Karl Rove connected talent rises in Team McCain

The image is credited to AP/Karin Cooper showing St. John and Karl Rove in August of 2007 before their separate appearances on CBS's "Face the Nation". Adam Nagourney of the Gray Lady provides a good summary of the developments.

The Guardian's Michael Tomasky reports A familiar face atop McCain's campaign yet he openly questions the wisdom of promoting Steve Schmidt up the the top of the campaign effort. If, and unfortunately that's a big if, Team Obama knows how to fight and frame then I agree this development can be a positive for Progressive hopes.

The NYT's Paul Krugman shares Rove’s Third Term in today's paper where he begins with, "Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn’t scream. Hillary Clinton didn’t say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn’t impugn John McCain’s military service." That these non-events so often become accepted by all to many are regretably a problem for good Lefty types.

The media has some blame but also I fault people like those appearing in this recent Annenberg focus group that I stumbled across via C-SPAN. The WaPo's Robert G. Kaiser plumbs this spectacle. Some of these Pennsylvania voters were among the stupidest souls I've observed. And yes, the truly weak minded on this panel were turning toward St. John McCain. Dick Polman lamented the willfully ignorant when Peter Hart spend some time with a few down in Virginia and I'd think those in his own Pennsylvania would bother him even more.

Last but not least, Slate's David Greenberg shares Waving the Flag where he examines how "patriotism" has been used through modern campaigns. He leads with a priceless, "John McCain isn't a scoundrel, but in a presidential race in which he now trails Barack Obama, patriotism is shaping up as his last refuge."

Finally, will the Vietnam War play a part in yet another election? Perhaps in twenty of forty years Iraq will also impact elections but at least I could see how consequences of this mis-adventure could actually impact our world even decades into the future. John Gunn