run the campaign he had envisioned."

So much for leadership I guess.

Or as one would say:
Is this man ready to lead?

See, Brooks and his editors have been compelled to adjust to the hostile evironment around them. They have been complelled, at least in their telling, to abandon the journalistic integrity they had hoped to use. Now they are printing a much more partisan-friendly column (facts and honest reporting be damned), the kind Brooks himself used to ridicule. The man who lampooned the Message of the Week is now relentlessly on message. The man who hopes to inspire a new generation of Americans now attacks Obama daily. Sadly, he thinks it's the only way he can get readers to pay attention.

http://pufferfish.typepad.com/

So David Brooks is bemoaning the fact that St. John is capitulating to the very media class of which David Brooks is a foremost member? The mind boggles and reels while trying to extract meaning from that statement. If the space-time continuum ever experienced such a warp like this bit of thinking by Brooks, then the whole universe would vanish in a picosecond.

What a crock! The NY times picked up the two biggest idiot Neo-cons they could find, in Kristol and Brooks. Isn't it time to send them to the 'Post?

Here's Brooks bottom line-

McCain cannot be held responsible for the actions of himself and his campaign/administration/failed marriage/inaccurate statements. Great choice for a leader!

When Brooks worked under Kristol at the Weekly Standard, the two were joined at the hip. Kristol, never, like Brooks, wrote a two book hommage to Wal Mars, however the two men share identical views, although it is true, that while on Fox or talking to Bob Schieffer or Charlie Gibson, Brooks' eyes appear to be more focused.

A sentence from Brooks states his point: " He would pick a postpartisan running mate, like Joe Lieberman."

Right D.B., this one and McCain represent the future! Poor, Obama!

All this "original Maverick" stuff makes me sick.

(long pause)

Everyone knows Tom Cruise was the original Maverick.

Once again we see the fine hand of the right leaning media assisting the next president of the United States. We have seen the bare knucle tactics of the Republican party used against the major media players. It was the failure of the media to kiss McCain's ass enough (isn't there enough media lipstick there already?), faiure to provide enough media exposure to McCain and timerity to actually say something critical of McCain that forced him to go negative.

Now, one could hardly think of a more timid response to the outrageous negative campaign that has been going on against Obama. But why not, as we hear from many of the commenters on this site, there can be absolutely no mention of the negative aspects of McCain's judgment, ties to lobbyists, flip-flopping or other personal aspects. Thus, since we have a bought and paid for candidate who was so traumatized by losing the 2000 nomination that he buggered Bush and knelt before the God, Rove and shows significant signs of senility; we cannot mention directly or throuugh surrogates. Too harsh, too low road and not very nice.

Get a life people. Slimy campaigning is wrong. Sleazy tactics are wrong. Lieing is wrong. Fear mongering is wrong. Appealing to prejudice is wrong. All of these tactics have been employed by McCain or through his surrogates. Obama merely defends. Sorry but (and idiots I will use the term Democrat party not because I am a Republican but because you will fail to respond to the insult like the weak wussies that you are) one cannot be on the defensive without losing. Why do you think Obama went from a double digit lead to a single digit lead after McCain brought on key Rove associate and started his very, very sleazy campaign?

This should be a walk away campaign and started looking that way immediately after the Dem primary ended. Do not give me crap about McCain being a genuine war hero. God, just lay down and spread your cheeks, you are about to be royally screwed. Wussies give up the fight whenever there is a difficulty, just like many of you wimps attempting to justify the lack of attack. Rove at least understood attacking you opponents strengths. You fools concede the campaing before evern beginning

How do you do this? First, strong ads that really highlight McCains flip-flops, pandering and lies. Keep it up with the constant refrain that this is no longer the Straight Talking McCain. After a week of this - you go on the offense that McCain will call others traitors and allege that they are ambitious. Answer with: "Mr. McCain, do you really expect that you have no ambitions to be president? But we will not stoop to your tactic of questioning your patriotism."

Yes, a classic argument form from the great master for the Roman Forum, Cato.

If you cannot figure out what is happening, I will spell it out for you:

"The ignorance of intellectuals in politics has shown itself throughout history. When Napoleon entered an academic competition in Lyon with an essay on human ideals, it did not win the prize that the poor lieutenant had longed for. Instead, it was scornfully judged to be "not worth looking at." The same thing happens with many intellectually superior soldiers and politicians. (Obama's positions are too "nuanced.")

- In the popular criticism of today, no leading politicians fails to appear, in enemy propaganda, to be a perfect idiot, a coward, or a mere terrorist whose intelligence is so low that he must be secretly controlled from elsewhere... Material intended for the masses is not so-called objective writing, but rather such hate-filled pamphlets and caricatures. Caricature, (elitist) misrepresentation, (Obama is a secret Muslim) and one-sidedness (Democrats are weak on national defense) belong in propaganda.

- When an intellectual criticizes someone’s propaganda, his first point is not its simple, often vulgar language. .. His greatest complaint concerns the perpetual repetition of certain goals, slogans, and catchwords. He thinks assumed limitations are actual limitations, and says pityingly, "Well, he is after all only a propagandist…"

Yes, from the classic playbook of propaganda used by Hitler and Gobbels to undermine the German Republic. You need to fight it and understand your enemey. Go to the SmirkingChimp.com for the whole thing and wake up.

Is David Brooks then admitting that McCain has taken low road, excuses aside?

So much for personal responsibility.

From DB's column (DB - the initials are oddly appropriate)

McCain started with grand ideas about breaking the mold of modern politics. He and Obama would tour the country together doing joint town meetings. He would pick a postpartisan running mate, like Joe Lieberman. He would make a dramatic promise, like vowing to serve for only one totally nonpolitical term. So far it hasn’t worked. Obama vetoed the town meeting idea. The issue is not closed, but G.O.P. leaders are resisting a cross-party pick like Lieberman.

So a bunch of trial balloons sank like Led Zeppelins. BWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

What's McCain's new slogan - Come Whine with Me!

JMOHR makes some sound points (along with a few less persuassive ones), but I for one sure am glad he isn't running Obama's campaign. (I might not have minded if he ran Kerry's in 2004, though.)

I don't know from nothing, but I'd bet the Illinois Senator has his own plan for victory and that it's a pretty good one. I base this in part on my good fortune in not having to cast a presidential vote for Senator Clinton (whose political aptitude I would be much more weary of).

anybody who thinks mcsame is responsible for his own campaign is a WHINER

the Devil made him do it

but don't ask how mcsame ended up making a deal with the devil

he's a POW

but he doesn't like to talk about it

It's Obama versus fucking BOZO this year, folks