The Republican Party has officially gone too far. Since Barack Obama began his campaign, the GOP has tried to convince people that he’s un-American. Maybe he’s a Muslim, the whisper campaigns say. Or, maybe he’s a “black power” supporter whose wife refers to Caucasions as “whitey.” Or, you know, maybe he just pals around with terrorists.

Republicans aren’t dumb. They know that a picture is worth a thousand words. So, why not take a photo of bin Laden — the most hated man in America — and doctor it up just enough so that it might look like Obama. Because, you know, Obama and Osama are interchangeable, right? See for yourself:

Then, check out Talking Points Memo to see a better graphic representation of the potential PhotoShop work. As they note:

Just a few points to make here. I grapple with whether it’s paranoia at this stage to think that the GOP is conflating Obama and Osama visually — as they have so often conflated them textually and rhetorically. But look at the pic closely. You’ve got the turban and beard photoshopped out or otherwise obscured. The flared bulb of the nose is gone, leaving only the narrower bridge. And the photo appears darkened to match Obama’s complexion.

You be the judge. But in politics, as in advertising, images are rarely accidental.

This postcard was created by the Virgina State Republican Party. Are Republican ashamed of the direction their party is headed and the new lows McCain’s campaign has sunk to? Or, is this just part of campaigning?

It strikes me as odd that McCain makes an issue out of his feelings being hurt by accusations of racism. (Which many people would say are accusations based in reality.) Yet, Obama — who has actually been the target of real racism — hasn’t once complained about it or used it as a scapegoat.

Where does McCain get off playing the hurt feeling card? Grow up.

Cindy McCain, in an interview published by Marie Claire:

MC: You met your husband after his POW days. To what extent is that still with you — or is it a part of history?
CM: My husband will be the first one to tell you that that’s in the past. Certainly it’s a part of who he is, but he doesn’t dwell on it. It’s not part of a daily experience that we experience or anything like that. But it has shaped him. It has made him the leader that he is.

MC: But no cold sweats in the middle of the night?
CM: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. My husband, he’d be the first one to tell you that he was trained to do what he was doing. The guys who had the trouble were the 18-year-olds who were drafted. He was trained, he went to the Naval Academy, he was a trained United States naval officer, and so he knew what he was doing.

Really? The only veterans in Vietnam were the 18-year-old kids who were drafted? Let’s be real. Some people may say that this shouldn’t matter when you’re voting for president. I disagree. I’d bet that Cindy and Sen. McCain have discussed this before. Can’t you just hear McCain “Oh, no! I never had PTSD … it was just those untrained kids who couldn’t deal!”

Give me a break.  The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study estimates that around one-third of those who served in Vietnam experienced some kind of PTSD. And many experts say that the prevalance is underestimated due to social stigmas and a lack of definitive research. More recently, the VA noticed a 30% increase in PTSD claims in 2005. Do the McCains think those are just from untrained kids? Hardly. If you don’t understand — or just disregard — the source of a problem, how are you supposed to provide the leadership needed to fix it?

It seems the McCain campaign is out of ideas; instead they’re just making stuff up.

From Talking Points Memo:

It turns out that that “overhead projector” John McCain claimed Barack Obama tried to get a $3 million earmark for was actually money to rebuild Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the United States.

McCain’s “overhead projector” is the apparatus that runs the planetarium, which is a bit like calling the Palomar Observatory a new set of glasses.

As I said earlier, John McCain supporters make me sad. I think it’s disappointing that people think it’s a good idea to vote for a candidate who:

• Doesn’t admonish supporters who shout “Kill him” in reference to Barack Obama.
• Refuses to call on his supporters to stop the whisper campaigns perpetuating the lie that Obama is a Muslim
• Leads voters to believe that criticizing a war is unpatriotic or grounds for treason
• Repeatedly spreads lies by claiming that Obama “pals around with terrorists”
• Approves of campaign representatives repeatedly referring to Obama with his middle name. McCain’s not even being subtle anymore about trying to scare voters out of voting for Obama.

I’m not saying that McCain is responsible for the hateful words coming out of his supporters mouths. Clearly, he’s not. However, he is responsible for setting the tone of the campaign. The tone McCain set has led to these kinds of remarks.

Since McCain has no real economic plan, I think it’s safe to assume that many of his supporters either believe he’s a maverick who will take on the system or support his social stances. Let’s get one thing clear: He’s no maverick. Everything — from his limited policy ideas … to the kind of campaign he’s waging — is reminiscent of George W. Bush. And, as for social issues: Is that really what’s most important to the country as a whole? Or, is it more important to select a leader who wants to bring people together — despite religious or other differences? Someone who recognizes and respects the fact that people share different values? Why do voters think it’s a good idea to support a candidate who clearly doesn’t care how he gets to the White House — even if that means insinuating that his oppoenent is racist, unpatriotic, Muslim, in cahoots with Kenyan leaders, just for starters – as long as he gets there?

I’m not articulating this as well as I’d like. But, the point is this: The notion that someone honestly looks at the type of person John McCain is and still decides to cast their vote for him is shameful and sad. What does that say about voters and how we choose our leaders?

Update: The New York Times comments on this as well.

Update 2: My brother just called to discuss this post, which only reinforced that I didn’t communicate what I meant very well. I don’t mean to imply that people who agree with McCain’s policies should be ashamed to vote for him. I don’t agree with those policies, but I certainly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. All I meant by this post is that I think it’s sad that McCain has given up on offering real policies and ideas that will help move our country forward and is instead trying to scare people into voting for him. I know he can’t control what comes out of people’s mouths, but he’s not doing anything to remedy the situation. Start by telling his “introducers” to stop using Obama’s middle name. Tell Palin to drop the line about palling around with terrorists. Stop using fear to win an election and start using policies and actual ideas for once. Perhaps the title of this post should have more accurately reflected that current undecided voters who pull the lever for McCain because they are scared of Obama (Is he a terrorist? Is he Muslim?) are sad. They are not basing thier decision on policy — there have been relatively few massive policy changes from either candidate recently. Instead, they aren’t smart enough to see past McCain’s political tricks.

