http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081005/ap_on_..._words_analysis

Analysis: Palin's words may backfire on McCain

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago

By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.

First, Palin's attack shows that her energetic debate with rival Joe Biden may be just the beginning, not the end, of a sharpened role in the battle to win the presidency.

"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," Palin told a group of donors in Englewood, Colo. A deliberate attempt to smear Obama, McCain's ticket-mate echoed the line at three separate events Saturday.

"This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," she said. "We see America as a force of good in this world. We see an America of exceptionalism."

Obama isn't above attacking McCain with loaded words, releasing an ad on Sunday that calls the Arizona Republican "erratic" — a hard-to miss suggestion that McCain's age, 71, might be an issue. A harsh judgment, certainly, but not on the level of accusing a fellow senator of being un-American and even a friend of terrorists.

"Our financial system in turmoil," an announcer says in Obama's new ad. "And John McCain? Erratic in a crisis. Out of touch on the economy."

The ad, slated to start running Monday on national cable, seeks to capitalize on McCain's response to the nation's financial crisis — he suspended his campaign, suggested he might not attend a debate, then switched and did attend — and raise questions about his character.

In her character attack, Palin references questions Obama's associations. Her context is inaccurate.

She is referring to Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

Obama, who was a child when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers' radical views and actions.

With her criticism, Palin is taking on the running mate's traditional role of attacker, said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist.

"There appears to be a newfound sense of confidence in Sarah Palin as a candidate, given her performance the other night," Galen said. "I think that they are comfortable enough with her now that she's got the standing with the electorate to take off after Obama."

Second, Palin's incendiary charge draws media and voter attention away from the worsening economy. It also comes after McCain supported a pork-laden Wall Street bailout plan in spite of conservative anger and his own misgivings.

"It's a giant changing of the subject," said Jenny Backus, a Democratic strategist. "The problem is the messenger. If you want to start throwing fire bombs, you don't send out the fluffy bunny to do it. I think people don't take Sarah Palin seriously."

The larger purpose behind Palin's broadside is to reintroduce the question of Obama's associations. Millions of voters, many of them open to being swayed to one side or the other, are starting to pay attention to an election a month away.

For the McCain campaign, that makes Obama's ties to Ayers as well as convicted felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko and the controversial minister Jeremiah Wright ripe for renewed criticism. And Palin brings a fresh voice to the argument.

Effective character attacks have come earlier in campaigns. In June 1988, Republican George H.W. Bush criticized Democrat Michael Dukakis over the furlough granted to Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who then raped a woman and stabbed her companion. Related TV ads followed in September and October.

The Vietnam-era Swift Boat veterans who attacked Democrat John Kerry's war record started in the spring of 2004 and gained traction in late summer.

"The four weeks that are left are an eternity. There's plenty of time in the campaign," said Republican strategist Joe Gaylord. "I think it is a legitimate strategy to talk about Obama and to talk about his background and who he pals around with."

Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?

In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.

Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.

The fact is that when racism creeps into the discussion serves a purpose for McCain. As the fallout from Wright's sermons showed earlier this year, forcing Obama to abandon issues to talk about race leads to unresolved arguments about America's promise to treat all people equally.

John McCain occasionally says he looks back on decisions with regret. He has apologized for opposing a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. He has apologized for refusing to call for the removal of a Confederate flag from South Carolina's Capitol.

When the 2008 campaign is over will McCain say he regrets appeals such as Palin's? ___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Douglass K. Daniel is a writer and editor with the Washington bureau of The Associated Press.

Its classic American politics. When you are down, its all out character assassination, from both sides.

This month should be very, very interesting.... to see if it works this time for the "Maverick" McCain-Palin ticket.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle...s-campaign-goes

I agree with you wholeheartedly if the goal is to be self-righteous, then you do run circles around me. Wales you run circles around every other poster in this thread..by far..in the arena of self-righteousness.

I find it hard to believe that you have been holding back your intellectual prowess in the effort of being fair or sweet. (If you reaaally wanted to....um sure...)Why haven't you? Why have you hidden your ability to debate on objective matters up to this point.? What has finally urged you to unleash your surperior abilities?..I am waiting with upmost anticipation for your studious display of knowledge..

