Reactions to story from The Wall Street Journal
McCain Camp at Odds Over Harsh Attacks
http://online.wsj.com/ article/ SB122359909175421497.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
McCain campaign officials grapple with how far to go with negative attacks on Obama in the race's final weeks.
Reactions / posts that link to this article
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Leaking Like A Sieve, Running On Empty
http://www.oliverwillis.com/2008/10/10/leaking-like-a-sieve-...Campaigns that aren’t winning usually leak information to the press. Campaigns divide, with one faction seeking to have an upper hand on the other by leaking something damaging to the media. We most recently saw this with Sen. Clinton’s campaign and now it’s John McCain. Some McCain campaign officials are becoming concerned about the hostility that attacks against Sen. Obama are whipping up among Republican supporters. During an internal conference call Thursday, campaign officials discussed how the tenor of the crowds has turned on the media and on Sen. Obama. Someone yelled “Off with his head” at a rally Wednesday for Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin in Pennsylvania. Later that day in Ohio, a man stood outside a rally holding a sign that said “Obama, Osama.” At a rally in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, someone in the crowd wore a T-shirt depicting Sen. Obama wearing a devil mask. The Obama campaign, with widening leads in several national polls, dismissed the attacks. “Sen. McCain’s campaign has admitted that if he talks about the economy, he’ll lose, so we fully expect him to continue his angry, personal attacks,” Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said. “Barack Obama will continue to talk about his plans to strengthen our economy and create jobs because that’s what American families care about.” There is another faction (call them the Rove faction) that desperately wants McCain to launch ads with a Jeremiah Wright theme. This back and forth confirms what those of us from the outside see: John McCain is losing and he wants to fling poo against the wall in the hopes that something sticks. In the midst of that, Palin is whipping up the crowds into a racist xenophobic frenzy that doesn’t play well with anybody but the inner core of the conservative movement. Have you noticed that there are never any of these kinds of leaks from the Obama campaign? Much like the Bush campaign in 2004 only strategically leaked to the press, so too does Sen. Obama’s group. Winning campaigns work that way.
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Is John McCain Having Second Thoughts ?
http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/10/10/is-john-mccain-having-...It’s beginning to look like there’s a dispute growing within the McCain campaign over the increasingly negative tone of their message: Top McCain campaign officials are grappling with how far to go with negative attacks on Sen. Barack Obama in the final weeks of what is turning into a come-from-behind effort. Sen. John McCain waves during a town hall meeting in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Sen. John McCain has allowed a series of increasingly harsh broadsides in new campaign ads and in speeches by his wife, Cindy, and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin. But the Arizona Republican has rejected pleas from some advisers to launch attacks focusing on Sen. Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Some McCain campaign officials are becoming concerned about the hostility that attacks against Sen. Obama are whipping up among Republican supporters. During an internal conference call Thursday, campaign officials discussed how the tenor of the crowds has turned on the media and on Sen. Obama. Someone yelled “Off with his head” at a rally Wednesday for Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin in Pennsylvania. Later that day in Ohio, a man stood outside a rally holding a sign that said “Obama, Osama.” At a rally in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, someone in the crowd wore a T-shirt depicting Sen. Obama wearing a devil mask. On at least one topic, it’s clear that McCain himself has drawn a line that the campaign has yet to cross: Sen. McCain vetoed proposals to attack the Illinois senator for his 20 years as a member of the church led by Rev. Wright, whose harsh comments about racism in America and other issues created problems for Sen. Obama during the Democratic primary contest. Sen. Obama publicly severed ties with Rev. Wright earlier this year. Sen. McCain has said Rev. Wright is off limits. That decision, and the worry that the campaign could open itself to accusations of racism, has kept Rev. Wright out of their strategy. One McCain senior adviser said the difference between Mr. Ayers and Rev. Wright isn’t race, it’s
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McCain vetoes aides’ proposals to go after Obama on Wright, too
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/10/mccain-vetoes-aides-pr...The perfect companion piece to Marc Ambinder’s reminder this morning that, for all the bluster about what Ayers reveals of Obama’s judgment and character, Maverick’s not pushing the issue as hard as he could. [...] Read the rest »
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Flailing
http://edcone.typepad.com/wordup/2008/10/flailing.htmlLast night David Gergen was telling Colbert how these awful Bushies are running an ugly campaign despite McCain's essential honor and decency. Apparently McCain is wielding some control, but he's clearly complicit in the ugliness -- and if it really is happening despite him, well, that doesn't say much for his leadership abilities. In any case, it comes across as desperate and off topic, given the serious problems we face. My guess is that voters will respond to Obama's calm and focus and not to McCain's angry, win-at-all-costs campaign. Also on teevee: an SNL special that reminded me of the lameness of the set-up-and-punchline schtick of the Meyers-and-Poehler-era Weekend Update. Tina Fey has given the show a huge shot in the arm this fall, but without her, it's still pretty terrible.
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John McCain Now Throwing More Than Dirty Looks At Obama [Strategy And Tactics]
http://jezebel.com/5061802/john-mccain-now-throwing-more-tha...In the waning hours of the political campaign, with his political star already eclipsed by the popularity of his own running mate and his insistence on abandoning most of the principles he used to swear he stood for, John McCain has gotten a little
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http://www.alternet.org/module/email/?storyID=102488&type=bl...
Got a tip for a post?: Email us | Anonymous form Get Election 2008 in your mailbox! McCain's Camp Divided Over Dirty Attacks on Obama Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on October 10, 2008 at 8:25 AM. The Wall Street Journal reports today that
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McCain Should Be Worried
http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=28530BY TAYLOR MARSH Embedded video from CNN Video Mr. Erratic cant seem to make up his mind. To smear or not to smear, that is the question McCain and his team seem to be asking themselves. There are other things more pressing. I know my opponent is worried
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McCain Campaign Rethinking Negative Attacks?
http://donklephant.com/2008/10/10/mccain-campaign-rethinking...Geeya think? Top McCain campaign officials are grappling with how far to go with negative attacks on Sen. Barack Obama in the final weeks of what is turning into a come-from-behind effort. Sen. John McCain has allowed a series of increasingly harsh
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Alaska High Court Clears Way for Branchflowers Troopergate Report
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/10/10/alaska-high-court-clears...Prosecutor Stephen Branchflower speaks during a meeting of the Senate and House judiciary committees on Friday Sept. 12, 2008 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Matt Hage) As the McCain-Palin campaign reportedly steps up its negative attacks on Barack
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McCain campaign officials spilling to the press about strategy fights, which means they're already trying to salvage their reputations
http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/mccain-campaign-officials...From the beginning, the McCain campaign has been high drama. Internal fights, new campaign managers, bickering -- it all spilled into the media. The trouble starts at the top, of course. McCain is an erratic manager. However, when "McCain campaign
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