... for the Republicans to launch a smear campaign against a black candidate like this! I've never heard of such a thing.

Actually, my one hope for this election is that the press coverage will eventually turn and favor Obama for one overriding reason: a President Obama is a better story than a President McCain. President Obama will sell more papers and more tv ad time. Hopefully, I'm right.

I wonder if painting Obama as "arrogant" is an attempt to insidiously equate Obama with Bush. It's been argued that Bush's arrogance is one of the primary causes for every disastrous decision made by the WH. It's a brilliant ploy to get people thinking "Wow, Bush was really arrogant and look where we are now. We certainly need a more modest person in the White House."

Many of the Founding Fathers were rightly suspicious of political parties. Since power always seeks to consolidate power, the two major political parties have given themselves a virtual duopoly in our government. I say duopoly, although, in fact, it is swiftly becoming simply a monopoly since the differences between the parties becomes less and less, especially once in office because its about power and retaining office, not principle.

We may rightly condemn Rovites but they are doing exactly what a political party does--get candidates elected. Members of a political party may hold (or believe they hold) certain principles in common, but their main purpose as a party is to get their candidates in office.

This should come as no surprise to anyone and the hand-wringing over actions of party operatives seems misplaced.

Politics is never fair, it's never clean, it's never virtuous. It is a dangerous but necessary business, which is why the founders of this country rightly wanted to limit its power. The cat's pretty much out of the bag on that, but breaking the grip of the two-party system would help some.

Glenn hit in on the head, once again: it's the Mainstream Media (MSM) that has sold us down the river for GOP $$$ and/or influence. Witness how far we've come: from newspaper reporters such as Walter Cronkite, we now have television talking heads such as Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams. The latter earn millions, while, at the same time, their writing staff is earning pennies. More important, the size of their writing staff has shrunk significantly over the last 20 years. I also agree with dcutler's analysis that it's racism, pure and simple, which Obama's campaign needs to point out to the general public.

This should be a "big change" election, given the unpopularity of George Bush and the Republicans. The problem is, the current Democratic Party still is stuck in 2001, trying desperately to look like "Republicans." It's as if the last eight years has meant nothing to them, or the nation.

I don't know what the answer is, other than to point this out to Obama's staff. After all, it's his problem that he will have to solve if he wants to get elected.

As has been pointed out it seems with regard to TV journalism it's not about investigation or objectivity but sound bytes - and if there's no story then making something out of nothing. The information on the political blogs and what is on TV are completely different - there were some stories about McCain's $500 shoes yesterday - but haven't seen much about his and his wife's enormous credit card debts ($750K); not paying their property taxes in California; what she spends on clothes - in other words they are part of the country club set. Both come from upper middle class or higher backgrounds. Yet McCain is a man of the people - a "hero." He's the only war veteran I've seen who calls himself a hero, courageous. Yet he's not arrogant.

I think the media journalists are doing their jobs - i.e. the networks are owned by big corporations who benefit from Republican economic policies -- and it's much easier to report about what someone is wearing than truly examining the cause of our country's current economic and other woes. And let's face it - alot of people don't read any more - all of their information is what they see on TV or reading internet headlines. The Republicans learned that if you print a lie it is taken as truth - so they do it - unchecked except by the real journalists and people that truly care that the truth be reported. That's why you saw a 1000 reports of Obama bowling - and none of him going to Walter Reed and presenting legislation to help wounded Iraq veterans - something McCain claims to do but doesn't but yet is credited for by the media (i.e. caring for the soldiers). . . .

why not form a 527 (or whatever) that is charged with pitching direct McCain criticisms at full volume (flip flop; age; temprement; Bush-lite; etc.). I'd donate to such an organization. It's about time the Dem's fight fire with fire.

Does [Milbank] hold all of them with equal contempt, or are some more worthy than others?

Milbank is superficially clever but is fundamentally lazy, empty, and superficial (and proudly describes his column as being so!). He gets his facts and conclusions wrong both about Republicans and about Democrats. The difference is that the bad stuff he writes about Dems gets blasted all over the world by the RNC, while the Dems are too (timid? stupid? what? surely not too ethical?) to do likewise. Basically, though, he plays into the GOP's grand old strategy, which is to keep telling the electorate that style matters and issues don't.

He proudly describes himself as "non-ideological" and "non-partisan" and he proudly declares himself as covering style, not substance.

Or as Somerby summed him up in yesterday's Howler:

"Truly, Milbank is [Maureen] Dowd with different plumbing."
- - Daily Howler

I know it's not as concerted, or Rovian an effort, but more and more we are hearing that McCain is cranky, has a short fuse, and is old. This is not coming directly from Obama ads, but it certainly is the buzz with the beltway boneheads.

Just don't think it's gonna fly this time around.