Flashback: McCain Agreed To Condemn Swift-Boat Attacks In General Election
The McCain campaign today effectively endorsed the tactic used in an ad Swift-Boating Obama for his ties to former Weatherman William Ayers -- but four months ago McCain unequivocally pledged to join the Democratic nominee in condemning such attacks during the general election.
McCain made the promise to Chris Matthews during MSNBC's so-called "College Tour" in mid-April, during which each candidate was quizzed at length before an audience of college kids...
McCain was asked by Matthews whether he would "sit down with the Democratic nominee" and "agree there will be no outside attacks." Matthews further asked McCain directly whether he would "agree up front" to "condemn any attack like a swift boating" as the nominee.
"Would you do that?" Matthews asked.
"I would love to do that," McCain replied, to loud applause.
It gets better. McCain went on to suggest that calling on such groups to stop the attacks basically works.
McCain recalled that during the GOP primary he'd taken an outside group to task and demanded a halt in their activities.
"They stopped," McCain said. "They stopped."
"So it works?" Matthews asked.
"I think so," McCain replied. "I think so."
Matthews pressed further, asking directly whether there will be "no shots at the other person's character" about "elitism" or similar topics.
"Yes," McCain replied.
Um, "celeb," anyone?
Today McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers issued a statement attacking Obama over his response ad hitting back at the third-party spot tying Obama to Ayers. The statement didn't condemn the Ayers ad, and it effectively endorsed the tactic used in it by echoing the ad's message.
Surely McCain's April remarks will appear in every story about today's Ayres dust-up.
Only if the Obama Campaign's press shop is pumping this out to every one of the press reports. Flufferwink, we could use that shadow/alternate press shop right about now!
August 25, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS NEEDS TO BE IN AN AD. THIS VERY CLIP. (yes, i'm yelling)
August 25, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
There was a lot of yelling when he was being tortured as a P.O.W. - don't you forget that.
August 25, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Matthews pressed further, asking directly whether there will be 'no shots at the other person's character' about 'elitism' or similar topics.
'Yes,' McCain replied."
All I can say, is that McCain is an asshole.
August 25, 2008 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, let's use it in the battleground states.....Senator, do you still stand by this? Or was that just before Karl Rove gave you one of his chief deputies to run your campaign?
August 25, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's a one-size-fits-all response ad waiting - no, begging - to be made.
Responding to charges from McCain's boys is one thing. But having McCain denounce his own tactics would refute every charge and open the question of why he seems to have gone back on his word.
It's a winner, if you ask me.
August 25, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right on. That focus group mentioned earlier talked about accountability. Well, let's make McCain accountable. He said he would run a honorable campaign. He broke his promise with a smile on his face. Now it's time to put him to account. Time to show him that the reckoning is indeed coming.
Obama-Biden'08: Experience the change!
August 25, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Another McSame flip-flop isn't gonna make headlines. He can sit on both sides of the fence and not get called for it.
But the history of Swift-Boat lies does provide an opening for defense. Just calling out ads like this as more lying from the Swift Boaters should resonate quite well. Pointing out another McSame contradiction, not so much.
August 25, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
You can't hold John McCain to his word. John McCain was a POW.
August 25, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain broke his word. If you can't trust him to control his own campaign, how could anyone trust him to run the country?
August 25, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because he was a POW.
August 25, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
The allegation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, has contradicted himself is outrageous.
August 25, 2008 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can we get a series of Then/Now ads? McCain's record is FERTILE for this type of ad campaign....
August 25, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy. Freaking. Shit. This absolutely MUST get out. Obama needs to make an ad TODAY about this. I think Stranger, above, summed it up really well.
August 25, 2008 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anybody watching the live feed from Denver?
August 25, 2008 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh my god, people.
Lalo has become the voice of positivity, and we're the trolls.
NOOOOOOOOOO . . . . . .
August 25, 2008 5:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
TiVo has made me lazy :-)
August 25, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am now. =)
August 25, 2008 5:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nancy Pelosi looks good in white.
/ crush
August 25, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
for those of us at work...give us an update?
August 25, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Say anything McCain. Where your word is your bond... until it is not.
August 25, 2008 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
The McCain of today is not the McCain of 4 months ago.
My hypothesis is McCain was attacked by Brain Suckers from Planet Rove. Fossilized brain mater, as we all know, is a delicacy on planet Rove. Even more so if you happen to harvest it at the very first stages of senility.
Thus, devoid of anything approaching a funcioning brain, McCain is stuck with answering every question with either "POW" or "Surge."
It is the only explanation that makes sense. Well, that and McCain is and always has been a big phony.
August 25, 2008 5:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
My hypothesis is, he's losing.
It's shorter, and still explains what we see.
August 25, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Loosing what? His 'hero-ness'? His honor? His POW-ness? The presidency? His mind?
August 25, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
No... His mavericky maverickness.
August 25, 2008 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
His Surginess.
August 26, 2008 1:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Artur Davis is now on PBS on the Clinton-Obama poisonousness.
August 25, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
A humorous comment on what appears more and more to be a very real possibility. If he keeps going like this, the Republicans are going to be left with . . . who?
August 25, 2008 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hell, bring it on! Ayers, when Obama was 8 years old, very effective ad for Obama. Keating 5 now wide open, let there be chaos now. McCain should have totally lost his Senate seat for this debacle that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars. And let's not forget that Neil Bush was right there with him.
August 25, 2008 5:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
O god yes.
Anyone know how much it costs to rent a billboard?
August 25, 2008 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well clip that vid right into an ad showing yet again what liar John McLame is.
August 25, 2008 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice work, Greg.
