Dancing Around in Glistening Flailure

If you didn't see McCain's appearance on "Meet the Press" today, you really SHOULD (click on "watch the netcast"). I see quite a few people are circulating some segments, but I think it's well worth watching in whole. It's incredibly telling, IF you watch the entire segment.

When asked about his trailing in the polls, he denied that the numbers presented were correct, "I can show you other polls..." And when asked about his campaign's liberal use of word Socialism in regards to Obama, even when confronted with his own plan to subsidize mortgages, he danced around it and essentially refused to answer the question at all.

Then there was the Flailure, when rejecting the idea that Palin needed to be "defended" in any way - that was when he started to glisten, no joke. He was visibly starting to sweat just after the "glow" began, while reasserting Palin's so called "executive experience." I want to know why I've yet to see a reporter challenge the KIND of experience she has had, instead of pretending or accepting that "any 'ol experience will do." There's the abuse of power issue as state executive. And how in the world can the press ignore the obvious parallel to Bush policy failure? Palin as mayor of Wasilla, also came into office with a large surplus and left those citizens with a GIANT deficit!!!

McCain tried to justify the exorbitant funds spent on her campaign trail threads by saying she was "frugal," as if she needed help. Even though the Palin's tax returns revealed they earned more than twice the average income for a family their size in Alaska, turned Todd's racing winnings of $17,000 into a $9,000 loss, failed to report per diem payments she received for working away from the state capital (of which, we now know these types of "reimbursements" were excessive and abused in numerous ways), and ended up only paying $2,000 in taxes (on $166k gross). And again McCain went on with the clearly desperate impromptu plan (after being busted), of donating the clothes to charity.

Palin aside... McCain continues to steal Obama's platform too. Is it a case of "thievery being the highest form of flattery," or is it just more testament to his tendency to go "which ever way the wind blows" on the issues? perhaps a little of BOTH. The McCamp definitely picked up the change mantra, which started out as "maverick" but the actual word change must have proven effective because they added that to their repertoire. The newer stolen items that stuck out for me in this interview included; the idea that mortgage aid was a "first step" (not full solution) to financial crisis, and his dismissal of scandals about Palin by saying "the people are more interested in the issues."

He tried to justify his flippity-floppity positions on taxes, by saying that different times call for different measures (we're in a crisis). That flopped when it was pointed out to him that even Reagan raised taxes when he entered office after the recession - McCain tried to ignore it, and turned it into an opportunity to praise Reagan's policies. Even his defense of his mortgage bailout plan failed to pass the smell test when he said that the "fundamental" purpose of government is to intervene in times of crisis - WHAT? Brokaw pointed out that McCain's own example of FDR's aid in the depression was called Socialism by the Republicans at that time. What happened to his small government, and government must "get out of the way" position? Well, that's VERY inconvenient for this topic, so he's saving it for another issue, another time... Point is THIS time is, if there's a crisis, then it's not Socialism or "spreading the wealth around" to subsidize mortgages.

Now that I've seen McCain react to the Powell endorsement a few times, it's blatently obvious that he's completely stuck on talking point; "I have have FIVE Secretaries of State that have endorsed me" he said with his hand & five fingers up, like a five year old that has been asked how old they are. He wanted to proudly list them all off, but struggled to name the fifth one. "And one more," he said, then jutted his head at Brokaw as if to say, "SO THERE!"

One thing that I thought was particularly funny was the mention of newspapers that had endorsed either Obama or McCain. When Brokaw said an Iowa paper named Obama as their candidate, Mccain uncontrollably blurted out, "Astonished, shocked, SHOCKED!" - but then when it was said McCain's home state's largest newspaper named him (and I might add, not in a very flattering way), McCain said, "And God bless the Arizona Republic." So the press is only warped, biased towards Obama, and distorting the truth when it's unfavorable for McPalin (wrong when disagreeable, just like the polls); but not biased at all when it's your home state paper that's favorable???? LMFAO!!!

Of course, the interview just wouldn't have been complete without a mentions of "Joe the plumber" and "my friend" too. How sad.