Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A true test of character?

When I was canvassing for Obama before the New Hampshire primary, I ran into a number of independents who said they were intending to or thinking of voting in the Republican primary. Whenever I thought it not too awkward, I'd try to nudge them toward McCain as the best of the GOPhers.

Which makes me especially distressed that ambition seems to have stripped John McCain of all sense of decency and propriety, not to mention accuracy. The latest evidence of this is the way that McCain has twisted and distorted Barack Obama's words about Iran. TPM covers it very well here, so I won't repeat the details.

There are a lot of people who are after Barack to call McCain out for his distortions. A better tactic would be for him challenge McCain out what lies beneath the pattern of distortions that we are seeing. "Why is John McCain unwilling to have a serious debate on the challenges that face this nation? Why is he afraid to face what I really say? Why does he feel compelled to distort my remarks? Is it because he knows that he can't respond fairly and honestly to the ideas that I have put forward?"

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