Nope.
There are eight sentences in this campaign commercial, and the only honest one was McCain approving of this message.
There are three angles to this ad worth considering: what it says, what it tells us about McCain, and what it tells us about the state of the race.
First, in terms of the substance, the ad the demonstrably ridiculous and the most fundamentally dishonest campaign commercial of the cycle thus far. The claim about Senate hearings is wildly misleading. The attack about voting against funding the troops is ridiculous. The argument about Obama not spending time in Iraq is disingenuous. The notion that Obama would rather go to the gym than visit wounded troops is insane. The claim that Obama would only visit troops if he could bring cameras is an inflammatory, transparent lie. The notion that McCain is “always there for our troops” is demonstrably false.
The media is using predictable words to describe this new ad. We’re hearing words like “tough,” “hard-hitting,” and “aggressive.”
But let’s cut through the nonsense. The ad is a work of fiction. It’s a sucker punch thrown by a pugilist willing to cheat to win. John McCain is lying, and he knows it.
Perhaps the greatest irony of the ad is that it shows Obama playing basketball in a gym, while blurring the image to prevent the viewer from noting that Obama was surrounded by U.S. troops at the time, and the gym was actually on a U.S. military base in Kuwait. McCain’s ad, in other words, attacks Obama for blowing off the troops, while literally showing him hanging out with the troops.
Second, the ad is instructive, inasmuch as it tells us a great deal about McCain’s character, or in this case, the lack thereof. McCain, after hiring the leaders of Karl Rove’s operation, seems to have come to the conclusion that he prefers dishonor to honor. Lies to the truth. Smears to the issues. This isn’t a mystery — it’s about doing whatever has to be done to win. There is no dignity in McCain’s tactics, but for McCain, this isn’t about acting honorably, it’s about winning at all costs. Anyone who still respects John McCain simply isn’t paying attention.
And third, let’s not lose sight of the broader context here. It’s July, and the McCain gang is rolling out an attack ad better suited for October. What this tell us is the sense of panic at McCain campaign headquarters must be palpable. The tracking polls over the last couple of days have shown Obama’s lead going up, and one assumes, McCain’s internal polling shows the same trend. If McCain were closing the gap, and making real headway this week, there’s no way the campaign would green-light a reality-challenged hatchet-job ad like this one. It’s impossible — the campaign wouldn’t want to take the risk. That it launched the ad anyway suggests these guys are watching the campaign slip away, and they’re feeling more than a little desperate.
Other random tidbits I noticed this morning about this:
* Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who accompanied Obama to the Middle East, said, “I was with Senator Obama last week as we met privately with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Obama listened to their concerns and expressed his gratitude for their service without press or fanfare. He cares for our troops deeply and has worked hard to give them not only the resources they need, but also honor their service with a clearly defined mission and by providing them with the support they have earned when they come home. And just as Senator McCain’s support of President Bush’s veto of funding for our troops doesn’t mean he does not support them, neither does Senator Obama’s insistence that we not give George Bush a blank check.”
* When he Pentagon asked Obama not to visit wounded troops, Obama called them instead.
* Obama visits wounded troops all the time, without cameras, and without telling the press.
* “John McCain is an honorable man who is running an increasingly dishonorable campaign,” said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor in an email to reporters Saturday evening, adding: “Senator McCain knows full well that Senator Obama strongly supports and honors our troops, which is what makes this attack so disingenuous. Senator Obama was honored to meet with our men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan this week and has visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed numerous times. This politicization of our soldiers is exactly what Senator Obama sought to avoid, and it’s not worthy of Senator McCain or the ‘civil’ campaign he claimed he would run.”