Do you still think it doesn't make sense for the Senate to vote after the House rejected the rescue bill? Or was that a farce to hide your true understanding so that you could come back and ambush me with your wealth of wisdom?

Have you no shame? You have no respect for me, as you said, but you continue to waste your time and intellect trying to point out my flaws. The difference between you and me is that had I said the things you said about me......this exchange wouldn't have taken place because I have no time for disrespectful people.

I'm pretty sure that was you who asked me to promise to drop things instead of just "manning" up and dropping them on your own. If you've demonstrated nothing else, you've demonstrated that you're a bit weak.

You ought not to waste your intelligence on me because my reaction to you fluctuates between laughter and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz......you're tiresome and now your words just look like why, why why, blah blah blah.

If you need me to let you off the hook so you can be victorious....you're off the hook. You win. You're smarter than I am. You're more respectful than I am. You've got more brilliant things to say than I do.

But geez you're no where near as fun.

Chuck Todd calls the McCain campaign "a series of tactics with no strategy," a candidacy that obsesses with news cycle wins who will hear that they talked about "William Ayers on Meet The Press" and call it a win. That's a pretty good nutshelling of McCain's campaign.

Wales I saw that this morning, and I couldn't agree more with Chuck Todd.

Here's the SNL Clip:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/vid...n-biden/727421/

I transcribed some of the it. I bolded the best parts.

Eiffel: And finally, we would like to remind our audience that due to historically low expectations for Governor Palin, were she simply to do an adequate job tonight, that no point cry, faint, run out of the building, or vomit, you should consider the debate, a tie.

Biden: I love John McCain. He’s one of my dear friends, but at the same time, he’s also dangerously unbalanced…….this is a man I would take a bullet for, but he’s bad at his job and mentally unstable. As my mother would say, ‘God love him, but he’s a raging maniac,’ and a dear dear friend.

Eiffel: Governor Palin, would you like to respond to Senator Biden’s comments about John McCain

Palin: No thank you, but I would like to talk about being an outsider. You see, while Senator Biden has been in Washington all these years, I’ve been with regular people: hockey moms and Joe-six-packs. I’d also like to give a shout out to the 3rd graders of Gladis Woods Elementary who were so helpful to me in my debate practice. *winks* Also to you see, I think a little differently from an insider. I don’t think it’s patriotic to pay more taxes. I don’t think it’s patriotic to criticize these wars we got going on. I do think it’s patriotic to tell the government, ‘Hey, get out of my way. Stop trying to impose on my right to shoot wolves from a helicopter.’ But a Washington insider like Joe Biden probably disagrees.

Eiffel: [Governor] Palin, address your position on global warming and whether or not it’s man made or not.

Palin: Gwen, we don’t know if this climate change, whosy-what’s-it, is man made or not or if it’s just a natural part of the end of days. But I’m not going to talk about that. I would like to talk about taxes because with Barack Obama, you’re gonna be paying higher taxes but not with me and my fellow Maverick. We are not afraid to get Mavericky in there, ruffle feathers, and not got to allow that, and also to, the great Ronald Regan.

Eiffel: So to clarify, do you support gay marriage?

Biden: Absolutely not. But I do think they should be allowed to finish one another in the hospital and it a lot of ways, that’s just as good if not better.

Eiffel: Governor Palin, would you extend same sex rights to the entire country?

Palin: You know, I would be afraid of where that would lead. I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers. But don’t think I tolerate gay people because I do. I tolerate them with all my heart and I know quite a few too, not personally but I know of them. I’ve seen Ellen, oh, and there was this one girl on my college basketball team. She wasn’t officially a gay, but you know, we were pretty sure.

Eiffel: Governor Palin, what is your position on health care regulation?

Palin: I’m going to ignore that question and instead talk about Israel. I love Israel so much, bless its heart. There’s a special place for Israel in heaven. And I know some people are going to say I’m only saying that to pander to Florida voters…..but from an very young age, my two greatest loves were always Jews and Cuban food. *mouths ‘Thank s’ and blows a kiss*

Eiffel: I would now like to give each of you a chance to make a closing statement.

