Monday, October 20, 2008

Here Comes The Desperate Two Minute Offense

I'm doing all the Crying in the Wilderness I can now with just a couple of weeks left before election day.

McCain has dropped all pretense of decency and is letting the dogs loose to smear Obama day and night. He knows he's lost unless he can get the swing states and their electoral votes securely on his side of the score board.

As you will note if you read this Alternet piece, he's given up on the national popular vote and is throwing everything he can at Obama in those swing states. He's acting as if his life depends on winning the election. He is a do or die soldier. It's his nature, or at least the nature that's been let loose over the past several months.

His lying knows no limits. He is willing to attack Obama anyway he can. He will throw enough crap at him in hopes that some of it sticks. He is counting on the mindless low -lifes, whose hate knows no bounds and who just need a target for it, to rise up out of the trenches and follow him screaming and hollering at the enemy, hoping to unnerve them into doing something foolish.

Until recently McCain had refused to bring up Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. He's been using William Ayres as a straw man, crying foul over Acorn and anointing a non person, Joe the Plumber, as the arc angel Gabriel, announcing the word from on high that Obama is evil.

This is all straight out of the playbook for the team that wears the all black uniform. They play for Rove University's College of the Black Knight which is renowned for it's Right Wing Department of Dirty Campaign Tactics. Their cheerleaders are especially trained to work crowds into a frenzy, encouraging shouts of Muslim, Kill Him, He's a Terrorist, he's the Anti-Christ and other heinous threats. McCain himself might not say these things, but if his wingnut fans do, that's all the better in his mind. Like Pilate he washes his hands a lot.

Now it seems that the sleaziest of McCain's advisers have convinced him that Wright should be back on the table and fair game. These guys only hunt when the game is confined and the prey can't get away. They like shooting ducks in a barrel. Wright isn't really the target. Obama is. He can't get away because he's in the game and has to deal with the incoming shots and flak.

Then again, though Obama is the opposition to be attacked, the real audience is the mass of rabid fans in the stands who need somebody to hate.

Between now and election day the chants and the rants will mount and swell into a deafening roar. It's often difficult to stay cool and keep one's composure in the face of such noise.

Obama has demonstrated that he will stay cool, and can play within himself. His teammates feel that and trust him to lead them as Quarterback and Defensive Captain, calmly selecting the plays designed to take advantage of the erratic, disorganized and undisciplined opposition and barking out the signals to execute both his offense and defense game plans.

He knows that McCain has already tried three hail mary's, and will try as many more as he can get in before Nov 4. He can't stop the clock and he is out of time outs. Obama also knows that McCain will tell his team to play as dirty as necessary. He has nothing to lose by doing so. Remember he's acting as if his life depends on winning this contest. It's his whole life on this game. It's his last chance. If he loses he will be a beaten man. He defines success only in terms of total victory.

And if he loses he will likely never admit that he beat himself.

Be ready for any and all kinds of attacks for the next two weeks. They're coming. Obama isn't likely to employ a prevent defense. He will look for his openings and stick to his game plan which is all about issues. That's the last thing that McCain wants to have to deal with. He's already lost the game on those terms.

Be steady. Hold firm.

Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeper

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