This election will prove whether America is smart or dumb.

He's kind of staking out the outer fringe of the GOP argument that Obama is racializing the campaign...

Ole Joe has a point there...maybe Obama should've thought about that before he chose to be black.

It's a race war now? How can networks even let that clown get away with saying that? And then he's laughing and smiling a moment later? You don't make charges like that and then want tpo play all happy-go-lucky.

I love ALL McCain surrogates are saying McCain wants to talk about the issues - like if they say it enough it becomes reality.

Obama has some of the lamest surrogates in history.

Once again, this from the McCain Youtube site from JUNE!! Notice the face on the bills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU&feature=related

And then the McCain Camp puts out this ad - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/01/mccain-camp-happy-to-inje_n_116360.html

It's like they had all of the race hate attacks stored up waiting for the moment Obama possibly brought up his own race and figured that gave them the opening to run on the topic.

Like the "troops/publicity ad", it was admitted by a GOP operative that the McCain camp had an attack strategy waiting should Obama have went to the troops. It was pretty much a no-win trap.

Joe Watkins is a minister in a predominantly white Christian denomination (i think its Presbyterian) should know better than this.
This guy is a nobody and quite frankly a shill for JM. Whenever he comes on i just press the mute button. He has no credibility. he will say anything to score a few points with his Republican buddy's.

PRINCETON, NJ -- According to Gallup Poll Daily tracking from July 29-31, John McCain and Barack Obama are now tied at 44% in the preferences of national registered voters.

Dr. Danny Jazarevic, former Chief of Trauma, Critical Care and Vascular Surgery at Landstuhl concerning Obama’s canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl: “Last week, Senator Obama skipped a visit with wounded U.S. troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany because the Pentagon would not allow campaign staff or media to accompany him into the hospital. I served as director of trauma surgery at that hospital for nearly four years and saw the effect that a visit from a celebrity like Senator Obama could have on morale. During that time, I do not recall a single member of Congress canceling a visit with the troops despite being just a few hours away, but Senator Obama seems to have been more concerned with how the visit would affect him than how it would affect the soldiers recovering from wounds received in the service of their country.”

I worry about race being the issue - that's not something that's to Obama's benefit. If even a fringe associate's Obama with "race war" or anything like that, it's not a good thing.

But take a look at Watkins when he defended McCain speaking in Canada and attacked Obama in Germany. His defense earned him the nickname "Special Kind of Stupid"

http://strategy08.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/joe-watkins-is-a-special-kind-of-stupid/

McCain is framing the argument with the help of media hack like Dana Milbank, George Stephenopolus, Mark Halperin, Pat Buchanan, and Jake Taper.

Drudge report is their mega phone...it is time Obama adopted Hillary's communication strategy if he is to win this election or else he won’t be able to get his message out.

Sell out, uncle tom, uppity. I thought you'll was talking about Obama for a second!!

This is panic mode by the McLame camp. This Rovian / Helmsian racial crap is supposed to get smeared on the opponent a couple of days before the election in order to leave no time for cooler heads to prevail. (It's also supposed to be a bit more subtle). Going over the top on this on AUGUST 1 for chrissakes is a sign of sheer desperation, and a guarantee that it won't work.

Okay, maybe I live in my own little world by I feel like this kind of junk firms up support for Obama from those who were already going to vote for him and might actually sway people who were doubtful about him to feel less doubtful. They may even be starting to see that McCain actually isn't an honorable man.

"As noted here yesterday, the point of accusing the Obama camp of playing the "race card" is to undercut his image as a racial uniter who's not interested in re-fighting past political battles, and instead to paint him as confrontational on race."

His image as a "racial uniter"? What are you on drugs? Obama ran the most Racist primary campaign in History against the Clintons. Now he is trying it against McCain and people are seeing right through his bullshit.

Obama can end this now, Today. McCain has given Obama ALL the ammunition he needs to shut this down completely.

McCain has a web video that puts Obama's face ON A DOLLAR BILL! ! !

Video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/01/mccain-ad-did-make-fun-of-obamas-appearance/

McCain has personally delivered the PERFECT counter to his own ridiculous accusations. Perfect.

Why isn't the Obama campaign sending this video to every news organization? Why haven't they done this already? Whatever the reason, they need to get on the ball and shut this narrative down.

Sen. Barack Obama got heckled today while giving a speech in Florida. The hecklers were African Americans who wanted to know why he hasn't spoken out for the AA community.
Obama is starting a race war with African Americans who denounce him.

One thing that never ceases to anger and annoy me about TV anchors talking heads is that they never call fools like this out. The interviewer's response - and I have no idea who she is - was like, "Well, we'll see if that happens." (ie - Obama ceasing his "race war") It should have been - "Hold on a second, Rev. Watkins. A race war? That's a very strong charge. Exactly what do you mean by this and how is Obama waging a race war?"

Never happens, though. Sigh....

Obama's had his 15-minutes. The racism and sexism he, his campaign, paid propagandists (which I'm sure include a number of TPM commentors), and the unruly but star-struck cult following have trafficed has gotten very old, pathetic, and embarrassing. It is long past time to truly call everyone on this trash. It is unseemly that the Democratic party has been usurped by an arrogant cult leader that has no experience, claims credit for the efforts of others, and throws anyone and everyone under the bus when they get in the way of his quiotic quest for the White House.

You know, at least Clinton and McCain can look themselves in the mirror and be proud of what they have done in life, what they are doing, and how they affect the people around them. As well, their patriotism is intact and they inspire trust and respect. For Obama, except for and including the Hitlerish cult following he as assembled, it's all a calculation absent any substance.