McCain Showing His Age, Rapid Brain Cell Death

In a move usually reserved for long-faced New Englanders, John McCain performed an impressive backflip, made even more impressive by the fact that I'm fairly confident that his joints are in pretty bad shape.

Remember back in the day when John McCain was all anti increased drilling in the United States? Waaaaaay back when. Waaaaaaaaaaaay back when he was running for president the last time. Yeah. John McCain, the man who was so against new drilling in the United States back in the stone age of 2000, is now blaming Barack Obama for the ridiculous cost of gas. There's a fucking tv ad about it: "Pump" TV Ad

Since fucking when is Barack Obama opposed to energy independence, reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, and, you know, making energy affordable? But whatever, like that's the point.

No. The point is, that this is fucking stupid. Let us not even try to blame Barack Obama, or even Democrats in general for the high cost of oil (unless you're trying to make the argument that Democrats voted to go to war in Iraq, in which case, kindly go fuck yourself. We don't have time for that argument). Regardless of who voted for it, the invasion of Iraq, and subsequent clusterfuckery is a totally Republican initiative. Also, which is the party drafting green energy legislation, pushing for renewable energy, and, you know, believing in global warming? Democrats, Democrats, and Democrats.

Also, not that it needs to be said again, but increasing domestic drilling is not going to significantly affect the cost of oil. Don't make me tell you why for the millionth time.

For more: McCain Urges More Drilling, Blames Obama For Gas Prices

Let's Keep Waffles on the Breakfast Table

E. J. Dionne Jr. is now apparently playing the constructive criticizer role favored by former Speaker Newt Gingrich. [WaPo] For those of you who didn't make it all the way through the A section this morning, I've done the reading for you. If you pass the test, I'll take my payment in the form of cigarettes, alcohol, or this wicker chaise lounge.

Anyway, Dionne actually makes an excellent point. Barack Obama needs to work on his flexibility, especially when it comes to foreign policy. Having one position ("I intend to end this war.") will not allow Senator Obama the range of motion he needs to successfully and decisively blow Senator McCain's campaign out of the water.

Right now, the Bush White House is banking on the Iraqi Parliamentary elections, slated for October 2008, being successful; a label that requires enthusiastic voter turnout, strong international support and reinforcement, and no post-election surges in violence.

But here's the lynchpin: if the Iraqi elections are successful, Obama will need a message that is in line with his current thinking, but can still make the argument that the war was a tragic and misguided undertaking. All while Senator McCain is standing on the other side, stating, correctly, that the surge worked, that Iraq is more stable than it has been in the last five years, and that all of this is proved by the fact that Iraqi citizens just peacibly elected a new parliament.

Senator Obama has run an incredibly intelligent and effective campaign, and he undoubtely knows that using the death toll since 2003 is not an effective tactic when it comes to building a stong foreign policy platform. Instead, Senator Obama must draw a distinction between himself and Senator McCain that does not leave him open to the charge of defeatism. After all, Iraq has begun to stabilize, and Obama's original sixteen-month timeline for withdraw, as he must realize now, leaves the door wide open to resurgences in violence at the hands of a Sunni insurgency, Moqtada al-Sadr's militia, and Al Qaeda; all of which, although currently diminished and flailing, have great potential to revive if the United States were to redeploy all troops within sixteen months, not having taken into account the ability of the Iraqi government to pick up the slack.

Long story short, Senator Obama needs to take a page from Senator McCain's book and begin shaping a foreign policy platform that is based on viable foreign policy instead of fondant and marshmallow.

For more, read George Packer's essay in this week's New Yorker: Obama's Iraq Problem