August 25, 2008 5:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The problem that I've been seeing with the Obama camp fighting back has been that I really havenโt seen any decent Obama surrogates on the news programs (Sunday talkers, Hardball, Morning Joe, etc.). The only "surrogates" that I've seen on have been milquetoast "strategists" or, God help us, Harold Ford who basically sit on their hands allowing some Republican to rant on and on about demonstrably false RNC talking points.
I'm not sure if it's been a case of actual Obama surrogates getting invited on the programs or if this is the best they can produce -- I really hope it's not the latter. So far this season, it's been really disappointing to watch Obama get pummeled on the news programs without proper defenders/attackers.
August 25, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, the Obama surrogate game on TV is pathetic. The only real good one I can think of is economic advisor Austan Goolsbee who's always on Neil Cavuto.
In fact Obama has always been "out-surrogated." The Clinton team used to put him to shame as well.
August 25, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Looks like Josh is making the points that we've raised here. Basically, you don't win the game by only playing defense.
August 25, 2008 9:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
The aura of sour grapes emanating from Harold Ford Jr. is palpable even over the television.
August 25, 2008 6:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay - ANYBODY FROM THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN PAYING ATTENTION?????????? Here's your ad. "John McCain - why won't he keep his word?"
C'mon, let's get going!
August 25, 2008 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perfect.
August 25, 2008 5:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
rock on
August 25, 2008 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's do a massive emailing to Twiity Bird Matthews and see if he will comment on this flashback...speaking of flashback...McCan't isn't too bright if he is going down this route..maybe in Hanoi he took heavy hits of acid!
August 25, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hell, we could even have a-
"McCain Slime Attack Clock"
running nonstop until he denounces the 527 ads and calls for them to stop. Take their "Iraq clock" nonsense and shove it up their asses.
August 25, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about an ad from Obama with him directly calling out McCain on his BS? No surrogates. Man to man. Give him a script, put a flag behind him with some regular joe schmoes, and let it rip. 30 seconds. Repeat.
August 25, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you guys watching MSNBC rright now? A PUMA and Chris Matthews just went at it. These gals are really making themselves look seriously stupid.
August 25, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just posted below.
That woman was unhinged.
August 25, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's always bothered me about the Mitchell-Haldeman-Atwater-Rove-Schmidt school of campaigning is the sneaking suspicion that if you believe that there are no things one simply does not do when running, then there are no things one simply does not do when governing.
August 25, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
HOLY SHIT!
That puma lady Chris Matthews was just talking to is FUCKING NUTS!
She was spouting off about Obama having going to a Madrassa and when Matthews asked her to tell him what her source was for that she refused to tell him. She said it's in a "17 page report" but she refused to say who wrote it.
August 25, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
i just watched that, too. how much did you love that young black girl matthews interviewed after the crazies? my wife commented, "who's more grown up? that bitter old woman, or that 19 year-old girl."
August 25, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw that. Holy crap. Matthews just commented something to the effect that she was insane.
That should be on You Tube within the next five minutes.
August 25, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd be willing to bet all the money I have that that group doesn't have anything close to 3 million members.
August 25, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Judging by the interview they did with Mathews, I doubt the group has 3 million brain cells.
August 25, 2008 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
lol
August 25, 2008 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
sure she does. mccain voters. that woman was NEVER going to vote for hillary, barack, biden, edwards, or any other democrat. i'd almost bet my house on her never (or rarely) having voted democrat. i'd kill to know whether she's registered democrat, republican, or independent. i bet you one million dollars (pinky to lower lip) that she's a registered republican.
August 25, 2008 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. I think she and her friends were quite obviously McGoons.
August 25, 2008 7:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
These PUMA's are willing to sink the party for Hillary's sake. And for that I blame Hillary. For all the talk about BO not kissing the Clintons ass, she isnt doing squat to calm her supporters down one bit. This is starting to piss me off royally.
To all Hillary supporters, GET OVER IT!
August 25, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
People like that lady are such a small minority that they're not going to sink anything. The loudest ones are the craziest ones.
August 25, 2008 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hate it when they give publicity to these fringe crazies just because it sparks controversy. It's like if a network actually hired someone like Pat Bucha-, ... well, anyway.
August 25, 2008 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
HAHAHA!
I have to say, I sometimes love Chris Matthews.
He just referred to those crazy puma bitches as the type of crazy people you run into at Port Authority!
Hilarious.
August 25, 2008 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
David Gregory is on. Time to change over to CNN. I cant stand that guy.
August 25, 2008 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
A noun, a verb and POW.
August 25, 2008 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every time I see POW written out my mind goes back to the live action Batman tv series: POW! BAM! SMACK!
August 25, 2008 6:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
It was border line acist. they basically said he was ONCE (maybe currently) a Muslim and therefor shouldnt be president.
August 25, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah. They made perfectly clear that they don't think he's currently a Muslin, they just think he was when he was 9 and therefore is disqualified to be President.
August 25, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't an array of Democrats strike out at McCain's dishonesty in this and many other matters?
August 25, 2008 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Its time to get nasty, y'all. Be prepared to wallow in the muck.
August 25, 2008 6:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just remember, none of this would have happened if Obama hadn't forced McCain to forget how many houses he has!
August 25, 2008 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey folks -- lawsuit, and grass-roots action targeting the Sinclair affiliates that run this ad.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12816.html
August 25, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would be a great ad but I think it might be more effective after the McCain campaign sleazes it up for a while longer.
Rev. Wright IS going to come out at some point.
August 25, 2008 6:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome find. Bravo.
McCain = Broken Promises, No Honor
August 25, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
One more thought:
This is a character issue. McCain broke his word. He's a liar. He's sneaky. A fake.
August 25, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink