The McCain Campaign is working hard to put the financial crisis behind it. From the WaPo:
Aides hope that, if Congress passes a rescue package, McCain's actions will be seen as having contributed [sic] to the deal. More important, they hope an agreement will push the economy story off the front pages for a while.
Their hope is to keep things fluid for the next few weeks.
"You've got to get it over with and start having a normal campaign," one McCain adviser said.
"Normal Campaign"? Let's reflect for a moment on what constitutes a "Normal Campaign" for the McCain people. Here's how Josh Marshall described it following the 'Sex-Ed for Kindergarners' ad:
All politicians stretch the truth, massage it into the best fit with their message. But, let's face it, John McCain is running a campaign almost entirely based on straight up lies. Not just exaggerations or half truths but the sort of straight up, up-is-down mind-blowers we've become so accustomed to from the current occupants of the White House.
The AP highlighted a few doozies:
Republican presidential nominee John McCain ... keeps saying his running mate, Sarah Palin, killed the federally funded Bridge to Nowhere when, in fact, she pulled her support only after the project became a political embarrassment. He accuses Democrat Barack Obama of calling Palin a pig, which did not happen. He says Obama would raise nearly everyone's taxes, when independent groups say 80 percent of families would get tax cuts instead.
Even in a political culture accustomed to truth-stretching, McCain's skirting of facts has stood out this week....
Ah, the good old days!
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*Contrary to the almost insane claims of McCain strategist Steve Schmidt, McCain's actions did nothing to contribute to a final deal except to serve as a distraction.
