What if McCain knows what he's doing?

American Thinker ^ | October 07, 2008 | Charlie Martin

[vietvet67]

Sometimes, if I'm puzzled by someone's actions, I like to ask myself "if he's really smarter than I am, why would he be doing what he's doing?"

You can learn a lot that way.  Unfortunately, the American Chattering Classes often operate on the opposite assumption: "if I don't see the point of this, that other guy must be an idiot."

As a case study, let's consider the McCain campaign in the month since my piece on McCain's apparent use of the OODA loop was published here in American Thinker.  God knows it's been a rough month: after the rush of the Palin selection, we had a couple of disappointing experiences with major media interviews, and worse -- much worse -- we had the credit market freeze and the fight to get a rescue package working.

Of course, then we had the Vice Presidential debate, which certainly restored a certain amount of respect for Sarah Palin.  (It must have: there has been another flood of Palin rumors.)  But then we had some more inexplicable actions on the part of McCain's campaign: the announcement that they intended to get tough on Obama... real soon.  The announcement that they were pulling out of Michigan ... or were they?  The Michigan GOP didn't like it, and Sarah Palin said to send her and her husband.   It became clear McCain didn't exactly have complete control of the moose-hunting governor.

Following shortly after that announcement, the New York Times published a piece on Obama's association with William Ayers, describing Obama's association with the "60's bomber". The article argued, not very successfully, that there wasn't much of a connection.  (It was timed perfectly to appear shortly after the first hints of McCain using the topic.)

Then the Obama campaign started to talk about the Keating Five, a topic that Obama had previously suggested wasn't very interesting.

The Palin rumor mill pumped up a visiting Kenyan preacher who apparently was a "witch hunter" in his village in Africa.  This preacher, in a single visit to Palin's church three years ago, prayed for God's blessing and protection on Palin.

What followed?  Now Ayers was a topic in the mainstream press; when Sarah Palin attacked Obama on the association, she did so referring to the New York Times story.  When the issue of Obama's connections to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac came up, it came up only after the Obama campaign had already brought up the Keating Five -- and, of course, it happened that just about then, another of the Keating Five was introducing Bruce Springsteen at an Obama fundraiser. 

Now that the topic of Palin's religious connections has come up, well,  the Rev. Wright story had shown us Obama wasn't lacking in peculiar religious connections -- and, while McCain had refused to use it during the late primary, Palin brought it up. She had already established that she wasn't always going to do exactly what McCain wanted when she argued against the Michigan pullout.

Suddenly, Monday, McCain is pulling no punches: in a talk in Albuquerque, he brought up the Ayers association, just as Sarah had; he brought up the issue of Obama's association with so many figures who seem to have been at the heart of the credit crisis; he asked the questions people had been pushing for weeks in the GOP blogosphere.  Questions like "What has Obama accomplished?  What were his relationships to Ayers and other radicals?  Why is he so secretive about his past?"

In every case, we see that the McCain campaign had telegraphed the topic, then waited for the Obama campaign (or the mainstream media).  They reliably would then bring out the defenses, making them topics that McCain could then explore.

In the last four weeks of the campaign, McCain is bringing up topics that are weaknesses for Obama, having stood up to the repeated attacks.  We go into the "town hall meeting" debate tonight, a forum that shows McCain to best advantage, with a new and combative McCain, armed with topics that are now on everyone's minds, having conserved his resources effectively, and after months of record-breaking Republican National Committee fundraising.  What's more, he's doing so at a time when Obama's resources are strained, and his fundraising is under scrutiny.

It's never good to make predictions about anything in this race, but I think there's one prediction that we can make without fear: the campaign isn't done yet, and we can expect surprises.

For those of us on McCain's side, I suspect they will be good surprises.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, gosh. I’d have studied if I knew it was going to be on the test!

Um ... Observe, Orient, Decide, Attack? It’s something to do with making decisions in combat.

[Hatteras]

McCain needs to keep the gloves off and stay the course despite anything the MSM says. The silent majority IS listening.

[ikka]

You don’t get to be a dummy and fly fighter jets. Nor get elected Governor. GW Bush did both: McCain did both in Anger.

When was McCain a governor ?

[Manic_Episode]

"I’m one of those people who thinks he’s crazy like a fox!"

**********************************

I do remember when we used to say such things about GW and I don't see that so much anymore, but this article does seem to demonstrate a pattern of rational, deliberate strategy.

I like it.

[Tax-chick]

We already have Marshall law, at least in some of our less populated areas. (Where I live, Deputy Sheriffs are the law ...)

“Martial law” is when the military is called out for domestic policing. Hard to believe our military would comply, though, in the absence of a total breakdown of law and order.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> When was McCain a governor ?

