You know, we liked it better in prior elections when the Democrats would just lie about what the Republicans would do to Social Security, and the Republicans would just lie about the Democrats raising taxes.
While Barack Obama can certainly be criticized for playing fast and loose with the truth on John McCain's positions on health care, stem cell research and _ yes _ Social Security, McCain's campaign has made an art form out of misleading ads and candidate statements.
Whether it has been distorting Obama's votes on "sex education" for kindergartners and raising taxes for people making $42,000 a year or feigning outrage over Obama using the phrase "lipstick on a pig," this is a John McCain we don't recognize.
McCain's greatest asset going into the election was his reputation as a straight shooter, someone who put principle over politics and _ to use his own phrase _ "country first."
His campaign's recent transparent attacks, exaggerating Obama's alleged ties to 1960s terrorist William Ayers, are despicable.
For his part, Obama felt it necessary to bring up in response the ancient history of McCain's involvement in the "Keating Five" savings-and-loan scandal of the 1980s.
Fellas, we don't care.
The country seems to be coming apart, and you guys want to talk about William Ayers and Charles Keating?
The stock market is in real trouble, people are losing their homes at a record rate, and you want Americans to vote based on innuendo?
How can you be so out of touch?
Jobs are being hemorrhaged, businesses are failing, millions and millions of people don't have health care.
We don't want you muddying the waters with nonsense.
The other day, McCain said in a speech, "I don't need lessons about telling the truth to the American people, and were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn't seek advice from a Chicago politician."
Chicago politician?
Senator, we don't care if Obama drove Al Capone's getaway car in Chicago, someone needs to concentrate on real issues. If you're not prepared to talk about economic solutions, we don't need to hear the smears.
Mr. Obama, you need to rise above the fray and stop using the Keating matter as a weapon.
The pity of it all is that both men are fundamentally decent and honorable. To let their reputations be sullied by ambition does them no good, and certainly does nothing to help the American people in these extremely precarious times.
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