John McCain is a Liar

We don’t often discuss the presidential horse race on this blog, but some things simply cannot be ignored. Those of you fortunate enough to have avoided the past few days of campaign coverage following Senator Obama’s overseas trip probably missed the “straight talk express” running completely off the tracks.

McCain, in clear desperation mode, decided that he would let go of those last remaining shreds of honor and integrity by airing a false attack ad accusing Senator Obama of not supporting the troops. I haven’t included the video here because I don’t want to promote this slanderous trash, but the gist is that Barack Obama “made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops,” because, “the Pentagon wouldn’t allow him to bring cameras.” It might be a powerful line of attack, if it were not completely false. Hilariously, the GOP hacks that produced the attack ad used footage of Obama playing basketball with the troops to illustrate how he is too busy to visit the troops.

From yesterday’s Washington Post’s front page article McCain Charge Against Obama Lacks Evidence:

For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.

That pretty much sums it up, but if you like more information about McCain’s sad slide into Rovian politics you can read about it here, here, here, here, here, or here.
The Obama campaign’s response:

Now McCain is running an ad that calls Senator Obama the “biggest celebrity in the world” and compares him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It’s sad to see a politician who talked about a positive and pragmatic approach to governing in 2000, become a jealous, crotchety old man in 2008. Even Republican Senator Chuck Hagel thinks that the McCain campaign’s tactics below their candidate’s dignity.

But apparently McCain isn’t worried about maintaining his dignity. He’d rather play on peoples worst fears and prejudices to turn the election into a mud slinging contest. His whining about Obama’s popularity makes the 71 year-old Senator look more a catty high schooler or petulant child than someone who has spent a quarter century as a elected official. It’s disappointing how far McCain has fallen and how low he is willing to stoop to try to win – and it’s only July!