Palin (with a flute): Are we not doing the talent portion? *plays a bit of the flute and then winks*

Eiffel: Senator Biden, your closing statement.

Biden: My goal tonight was a simple one. To come up here and at no point seem like a condescending, egomaniacal bully and I’m going to be honest, I think I nailed it. Sure, there were moments I wanted to say, ‘Hey! This lady is a dummy!’ But I didn’t….because Joe Biden is better than that. I repeat. *points to himself* Joe Biden…is better….*points to Palin*…than that. So to all the pundits who said I would seem cocky or arrogant….you just got schooled, Biden style.

Eiffel: Governor Palin.

Palin: I liked being here tonight, answering these tough questions without the filter of the mainsteam ‘gotcha’ media with their follow up questions and fact checking or incessant need to figure out what your words mean and why you put them in that order. I’m happy to be speaking directly to the American people, to let them know if you want an outsider who doesn’t like politics as usual or pronouncing the ‘G’ at the end of the words she’s saying, I think you know who to vote for. Oh…and for those Joe-six-packs out there playing a drinking game at home, ‘Maverick!’ *pretends to open a beer can and drinks, then winks*

Tina Fey is a Goddess!!!

Thank you for the link. That was absolutely hilarious.

I agree with you wholeheartedly if the goal is to be self-righteous, then you do run circles around me. Wales you run circles around every other poster in this thread..by far..in the arena of self-righteousness.

I find it hard to believe that you have been holding back your intellectual prowess in the effort of being fair or sweet. (If you reaaally wanted to....um sure...)Why haven't you? Why have you hidden your ability to debate on objective matters up to this point.? What has finally urged you to unleash your surperior abilities?..I am waiting with upmost anticipation for your studious display of knowledge..

Do you still think it doesn't make sense for the Senate to vote after the House rejected the rescue bill? Or was that a farce to hide your true understanding so that you could come back and ambush me with your wealth of wisdom?

Ohhhh, just a correction. I was the ill-informed idiot on the Senate vote. I know it's easy to confuse Wales and I when name-calling.

Look, let me make this clear.

Wales is one of the best people that I know. But he's also out of his [!@#$%^&*] mind. He's reckless, silly and foolhearty. And I mean this, because I would jump off the Gateway Arch for the man.......but he just terrifies me. One minute he's kind and the next......and let me be clear, I would fight Bigfoot barehanded for this man......but he's psychotic. He is the most dangerous poster in the history of this board. And I love the [!@#$%^&*], I do. I would run into the path of an on-coming nuclear missile for the guy, but he is wrong about every single issue he's discussed, and he's wrong about America......

And a dear, dear friend.

Ohhhh, just a correction. I was the ill-informed idiot on the Senate vote. I know it's easy to confuse Wales and I when name-calling.

Jess I think he was taking a shot at me for being stupid enough to say that the Senate shouldn't vote on the same bill that the House rejected.....you know because I was foolish enough to think that the Senate shouldn't vote until it was revised since I was under the impression that voting on the identical bill would mean they would only have to vote again once it was revised. I should have just commented on Alsaska instead.

Look, let me make this clear.

Wales is one of the best people that I know. But he's also out of his [!@#$%^&*] mind. He's reckless, silly and foolhearty. And I mean this, because I would jump off the Gateway Arch for the man.......but he just terrifies me. One minute he's kind and the next......and let me be clear, I would fight Bigfoot barehanded for this man......but he's psychotic. He is the most dangerous poster in the history of this board. And I love the [!@#$%^&*], I do. I would run into the path of an on-coming nuclear missile for the guy, but he is wrong about every single issue he's discussed, and he's wrong about America......

And a dear, dear friend.

Uhmmmm......okay....you go Joe Biden!!!!

See, this just gets under my skin.

If they can go after Obama on Rev. Wright and Ayers, why do they cry when someone brings up Palin's own questionable church or her pregnant 17 year old daughter?

But if the Obama campaign were to do that, the whining from McCain and the MSM of how he'd do "anything to win the White House" would be deafening.

Witness this thread. Some McCain supporters would rather discuss Ayers, Rev. Wright and the "October Surprise" than the issues. There have been several unanswered questions over the last few days. The latest issue being the death penalty.

