Glenn Greenwald always seems to be at his best when attacking liberals and Democrats. I don’t mean that as a slight. He points out obvious truths and fundamental flaws. So he did yesterday, describing Terry McAuliffe, a top Clinton aide, discussing Senator John McCain and “toughness” on MSNBC thus:
If the Democrats want a blueprint for a sure losing strategy, they need look no further than McAuliffe’s answer…McAuliffe never once dared to criticize McCain on national security – not one word of criticism. Instead, he ignored the issue, immediately switched the topic to the economy, accepted the premise that McCain was “tough” and formidable on foreign policy, and then argued that Hillary was just as “tough” and would not, therefore, be vulnerable to attack. In other words: Hillary and McCain are the same on national security – equally “tough” – therefore that can be ignored and the focus should be on domestic issues.
That is the same failed strategy that Democrats have been pursuing with complete futility for the last eight years.
5 replies on “A Sure Losing Strategy”
exactly. As in: choose an “electable” and decent candidate who was a war hero, and the Republicans will not be able to call him ‘soft’. And they Swiftboat him. And he doesn’t reply, because he thinks he’s above it. And the rest is history.
Plus, how can you call a candidate who has publicly broken into tears at least twice already during the Primaries “tough” – especially when her opponent is a war veteran who has endured years of torture in a prison camp in Vietnam ?
On the other hand, I’m sure Obama would praise Mc Cain’s honorable conduct in the armed forces, but then say: I’m sorry, but you’re fuckin’ wrong, Senator. We don’t need to stay 100 years in Iraq and we need as few war heroes as possible.
and he’d win.
Indeed. And Senator Obama did exactly that at last night’s Alexandria, Virginia town hall meeting. Effusive praise for McCains’s service and then pointed out that McCain endorses the Bush policy of endless war. The way in which presented his answer is devastating. I think the video is on CSPAN’s website..
is this the town hall meeting you are referring to? (thanks:)
I believe that is the same meeting. Here is a link to the cspan page with the entire meeting video: http://www.campaignnetwork.org/default.aspx