...watching some of those vids, I'm afraid the McPain tactics might actually wind up having their desired effect. And then we'd all be facing one helluva firestorm.

McCain told someone at a rally today to not fear Obama. I just saw the clip on TV.

At the same time, McCain's campaign manager said any questioning of the people at the rally's are assaults on American's by Obama.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/10/1529529.aspx

I think it's too late for McCain to turn this around, especially since they are now linking Obama's wife to Ayre's wife.

I want it to stop because it's ugly and divisive, in a perverse way I like it because it is showing one of the faces of the RW, and it's not pretty.

The assault comment was by a campaign advisor, not his manager and it was...

"Barack Obama's assault on our supporters is insulting and unsurprising. These are the same people obama called 'bitter' and attacked for 'clinging to guns' and faith. He fails to understand that people are angry at corrupt practices in Washington and Wall Street and he fails to understand that America's working families are not 'clinging' to anything other than the sincere hope that Washington will be reformed from top to bottom."

I read the article you linked to, Free Sarah Palin! In it KJL wrote the following:

Conservatives are inclined to love Palin. Hard-working, all-American family men and women who don’t have their head full of left-wing theories about Republicans are frequently warm to her — if not outright excited. Even the Left knows the attraction or they wouldn’t be going so insane over her.

She’s a rapist! She’s a fascist! She’s not a woman!

I noticed that she didn't put quotation marks around those chants. Who in the hell has said she is a rapist or she's not a woman? Someone might have said that she's a fascist but that other stuff is a big WTF are you, Kathryn Jean Lopez, talking about?

but I do not think they can change direction quickly, possibly not at all in the remaining time. It might be all they know how to do. Palin is an attack dog, and McCain is just totally lost. Suppose he fired his managers. Would anyone competent take their places?

Now is the time when those currently in power start thinking seriously about the risks/benefits of just saying no when the time for the election comes. Is anymore excuse than the state of the US/world economy necessary?

Exactly what kind of a campaign is John and Whatshername running?

People are fed up with the personal insults and racial slurs.

A new post from GG that is *entirely* good news...

How cool is that?

As much as I love the column, I admit that it's often a major downer. This was actually uplifting!

I didn't give the public enough credit for being able to see through the malarkey. Thanks for such an optimistic column Glenn.

Also this: "Standing next to Sarah Palin in that debate has turned Joe Biden — Joe Biden — into a wildly popular politician in America, with a 57/29 favorability rating" is totally true in my case. I was unhappy with the Biden pick for a lot of reasons, but that debate showed me one thing: these Democratic candidates are vastly different from their Republican counterparts.

In other news, to follow up on AnnieW's comment, Ana Marie Cox reports this from a McCain rally:

"Indeed, [McCain] just snatched the microphone out the hands of a woman who began her question with, "I'm scared of Barack Obama... he's an Arab terrorist..."

"No, no ma'am," he interrupted. "He's a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements."" (link @ sig)

In light of the fact that a woman literally asked McCain if Obama is "an Arab terrorist" (holy crap!), is McCain's sudden pivot too little, too late? Or carefully crafted? Letting a week of rage build up and then pretending that he had a problem with it all along? A response to the polls? I'm having a lot of trouble giving McCain credit for anything, even though I'm trying, out of a desire to believe that my fellow human beings aren't so disgusting.

over uplifting if I have to choose one or the other. Just sayin'.

Sarah and Johnny are even alienating some of the "Reagan Democrats" out there, if I'm reading these numbers correctly. The truth is ugly about these neo-cons!

Off topic: Amy Goodman had an expert named David Johnson on this week. His take on the sub-prime/financial meltdown/worldwide recession was interesting.

The ADL has caved into pressure and have apparently "modified" the letter Glenn linked to where they "condemn[] Sean Hannity and Fox News for their reliance on ‘a man with an extensive track record of making anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks’ in a program attacking Barack Obama.”

The "revised" letter is a much milder rebuke:

"Dear Mr. Hannity:

We were astonished to see that during the October 5, 2008 edition of Hannity's America, you interviewed Anthony Martin, a man with an extensive track record of making anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks.

A person who espouses such odious views ought not to be given the opportunity to enhance his credentials or his standing by appearing on Hannity's America."

-----

I imagine some intense, furious phone calls took place between Fox News and the ADL this afternoon, leading to the revision. I wonder how often the ADL has so quickly modified their condemnations of perceived anti-semitism from those on the Left to lessen harsh criticism.

Glenn, you may well be the cause of some of these about-faces by "journalists," but they would never admit it.

Has anyone read the book "Gook: John McCain's Racism and Why it Matters" by Irwin Tang? It has only one review on amazon. I just ordered it. I wonder why it hasn't gotten more traction? Maybe not well written? Or, maybe well written but not well marketed? I look forward to finding out. I hope others do, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Gook-John-McCains-Racism-Matters/dp/0967943345/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223681671&sr=1-1