Exactly. On top of the fact of telling people they shouldn't be so sensitive or need to be more sensitive to other people.

Once again, if this is the best that McCain can do.....what do they have left? Nothing. Nothing at all. To spend the last 29 days talking about this bullshit instead of the issues shows how truly sad this campaign has gone.

Makes you think of the video footage of when the Hindenberg crashed.

Look, let me make this clear.

Wales is one of the best people that I know. But he's also out of his [!@#$%^&*] mind. He's reckless, silly and foolhearty. And I mean this, because I would jump off the Gateway Arch for the man.......but he just terrifies me. One minute he's kind and the next......and let me be clear, I would fight Bigfoot barehanded for this man......but he's psychotic. He is the most dangerous poster in the history of this board. And I love the [!@#$%^&*], I do. I would run into the path of an on-coming nuclear missile for the guy, but he is wrong about every single issue he's discussed, and he's wrong about America......

And a dear, dear friend.

You are [!@#$%^&*] hilarious, my friend.

Exactly. On top of the fact of telling people they shouldn't be so sensitive or need to be more sensitive to other people.

Once again, if this is the best that McCain can do.....what do they have left? Nothing. Nothing at all. To spend the last 29 days talking about this bullshit instead of the issues shows how truly sad this campaign has gone.

Makes you think of the video footage of when the Hindenberg crashed.

They have nothing. Again, witness this thread. After the VP debate wherein Palin didn't come off as a complete idiot - but still didn't answer the questions - some McCain supporters thought that would again send McCain to the top of the polls. Ugh.

So, what do you have for your candidate to pick up momentum? A VP debate that, while didn't give us any more information into Palin's policies, ended fairly well. And a smear campaign against your opponent. Nowhere a mention of any real issue.

UCLAN - I am praying as well that the American public is fed up with the fear and smear tactics and will instead opt for the candidate that will do right by us. All of us.

Have you no shame? You have no respect for me, as you said, but you continue to waste your time and intellect trying to point out my flaws. The difference between you and me is that had I said the things you said about me......this exchange wouldn't have taken place because I have no time for disrespectful people.

You act as if I have attacked you out of the blue..What a short memory span you must have..You said you could run circles around me on your worst day...Did you expect me to ignore that? I'm sure you didn't.

I'm pretty sure that was you who asked me to promise to drop things instead of just "manning" up and dropping them on your own. If you've demonstrated nothing else, you've demonstrated that you're a bit weak.

You are being VERY hypcritical here..Why in the world did you come up with the "me not being smart enough to realize that you could run circles around me"... If your interest was to quell our fued..Why do you throw out comments like that, if you are so innocent of not being "weak" like me? Do you think you can make nasty comments and expect no response to them? What makes you so special...other than your self-righteous mindset?

You ought not to waste your intelligence on me because my reaction to you fluctuates between laughter and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz......you're tiresome and now your words just look like why, why why, blah blah blah.

If you need me to let you off the hook so you can be victorious....you're off the hook. You win. You're smarter than I am. You're more respectful than I am. You've got more brilliant things to say than I do.

This is all fine and dandy with me..But if you want to make another comment about me...just expect to hear about it!

But geez you're no where near as fun.

This election and the future of our country is important to me..It's not a laughing matter..

Edited October 6, 200817 yr by Casey008

AP condemns Palin's Ayers/Obama comments

Questioning Obama's Ties To William Ayers Is Racist?

When you cannot dispute the facts, simply scream racism loud enough and pray people will ignore the facts and focus on the bogus charge of racism

The Wall Street Journal did an in-depth piece about the Barack Obama, William Ayers and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC)connections, titled "Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools."

Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists.

The CAC was the brainchild of Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground in the 1960s. Among other feats, Mr. Ayers and his cohorts bombed the Pentagon, and he has never expressed regret for his actions. Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers's home.

The Obama campaign has struggled to downplay that association. Last April, Sen. Obama dismissed Mr. Ayers as just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood," and "not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis." Yet documents in the CAC archives make clear that Mr. Ayers and Mr. Obama were partners in the CAC. Those archives are housed in the Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago and I've recently spent days looking through them.

*shakes head*

*shakes head*

I like So very true