McCain’s Dicey Gamble
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on October 4th, 2008 4:28 am by HL
McCain’s Dicey Gamble
WASHINGTON — The key to understanding how John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate was provided by The New York Times last weekend when it described an episode in which he “tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table.” Gambling with his presidential candidacy is McCain’s right. Gambling with the country McCain says he puts first is another thing entirely. And Thursday night’s vice presidential debate took place at precisely the moment when a majority of American voters decided that having Palin in line for the presidency is more than a little bit scary.
The Leader Who Stood The Tallest
WASHINGTON — One advantage of a crisis is the illumination it sheds on all the main figures of American politics — like a strobe light on a dark dance floor, catching all involved in characteristic, sometimes embarrassing poses. John McCain has been all manic, flailing energy. His first instinct was to blame Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke for being too active and SEC Chairman Chris Cox for not being active enough. Confirming the worst Republican suspicions, McCain did not focus on the role of Barney Frank and other Democrats in encouraging Fannie Mae to run wild, and mentioned New York Democrat Andrew Cuomo as a possible financial savior. Then he suspended his campaign to rush to Washington for messy, indecisive negotiations and called for the cancellation of a debate that he promptly attended.