McSame Mud Slinging, Stone Throwing Campaign

John McCain's week-long temper tantrum

John Aravosis:

You won't like him when he's angry.

• McCain Ad: Obama Is Responsible For Rising Gas Prices. [AP, 7/21/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Ad: Obama Voted Against Funding For Our Troops. [Politifact, 7/21/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Said That "Obama Would Rather Lose A War In Order To Win A Political Campaign" [Joe Klein, Time Magazine, 7/22/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Web Ad Linked Obama To Castro. [Politico, 7/24/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Adviser Said That The Obama Campaign's Attempt To Point Out That McCain Had His Facts Wrong On The Anbar Awakening Undermines "The American Troops And Their Sacrifice And Their Effort." [Talking Points Memo, 7/23/08]
  
  
  
• The McCain Campaign Implied That Obama's Commitment To Preventing Genocide Was Not Sincere And Attacked Him For His Comments At An Appearance At The Israeli Holocaust Memorial. [Huffington Post, 7/23/08; McCain release, 7/23/08]
  
  
  
• McCain's Campaign Released A Video Documentary Attacking Obama That Concludes That Obama's Position On Iraq Are Shaped By "Whatever The Politics Demand." [McCain release, 7/17/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Said Obama Has The "Most Extreme" Record In The Senate And When Asked If He Though McCain Was A Socialist, Said "I Don't Know." [Kansas City Star, 7/18/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Aides Said They Have Every Intention Of Continuing Their Attacks On Obama On His Overseas Trip. [CNN, 7/19/08]
  
  
  
• McCain Said Obama Is "Someone Who Has No Military Experience Whatsoever." [Politico, 7/21/08]
  
  
  

McCain's Foreign Policy Frustration

Joe Klein, Time:

You could see McCain's frustration building as Barack Obama traipsed elegantly through the Middle East while the pillars of McCain's bellicose regional policy crumbled in his wake. It wasn't only that the Iraqi government seemed to take Obama's side in the debate over when U.S. forces should leave (sooner rather than later). McCain was being undermined in Washington as well, by his old pal George W. Bush, who seemed to take Obama's side in the debate about whether to talk to Iran. Bush sent a ranking U.S. diplomat to negotiate with the Iranians on nuclear issues — and also let it be known that a U.S. Interests Section could soon be established in Tehran, the first U.S. diplomatic presence on Iranian soil since the 1979 hostage crisis. [snip]

McCain's greatest claim to the presidency — his overseas expertise — now seems squandered. He has appeared brittle and inflexible, slow to adapt to changes on the ground, slow to grasp the full implications not only of the improving situation in Iraq but also of the worsening situation in Afghanistan and especially Pakistan. Some will say this behavior raises questions about his age. I'll leave those to gerontologists. A more obvious explanation is that McCain has straitjacketed himself in an ideology focused more on enemies (real and imagined) than on opportunities. "It is impossible to ignore the many striking parallels between [McCain] and the so-called neoconservatives (many of whom are vocal and visible supporters of his candidacy)," writes the Democratic diplomat Richard Holbrooke in a forthcoming issue of Foreign Affairs. "I don't know if John has become a neocon," says a longtime friend of the Senator's, "but he sure has surrounded himself with them."

From a glass house, the straight talker throws stones

Alex Koppelman, Salon War Room:

Remember when the right was complaining about the fact that Barack Obama's overseas trip was getting more coverage than John McCain's three recent overseas ventures had? Well, now the rhetoric has shifted, and the McCain campaign is slamming Obama for going abroad at all. In an interview he gave to NBC, McCain specifically questioned Obama's decision to give a speech in Berlin.

"I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering anyplace outside of the country after I am president of the United States," McCain said during the interview, which will air Thursday night. "But that's a judgment that Sen. Obama and the American people will make."

Considering those three supposedly undercovered trips McCain went on, think there might be some hypocrisy at work? You bet.

Full Text Of Obama's Berlin Speech