My mistake, I should have stopped typing at “Elected”. That’s what happens when you’re a touch-typist, sometimes your fingers work faster than your mind.

[Tax-chick]

George W. was elected President twice. He’s not running for office now.

[vietvet67]

McCain should be using this Ayers quote from 1995:

“I am a radical, Leftist, small ‘c’ communist ... [Laughs] Maybe I’m the last communist who is willing to admit it. ... The ethics of Communism still appeal to me. I don’t like Lenin as much as the early Marx.”

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/sowing_acorns_to_reap_the_bigg.html

[verity]

"but i might as well enjoy it. if ohitler wins, he declare marshall law, institute the fairness doctrine, rig 2012 and then move the white house to France in 2016 and be president of the world. no far off if you just look into obama’s history."

You many need to increase your dosage.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> “Martial law” is when the military is called out for domestic policing. Hard to believe our military would comply, though, in the absence of a total breakdown of law and order.

As well, in America you have the mis-named “Posse Comitatus” law that prevents your Army from being used against domestic threats.

(”Posse Comitatus” is actually a principle from the Magna Carta that allows the Lord of the Manor to raise a posse from the countryside to help catch felons when-and-as-needed).

[IamConservative]

I don’t think there can be any doubt that Sarah is throwing the lead punches, Obama is taking the bait and McCain is taking up the topics once he sees the counter punch. Obama is once again off message and playing defense.

The question in my mind is whether the campaign is leading or following Sarah. IMO, the campaign is following her lead. I think Sarah is like Eskimo toilet paper. She’s rough, tough and is not going to take crap off of nothin’.

[Tax-chick]

This is very informative! raise a posse from the countryside to help catch felons when-and-as-needed

Our County Sheriffs can do this, although they usually have some pre-organized auxiliaries who can be called up if a manhunt or search-and-rescue is in order.

[Bommer]

Yep voting for the $700 Billion....sorry $850 Billion pork bill and pulling out of Michigan. Brilliant moves. He’s not crazy as a Fox. He’s smart as a Bob Dole! If he doesn’t firmly pull he head out of his ass now, its over!

[Pan_Yan]

He’s been running for 12 years, not 8. MCain’s most effective campaign ads are the ones the 527s made. And he’s no Edwin Edwards. Obama has the cover of the media, not Mccain. They are trying to crucify McCain over a 20 year old non scandal right now. If he makes one or two gaffes they will drown out all common sense for the next month.

McCain is not a conservative, doesn’t understand economics and is not clever like a fox. His major attribute is that he is not Obama. According to most accounts he was dead set on picking Lieberman as his VP to fulfill his bipartisan fantisies.

[DieHard the Hunter]

That “Magna Carta” form of Posse Comitatus remains a part of New Zealand law, as we brought most of our laws from the UK when we became a country. It has not been repealed yet.

This means that, even though we have a national New Zealand Police force, *theoretically* any mayor should be able to establish his/her own policing capability — even a casual one — if he/she deems fit. Hasn’t been tested in court yet, but that is certainly how our laws seem to read.

So *theoretically* parking wardens might be called upon by the mayor to catch a murder suspect... or possibly even unwarranted citizens could do the same.

It’s an exciting concept that warrants further research. Which is precisely what I am doing, seeing how I lead a civilian volunteer organization in NZ that focuses on fighting crime.

[RightFighter]

When was McCain a governor ?

This is one of the things I love about Freerepublic. I read someone's post, and a question comes to my mind. Before I post a reply I figure I'd better check to see if someone else already posted what I'm about to say. Invariably, they have.

I'm not sure if it shows that I am surrounded by those who are equally smart or equally stupid, but either way, it's nice to be surrounded by one's peers. :)

[varon]

I’m one of those people who thinks he’s crazy like a and Gov. Palin is a fox!

[Will88]

I still think the winner of this race with be the one who makes the fewest dumb mistakes. And then there’s the possible “Bradley effect” or “Wilder effect” that might be overstating Obama’s support.

But the notion that screw-ups and a hesitancy to make what seem like obvious moves in politics, the notion that it’s a part of some grand, multi-stage, CIA-like strategy that few if any can discern, well I think that’s mostly nonsense.

We heard about one grand strategy after another, understandable by only a few, that was being used by the Fred Thompson campaign. Turned out it was just a bad campaign, but some people tried to explain the baffling action, or inaction, as some grand and complex strategy.

[Pan_Yan]

MCain

Mccain

McCain

Need more coffee.

[paudio]

I think Sarah is like Eskimo toilet paper. She’s rough, tough and is not going to take crap off of nothin’.

LOL... that's original comparison, for sure...