I'm glad that they're not running this ad; not because it is untruthful, but instead because it is counterproductive.

It is cowardly on the part of MSNBC. But the yanking will probably get more attention for the ad than it would have received on its own.

OT but humorous:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/mccain-camp-releases-ad-claiming-debate-victory/

Of course the result of this is that everyone is going to rush and view the ad!

What a mcShame meltdown!!!

These commercials aren't needed, McCain is doing a fine enough job alone proving the point. All they would do is rile up the righties and get their granny panties all up in a twist.

His health is not a deciding factor to any independents, and in a small chance that it is, seeing a commercial on MSNBC isn't going to put them over the top. Internets were made for commercials like this.

Hmmmm. Is there a theme developing here?

“In the end, [McCain] blinked and Obama did not. The 'steady hand in a storm' argument looks now to more favor Obama, not McCain…My guess is that plasma units are rushing to the McCain campaign as we speak to replace the blood flowing there from the fights among the staff.” – Craig Shirley, a Republican consultant and former McCain adviser, shaping a dangerous storyline for his former boss in an interview with the Huffington Post

From Politico.

And I concur with the comments about the ad. There's enough out there to legitimately attack McCain, and this ad goes a bit far.

McCain Camp Begins To Eat It's Own

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/26/report-mccain-aides-compl_n_129618.html

O/T, but if you want to waste time looking at the campus of Ole Miss today:

Camera looking down on Student Union plaza

The Obama camp (including 527s) need to be scrupulous about truthful, tasteful ads. There's plenty of truthful, tasteful, hardhitting stuff to use against McCain, and their keeping to the high ground will serve them well.

I think the ad could have stated the issue in a more thoughtful way. That image of the side of McCain's face is pretty brutal. That said, O'Reilly is an ignorant despot who will hopefully SOMEDAY get his comeuppence.

Bill O'Reilly is a liar. He is a proven public liar and a moral degenerate.

Of course the ad is in bad taste. That's the point. Greenwald is just doing his part to counter-Swift Boat.

I would agree that the money could be served better elsewhere. The fact is that the Swift Boat ad worked because Repubs are better at appealing to dumb people.

I miss Ron Paul: http://tinyurl.com/66o79q

Listen to all the concern trolls decrying this ad!
First, there is a huge public misconception about McCain's state of health. If this add gets people to think about it that would be good. Once they have the facts, they are free to conclude what McCains chances are, from their experience. But too many people think that McCain is fit and ready to serve, and co-incidentally, this makes Palin an un-important side-show.

What the "sleazy" and "scurrilous" and "below the belt" folks are saying is 'Please don't look at McCain's lousy health, pleeeeez!'

If the pearl-clutchers can show that 1) Americans have an objective view of McCain's health, and 2) they are fine with his chances of going ka-put and leaving Palin to go berserk, the ad wouldn't be necessary. But they don't and it is.

CT - and everyone who doesn't like the ad -

Here's how I see this - this is not North Korea; this is not the USSR. In North Korea you don't dare inquire whether Dear Leader has had a stroke. SAme went in the USSR - they never told the poeple shit about what was going on.

I want to know if the man who is running for president has potential health problems that could affect his ability to govern and might shorten his term and give the presidency to the single most moronic person ever to run for that spot.

And finally, let me remind every last one of you of something -

In this country, the leaders serve at our discretion. We are supposed to be in charge. How can we make informed choices if they withhold information from us?

Fuck sensibilities - this is a really complicated time in our history and I want to know.

Sometimes O'Reilly would be better off if he kept his mouth shut... like that's gonna happen! I watch MSNBC a lot and hadn't seen the ad. In opponents creating an issue about it and NBC pulling it off the air, BNW/DFA is getting a TON more free publicity for the issue. More people will hear of it not being on air than saw it... and it'll be getting a ton of hits on Youtube. And why won't Mccain release those medical records???

Right. Right. A 72-yr.-old man with a history of cancer shouldn't at all have the question of his health enter the debate.

Look over here. Another cool prank by McCain. This time he's juggling fire! while wearing lipstick.

I saw the ad several times on MSNBC and I thought it was too raw and harsh, thought it might have the reverse effect of eliciting sympathy for McCain.

The ad should not have been pulled, but I didn't like it.

I think this ad strikes just the right tone. Since I support DFA with my cash I am pleased to see it running in my area.

If Gov. Palin's likely hospitalizations for manic episodes that spiraled into psychosis during her elongated college years were revealed it would be a good thing that might even rid people of some stigmatizing notions about episodically disabling mood illnesses and bring a better understanding of the benefits of well-titrated meds.

The ad was rather shocking. We don't usually make a public discussion of the chances of a particular person dying soon. But, I've got to say that I've been wondering about McCain's health recently. It may be just that he's physically over-challenged by the pace of a presidential election, but he doesn't seem well. He's behaving kind of like my dad in his later years: easy to fly off the handle, difficulty controlling his emotions, loss of previously acute reasoning powers. My dad had a series of small stokes (transient eschemic something or others), not the kind that put you in the hospital, but they definitely had a cumulative effect.

