Obama up, McCain on low road
FOR MONTHS, John McCain and the Republicans have been taunting Barack Obama for not having visited Iraq since 2006. So Obama goes to the Middle East and Europe, reminds people of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and comes home to a 49-40 percent lead in Gallup's Sunday tracking poll.
You can see a lot by looking, as Yogi Berra once said. While other polls show a tight race, McCain looks panicked. He is questioning Obama's patriotism for opposing a war that McCain thinks we're "winning." Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran, warned, "I think John is treading on some very thin ground when we start to get into 'You're less patriotic than me.' "
The little people tell me. McCain has been pushing for a gas tax holiday, so a reporter asked the last time he pumped his own gas and how much he paid. McCain: "I don't recall, and, frankly, I don't see how it matters. I've had hundreds and hundreds of town hall meetings, many as short a time ago as yesterday. I communicate with the people, and they communicate with me very effectively."
Uppity? The chief complaint McCain and GOP allies could muster against Obama's triumphal world tour is that he looked too good, too confident, too presidential. Maybe they would have him follow in the mouth steps of W.
Putting best foot into mouth. President Bush left a recent Group of Eight summit on global climate change with this farewell: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter." He then punched the air while grinning ear to ear. Can't we lock him up for the next five months?
Who's the newcomer? McCain tries to portray Obama, a first-term senator, as naive on foreign policy and not experienced enough to lead the military.
A newcomer might not know Middle East geography. McCain told CBS about "the Iraq-Pakistan border." Iraq and Pakistan don't share a border, unless you count Iran, which sits between the two countries.
A nonmilitary man might not know about troop levels. McCain said this spring that troop strength in Iraq was "down to pre-surge levels." In fact, we had 20,000 more troops than when the surge began.
A young man might not know European history. McCain has repeatedly referred to "Czechoslovakia," which no longer exists; it was peacefully divided in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Someone without experience might not understand Africa. Aboard the Straight Talk Express last month, while discussing Darfur, McCain wondered: "How can we bring pressure on the government of Somalia?" "Sudan," senior adviser Mark Salter corrected him. "Sudan."
A rookie might not know foreign leaders. McCain referred to Vladimir Putin of Russia as "President Putin of Germany." When Obama met with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, was it actually Putin in drag?
Keep it to yourself. McCain admitted he wasn't Internet-ready. "I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself." This is like Click or Clack, the car talk guys, admitting that they don't know how to drive a stick shift car. Keep it to yourself.
PC or Mac? Asked if he used a PC or a Mac computer, McCain said, "Neither. I am an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance that I can get." He then observed, "A chimp can use a computer." Is he calling his wife a monkey?
Hello, Dalai. McCain met with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader. What did they talk about? PC or Mac? Gas prices? Boxers or briefs?
Mitt punts. Vice presidential wannabe Mitt Romney was asked if he used a PC or a Mac. "I got a PC, but my sons swear by Mac, so I'll probably convert." Then again, if you'd like him to use a PC, he'll switch back. Maybe a chimp can advise him.
T. for VP. Oil man T. Boone Pickens financed swift boat veterans against John Kerry, but the craggy Texan is now pumping millions into TV spots promoting wind power and ending our dependence on foreign oil.
Pickens would make an ideal running mate for McCain. He's got one advantage over all the other VP prospects: At 80, he's older than McCain.
Dan Payne is a Boston-area media consultant who has worked for Democratic candidates around the country. He does political analysis for WBUR radio. 