Posted by
The Valletta Papers on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 3:42:31 PM
Obama made the point yesterday that if anyone was “
promulgating negative ads that are completely unrelated to the issues at hand, I think I win that contest pretty handily.” I’m hoping he misspoke. He probably meant to say, as the candidate of change and hope, he would not stoop so low as to put out a negative ad – which would only continue the “same old failed politics of the past.”
We should excuse the gaffe as the result of being flustered when asked by “Good Morning America” why he put out an ad calling McCain old. Obama insisted “that his campaign commercial pointing out that Republican Sen. John McCain doesn't know how to use a computer wasn't a sly shot at his rival's age.”
Obama, the candidate promising to bring people together, argued: “I didn't say that. What I said was ... that John McCain is out of touch.”
In an Associated Press release, entitled “Obama mocks McCain as computer illiterate,” Nedra Pickler describes the ad:
The newest ad showcasing their hard line includes unflattering footage of McCain at a hearing in the early '80s, wearing giant glasses and an out-of-style suit, interspersed with shots of a disco ball, a clunky phone, an outdated computer and a Rubik's Cube.
"1982, John McCain goes to Washington," an announcer says over chirpy elevator music. "Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn't.
"He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail, still doesn't understand the economy, and favors two hundred billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class," it says. It shows video of McCain getting out of a golf cart with former President George H.W. Bush and closes with a photo of him standing with the current President Bush at the White House. "After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same."
It matters little whether Obama meant to attack McCain for being “out of touch” or just old. The commercial reveals a bewildered Obama campaign in panic mode. The ad was obviously not vetted. The fact that Obama approved the ad shows him to be ignorant, insensitive, and just like the rest of the political hacks running Chicago’s south-side. No decent American would put out this commercial while knowing the reasons behind McCain’s lack of e-mail history. Obama’s refusal to apologize or pull the ad says plenty about who is actually “out of touch.”
I’m not sure I really care if the President of the United States sends e-mails. He has subordinates that take care of that task. It is reported that Clinton sent two e-mails during his entire presidency.
The reason John McCain doesn't send email, according to Jonah Goldberg, is that he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country.
Years ago, the Boston Globe (March 4, 2000) explained:
McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.
Basically, Obama’s ad mocks McCain for the consequences of his injuries wrought as a POW while in the service of his country. Obama probably did not intend this message. Likely, he simply wanted to mock something else about McCain. Obama seems to be often misunderstood (e.g., his lipstick on a pig “metaphor”). Then again, maybe Obama’s braggadocio promotion of his negative ads against McCain wasn’t actually a gaffe. It could be that Obama was telling the truth when he bragged that if anyone was “promulgating negative ads that are completely unrelated to the issues at hand, I think I win that contest pretty handily.”