Choosing Palin as #2 seems rash under any circumstances, but for a person in his position, this choice is positively irresponsible. Early Alzheimer's? I wouldn't wish that on anybody, not even Reagan.

It's a hard question, but one that needs to be considered.

I'm glad that they're not running this ad; not because it is untruthful, but instead because it is counterproductive.

Agreed !

While the audio makes the case for seeing McCain's medical records, the video should be shots of Sarah Palin, not McCain in band-aids.

they were running the ad quite often here in Reno.

My guess is that they really did get complaints, because it was a visual gross-out.

On its merits, it was straightforward and factual as compared say, to the swift-boaters.

It had a real doctor saying that if melanoma gets into your general system your chances aren't good, so McCain must release his medical records - that's it on the message, but there there closeups of McCain's nasty looking post-op facial scars that were hard to watch.

Here's the core of what is bothering me - it's like I told CT - this newfound ability to keep secrets from us that the government has developed. Not a good trend.

I don't want to drum up sympathy for McLame, but someone somewhere needs to be asking these questions because we do not know. We have the right to know. These are legitimate questions. What y'all object to is the visual of his problems. It's graphic.

I agree that may make some feel sorry for him or mad about exposing it. But it's relevant, regardless of how invasive this might seem to McLame's privacy. He really doesn't have any privacy to speak of. No candidate does any more.

I am glad that the ads are no longer running.

The physicians (were they oncologists? dermatologists?) in the ad made no distinction between melanoma in-situ, and melanoma that has spread to his lymph nodes or other glands. There is a huge difference. And the surgical biopsy from August 2000 showed no spread to his lymph nodes and nor his parotid gland - from where they also took a biopsy. That, plus his lack of recurrence at 8 years since his biopsy puts him in a very favorable category for survival from his melanoma.

McCain has many other areas where he is vulnerable (including his own advanced age - melanoma or not) to good, fair criticism. Scaring people with "he might die of his cancer" because some doctor who has never met McCain, is not an oncologist, nor a dermatologist, says so is not where energy to defeat McCain should go.

I feel very strongly that attacking someone's health without examining them is very irresponsible. See William Frist, M.D. re: Shiavo.

The ad doesn't pass the "cringe" test in my view. I always wonder whether they test these types of ads with real people. Stick to the facts; they are devastating enough.

Wasn't McCain supposed to be getting dermatological check-ups every three months? If so, when is his next one? Any chance it's before November 4th?

I'm frankly quite disappointed with TPM... this ad is nasty and disgusting... if you want to be treated seriously.. don't come forward in support of these kinds of ad.. and quite frankly all of you who wants to see this ad aired,,just ask yourself how are you any different than those crazy rightwing nuts .. yeah yeah i know... u'll give 1001 excuses of why this ad is fair.. but seriously.. showing a man's scar up close!!! it is one of the most vile thing imaginable..

I haven't seen the ad, so I can't talk about its tenor.

However, I do know that if I interview someone, I'm legally obliged to not consider their gender, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, and their age.

I agree that the position of the POTUSA is a really, really important hire :-), but do the same principles apply as for any other job applicant?

I wonder if Olbermann or Maddow will mention this on their shows. If so, there'll be a few Tivo users who'll actually see the offending spot this time.

This would be a most persuasive ad.

Start with the clip of McCain saying,"The fundamentals of the economy are strong," with a date and time stamp (Sep. 15, 2008, 11;06) in the corner. Cut to a few hours later when McCain says, "The American economy is in crisis."

Cut to McCain saying, "We cannot have the American taxpayers bail out AIG or anybody else," (Sep. 16, 2008). Cut to McCain saying, "The government had to commit $85 million to bailout AIG," (Sep. 17, 2008).

Show him declaring that if he were president, he would name a 9-11 style commission to study the current economic crisis (Sep 17, 2008). Cut to him stating that if he were president, he would fire the Chairman of the SEC.

Show him at a town hall meeting claiming to have been working on solving the economic crisis and "studying" the (2 and a 1/2 page) Paulson proposal (Sep. 22 2008). Cut to the audio recording of him answering an Ohio reporter's question about whether he would vote for the administration's proposal. He said he has not had a chance to read it yet (Sep. 23, 2008). Cut to him declaring that the economic crisis is so dire that he is suspending his campaign, and he is not going to go to a debate until this crisis is resolved (Sep. 24, 2008). Cut to him stating that he will go to the debate even though the congress is still working out the economic bail out program (Sep. 26, 2008).

End with this written on screen and narrated in a voice-over:

***To bring stability to our economy
***We need stability from our next President.

Picture of Obama and written and narrated:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The change we need.

Sarah Palin: Only one metastsis away from the Presidency.

For a piece of filth like Bill O'Liar to say that Jim Dean and Robert Greenwald are "despicable" for speaking truth to power is like Darth Vader saying Luke Skywalker is evil.

Like every right-wing thug, O'Liar continues to spread the Big Lie. He should shut his mouth and go back to massaging his loofah.