Imagine if John McCain had picked a VP who added value to the Republican ticket. A candidate who offset his own personal limitations. Someone who brought real-world experience … political know-how … business success.

How different would the race be if John McCain had put aside their personal differences and tapped Mitt Romney as Veep? During the economic crisis — when the wheels really fell off the so-called Straight Talk Express — Romney could have been in the forefront, explaining how this impacts Main Street and Wall Street. He could have offered real solutions. He could have shown that a McCain presidency would be about more than fighting wars and cowering to the right. He could have convenced Americans that a McCain administration would bolster the American economy.

If McCain had picked Romney, he wouldn’t be pulling his fledgling campaign out of Michigan today — a state where Romney polls exceptionally well.

Imagine how different the race would be if McCain made a responsible VP selection … instead of a short-sighted political maneuver.

If last week’s financial mess was crisis enough for McCain to suspend his campagin, what will he do this week? It sounds like this is a bigger crisis — with the bailout failing and no real Plan B on the backburner. Will he suspend his campaign again? Maybe just in time for Palin to skip the Veep debate?

If he doesn’t suspend his campaign this week, what does that say about last week’s suspension? He suspended his campaign as a political trick, or he had good intentions, but — gasp — the stunt polled poorly, so he won’t do it again. Either way, it’s not a “country first” approach.

First, George Will:

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

Now, Kathleen Parker, conservative columnist with the National Review:

As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.

Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

That’s two of the leading conservative voices in this country. And, they’ve realized that McCain and Palin aren’t fit to lead — and certainly aren’t ready for primetime.

Hello? Voters? Are you paying attention?

I’ve tried to come up with an appropriate — and not terribly disrespectful — title for this post. But, I can’t.

So, I’ll skip the title and just get to the point. If I could speak to John McCain, here’s what I would say:

Sen. McCain, please stop being a wuss. Show up. Debate Obama. You say the country is in a crisis? This is when we need to hear from our leaders most.

You make rushed judgements thinking you can fool the American people. We’re smarter than you give us credit for. If you are sincere (which I doubt), prove it. As it stands now, we (except for die-hard conservatives) saw through you’re Palin pick. It was nothing more than a political ploy. And, we (even your conservative buddies in the media) realize that this campaign “suspension” is just another tactic to score cheap points with an American electorate that is rightfully concerned about the economy. (We’ll glaze over the fact that you lied … as illustrated by your continued airing of commercials in battleground states, your spokespeople on TV attacking Obama, and even yourself on network news tonight.)

But, here’s the point. You make these snap decisions and hope that everything will turn out in your favor. I don’t think you really think through the consequences of your actions. That’s not the kind of leadership we need in the White House.

Talk about political posturing. I thought McCain picking Palin was a political stunt … but his latest move is even more outlandish. As everyone has heard by now, McCain announced that he’s going to suspend his campagin to focus on the economy.

My head is swirling with reactions. A stream of random reactions:

• McCain’s economic plan is Phil Gramm’s economic plan. Isn’t that what led us to this disaster to begin with? Why would we want McCain anywhere near this? According to a February article from Fortune:
  

  McCain’s chief economic adviser - and perhaps his closest political friend - is the ultimate pure play in free market faith, former Texas Senator Phil Gramm. If McCain follows Gramm’s counsel, and most of his current positions are vintage Gramm indeed …

• McCain has admitted the economy isn’t exactly his strong suit. Again, why do we want him putting this plan together? Shouldn’t the best and brightest economic minds get together? Not just the ones looking to score political points?
• It’s not like this economic disaster is new. Why didn’t McCain have a sense of urgency on Sept. 14, when Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America; on September 15 when Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy; on (or before) September 16, when the government spent $85 billion to bail out AIG? Oh, wait … new polls are out. McCain was ahead or even with Obama last week … now he’s down in the major national tracking polls.
• Does McCain not understand the logistics that go into a debate of this size? Postponing is isn’t as simple as just picking a new day. Not that I believe television should dictate policy, but all the networks set aside time, are flying reporters to Mississippi (it’s not like the debate is held in NY, where many media are already stationed!), etc. Plus, just imagine all the security-related issues that went into pulling this off.
• If McCain knew how to email (or video-conference) he would know that much business can be accomplished between people in different locations. Thanks to modern advances in technology, people can work from anywhere!
• And, most importantly, if McCain can’t handle managing his campaign and one economic crisis — granted, it’s a major deal, but still … — how does he think he can be president? Do you think the president deals with one issue at a time? McCain needs to learn to multi-task … delegate … be more efficient, etc. Sure, cancel some campaign appearances to participate in shaping the bailout, but at least show the country that you can manage more than one big thing at a time.
• CNN is reporting that Obama called McCain’s campaign at 8:30 this morning to discuss putting out a joint statement. So, this whole bipartisanship stuff was OBAMA’s idea to begin with. Apperently, McCain called Obama at 2:30 to agree and then released his own statement. That’s just slimy. Is that who we want leading our country??

This is a political stunt –plain and simple. Voters have already fallen out of love with Sarah Palin — realizing that her nomination, too, was just for political gamesmanship. Hopefully, they’ll also realize that this is nothing more than McCain trying to find any excuse to slow Obama’s momentum.

Update: