Attack of the Killer Attack Ad Killers? (Huh? What?)

By Si Dunn

In a Sunday report from CNN, former Bush adviser Karl Rove declared that Sen. John McCain had pushed "one step too far" in some of his recent ads attacking Sen. Barack Obama.

The ads, Rove said, didn't pass "the '100 percent truth' test."

Rove, of course, has leveled similar charges at Barack Obama's campaign. And the former White House adviser has been accused of supporting the use of savage attack ads to help George W. Bush defeat Al Gore and John Kerry.

This time, Rove urged both McCain and Obama to "be careful" with their attacks on each other.

Has Karl Rove suddenly been infected with a "fair play" virus? Or is he beginning to realize he is backing a losing campaign and is trying to distance himself from the oncoming November train wreck? Or is he trying to reinvent himself with a newer, more neutral reputation so he can hire himself out as a political consultant to the Democrats after the Republicans are swept from power?

At some point soon, attack ads will have to be replaced by statements of substance and examples of proposed policies, legislations and programs. Otherwise, the 2008 presidential campaign will be much ado about nothing much except, maybe, "my change is better than your change" and "liberals don't know shit about eating raw moose meat."

But for now, the political Swift Boats are still making their high-profile runs, shooting themselves with their own torpedoes, and sinking beneath big clouds of smoke...and mirrors...and tubes of lipstick.

Is it November yet? Can't we please just vote now and send all of the clowns out of town?

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Change? What Change? My Seven Houses Can Beat Your House?

By Si Dunn


I will vote Democratic in November, but so far, I'm depressed--not impressed--by the campaigns of "change" mounted by both candidates.


Now the Swift boats are out, firing torpedos at houses. McCain can't remember how many houses he has. Obama has only one house (that cost a million or so). Nyah-nyah-nyah!


It's a battle worthy of an historic new slogan: Damn the torpedoes! Full speed to the bottom!


Things won't change much, of course, after the two candidates announce their vice-presidential picks.


The Swift boats from both sides immediately will fire torpedoes at their houses, too. And any other ridiculous target they can conjure up or invent.


Nothing, so far, has changed in this "historic" campaign of "change."


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Democrats for McCain: Are You Crazy?

By Si Dunn

Pollsters analyzing the Indiana and North Carolina primary results are again reporting a disturbing trend that has been seen in earlier primaries.

A number of voters in the Democratic elections are saying they will switch to John McCain if Barack Obama or (to a much lesser extent) Hillary Clinton is not the nominee.

Of course, some of these party-hoppers are Republicans who have showed up at Democratic polling stations specifically to vote against Clinton or Obama. They are hoping to help steer one candidate or the other into the general election in the belief that John McCain can beat them.

Others are Republicans so disgruntled with the Bush Administration that they are willing to back "an inspiring speaker"--Obama--despite his unabashed liberalism and somewhat thin record. Yet, if Obama is not the nominee, most of those Republicans say they will slink straight back to McCain rather than vote for Hillary Clinton and her slightly more conservative agendas. Never mind that John McCain basically is George Bush in an older--and, okay, yes, genuinely battle-scarred--flight suit. (And never mind that neither one of them could possibly outfly the embattled president in Independence Day.)

Some Democrats completely enamored of one candidate, however, say they will abandon the party and vote for John McCain in November if Obama (mostly) or Clinton (to a much lesser extent) is not the nominee.

Which raises three questions for these voters: (1) Are you crazy? (2) Have you paid any attention to these past eight years? And (3), do you always choose political petulance over practicality and common sense?

We need true change this time, not another pilot who will keep up the bombing runs on Iraq and the nation's economy.

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Memo to Obama, Clinton and McCain: Shut Up About Each Other, Already

By Si Dunn

All's fair in love and war--and politics.

That, of course, is just the polite way of saying nothing is fair in love and war and politics--particularly politics.

So now, in a suppposedly tight race for the White House, we are stuck once again in a short lull between "key" Democratic primaries.

Meanwhile, the candidates and their campaign staffs are busily finding any direct and obtuse way they can to try to discredit their opponents' potential abilities to be commander in chief or national healer or shining beacon of peace and hope to the troubled world.

Oh, please, Senators Obama, Clinton and McCain. Just shut up about each other now, please, and get on with explaining yourselves.

Convince us why you (without any further mention or slam of your opponents) should be the next President of the United States. Tell us what you (without any further mention or slam of your opponents) propose to do about the national economy, the housing crisis, the war in Iraq, and America's shattered world prestige, to name just a few of today's troubling issues.

Put away the race cards, the White House cards, the combat cards, the patriot cards, the religion cards, the ringing-telephone cards, the retired-generals card, the endorsement cards, etc., etc., ad naseum.

Skip the overseas "fact-finding" photo ops and the strident demands for apologies, retractions and resignations from each other's campaigns.

Rise above this petty crap. Step out of your political Green Zones--and Twilight Zones.

Between now and the November general election, just show us and tell us who the hell you really are and what you propose to try to do about the many incredible messes the current Administration will leave behind in January, 2009.

That's what we voters want and need to know. Who are you, what needs to be done, and how you think the massive mountain range of problems should be approached.

Most of what else you are doing and saying right now amounts to absurd, empty posturing and a babble of irritating noises that we voters can, and will, shut off very soon.

So shut up about each other already. Tell us something that we actually can use to help us decide.

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