Outrages of the Day

It's time for Outrages of the Day, a copyrighted feature of this column.

I'm a fan of Outrages that provoke a response along the lines of National Figure X "refuses to condemn" or "refuses to repudiate" the actions of Figure Y. The connective tissue between X and Y is usually thin.

Item One: Sen. Jay Rockefeller calls Sen. John McCain a Navy wimp who bombed targets from on high and then left -- an analogy, Rockefeller believes, to McCain's view of the Iraq battlefield.

The reveal: Orson Swindle, a McCain compatriot, challenges Barack Obama: "Does Senator Obama have the courage to stand up and hold himself to the principles of 'new politics' he outlined in his book?"

The response: Obama spokesperson Jen Psaki: "Senator Obama has a deep respect for Senator McCain's service to this country and doesn't agree with what Senator Rockefeller said."

Outrage: Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, is outraged. "“Why does Senator Obama refuse to personally condemn this type of despicable attack? Senator Obama has run for president on the basis that he represents a new kind of politics, yet every day there is another smear that Obama refuses to repudiate.”

Outrageous!

Comments

That is pretty bad from Rockefeller. Especially as he's a direct supporter of Obama. But stop the outrage train already!

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Posted by matt | April 8, 2008 5:57 PM

Outrage!

It is time to declare holy war on these nonbelievers.

Now lets all turn toward the direction of McCained and pray, for it is the hour of prayer.

Posted by D | April 8, 2008 5:59 PM

If McCain is such a tough guy, why does he cry like a baby when Shultz calls him a "warmonger."

It's a pretty benign term.

It's like when Hillary goes crazy that Samantha Powers called her a "monster."

It's a pretty benign insult, really. Meanwhile Obama is stoic in the face of exponentially worse, racially and religiously-tinged crap flung at him constantly.

Funny how the toughest talking candidates are also the biggest babies.

Maybe Hillary can give John McCain some pointers on crying for votes....

Posted by RKA | April 8, 2008 6:08 PM

I don't think it's copyrightable, but go for the trademark!

Posted by William Finkel | April 8, 2008 6:19 PM

Will,

Are you suggesting that Marc ought to be branded?

Where would you brand him? On cheeks (which ones)?

Or he can just be branded here.

Posted by D | April 8, 2008 6:54 PM

New book out about McCain and how he physically attacked a fellow AZ republican, the one that was just indicted. But this was when Renzi was first elected to congress. McCain also called his wife Cindy a "cunt" to her face because she said something about his hair thinning. McCain has been known for his temper, yelling at fellow senators and throwing F bombs, but these new ones coming out are just beyond believable. I wonder if he ever got any help after he was a POW.

Posted by Carolyn Grace | April 8, 2008 8:04 PM

Carolyn Grace (now what a sexy name),

Don't worry, for the Presidential debates, the Dems intend to fill their share of the audience with people who look, act, and dress like North Vietnamese.

Just wait until they start making motions that look like they are going to work him over again.

Posted by D | April 8, 2008 8:31 PM

McCain was an incompetent (then as now) who crashed 5 planes and set his goddamn carrier on fire. The kid glove treatment he gets- for getting himself shot down one last time, not for any accomplishment- is asinine.

Posted by Steve LaBonne | April 8, 2008 9:04 PM

I will add that plenty of servicepeople have been in POW camps without imagining that qualified them to be President.

Posted by Steve LaBonne | April 8, 2008 9:21 PM

Just worthy of note: who famously laid this "refusal to repudiate" groundwork first in this election cycle? This ridiculous precedent that every candidate should be accountable to every comment of every supporter?

Posted by socctty | April 8, 2008 11:47 PM

As a side note, and as an Obama supporter (hey, you can link me him on this, right?!), and a person who is in the military (or is it McCain I should be tied to?) you guys are pretty disgusting to make light of McCain's military record, much or less the hell he went through for 5 years.

McCain doesn't propose that singularly his POW experience makes him most-qualified to be POTUS.

Posted by socctty | April 8, 2008 11:52 PM

Jay Rockefeller was hanging at the club,
sipping Harvey Wallbangers when McCain
was sweating it out in the Hanoi Hilton.
How this "aristocrat" feels he can pass
judgement on real fighting man shows you
that character cannot be passed on in a will.
This limp wristed fop should be hammered
until he publically apologizes. All you
Democrats should realize how many limousine
liberals haunt your party....the people in
fly-over country sure do.

Posted by interferon | April 9, 2008 12:33 AM

McCain doesn't propose that singularly his POW experience makes him most-qualified to be POTUS.

Like hell he doesn't. He has NO other qualifications; the subtext of all his campaigns is that he's great because he's a hero. And as in this instance, he's very adept at exploiting the Teflon coating that gives him. To beat him, you simply must strip that coating off.

And I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing about the Hanoi Hilton. People suffer passively in all sorts of other catastrophes and don't get endless nauseating acclaim for their "heroism". Now, a solider who fought on the ground with conspicuous bravery? THAT is a hero. Conflating that kind of real heroism with getting yourself shot down and captured, now that's what should really sicken people.

Posted by Steve LaBonne | April 9, 2008 6:35 AM

Ugh, I thought we as Americans here would have better long term memory. Looks like it's not the case.

McCain is "whining" about this because he personally (with emphasis on personally) repudiated the remarks of his own supporter (Cunningham.)

Cunningham's speech contained three instances of using Obama's full name, Barrack Hussein Obama. Needless to say, he was hoping the middle name would sink into the minds of his audience.

McCain repudiated these comments himself, not relying on a spokesperson. What makes it more admirable was that he was already in trouble with conservatives; this rejection certainly didn't make things easier for his campaign, yet he did it anyways.

To make this long story short, McCain wants Obama to do the same. If not, McCain can use this to bludgeon Obama's appearance of rising above attack politics and take the mantle for himself.

Posted by Skeptical | April 11, 2008 4:43 PM