McCain and Lobbyists

Regarding the Times story that broke today about McCain: this about as huge of a blow to McCain's chances at this stage in the game as one could imagine. Imagine this scenario: these allegations turn out to be false, Iseman and McCain clear up the currently muddied waters, and the Times somehow offers an apology for this story.

That would never happen - the story seems solid, and it follows the Rovian formula of attacking your opponent on his or her strongest issue. For McCain, it's his persona as a straight-shooting, honorable kind of guy. This is somewhat ironic, considering McCain's sharp attacks on Obama's oratory over the past two weeks.

But imagine this story is retracted. The damage is still done. What has happened? People unaware of McCain's checkered past with lobbyists and insider deals is now brought back up to the surface for political newcomers to see. Obama's talking points about removing or curbing the influence of lobbyists acquires a greater resonance. McCain loses momentum and is put on the defensive: is this the type of experience that he expects from Obama? These are things that can't be undone even in the wake of a retraction.

No, this is not very good for the McCain team.

And the actions of Alcalde & Fay don't offer much support for their lobbyist - they removed her bio from the firm's webpage.

The side note on all of this is why the Times held on to the story for so long - the Huffington Post is all over this issue. It seems, though, that the McCain team has been aware of the story for quite some time and has been fighting its publication. So no, it doesn't appear this was some sort of surprise for the GOP until after the primaries were all-but-finished. It does make one wonder, though - if you're the Republicans at the convention, how do you handle this?

A Surprise

The new Microsoft Office 2008 for Macs is actually quite good, considering how badly flawed the 2007 edition is for PC.

Running

I've already logged more miles during the month of February than I logged through September, October, and November combined.

It feels good to be done with interviews.

Giants Win!

What an amazing game. How many great plays were there for the Giants? Watching the Giants defense was watching hard-nosed, smashmouth football at its finest. It's going to be a long time before we forget this one.

What strikes me about this game: 1) the Giants just flat-out wanted this one more, and they wanted it badly. The defense was incredible - play after play, they kept on coming after the Patriots, bottling up holes, hitting hard, roughing up Brady. 2) Eli Manning - what type of maturation has this been for him since the Patriots and Giants first matched up during the regular season? What about the tremendous scramble and throw he made after being bottled up and grabbed? Amazing play from Manning - if you can't single out one individual on the Giants defense, then Eli deserves the MVP, which he did win. 3) Belichick's lack of class. Who walks off the field before the game's even done, after congratulating only the opposing coach. He didn't congratulate the Giants defensive players, or Eli, or Burress, or anyone. He just walked off. I suppose it's the same person who videotaped a Super Bowl practice just prior to one of the narrowest victories in Super Bowl history (the Rams). Completely classless. 4) On the flipside, how good must it feel to be Tom Coughlin? You go from being on the brink of losing your job to winning the Super Bowl over the 'greatest team ever'. Cheers to that guy.

It's February

And the birds outside my bedroom window are chirping away. The weather has been beautiful this weekend - 33 degrees today, but it feels warmer because the sun is bright and the snow outside has melted. No ice is left on the sidewalks, either, which made my run yesterday feel much less treacherous than the one I did on Friday evening, when I nearly fell on three or four separate occasions.

Republican Debate

I caught the last five minutes or so of the Republican debate this evening.

It's very difficult for me to envision either Romney or McCain defeating an Obama-led ticket in the fall. I'm a fan of McCain, but he seemed surprisingly arrogant in his exchanges with Romney. Mitt was the same as ever - you don't believe 85% of the words that come out of his mouth. This is an incredibly weak Republican field, as a whole, though. I'm still shocked that Huckabee hasn't caught on to a greater degree.

Oh well. We'll see what happens in a few days, but it appears as if my Huckabee prediction has already been proven incorrect. It's still incredible to think that McCain campaign workers in New Hampshire were losing their posts as recent ago as the dog days of summer. Hopefully John can come full circle; I still have hope that a McCain-Obama contest would bring a new civility to national politics.

Obama and South Carolina

I can't believe some of the things I'm reading in the wake of Barack's landslide South Carolina victory. Witness what some of the Republicans over at National Review's Corner are saying:

Peter Wehner discusses Obama's ability to rise above the typical political fray:

"Barack Obama's speech tonight was simply exceptional — and a reminder of why he is one of the most remarkable political talents in our lifetime. He was able to speak in ways that seem to rise above conventional politics, even as he was able to masterfully push back against the Clinton attacks of the last several weeks. His capacity to touch and stir authentic emotions is remarkable. And unlike Clinton and especially Edwards, the Obama message is about unity, not divisions; and hopes rather than grievances. If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, Republicans have a great deal to fear. He has tremendous break-out potential."

And then he continues:

"Politics is, at the end of the day, about ideas and philosophy, not simply rhetoric. But, as all the great presidents have shown, rhetoric matters, too. Beyond that, Hillary Clinton is a conventional liberal, as is Obama; the difference is that Obama is a graceful and dignified person who draws people to him rather than drives them away. He is impossible to dislike. And when you see Obama and Clinton together, or back to back, is there any doubt who is the more impressive person — or the more formidable political figure?"

And then Rich Lowry says:

"That was not only a stirring victory speech by Obama, but a devastating rebuke to the Clintons clothed in inspirational liberal terms.

Obama embraced diversity, the subtext being that Hillary can't win blacks and is depending on keeping him from winning whites; he said that the old politics objects even to saying that Republicans have ideas, a dig at Hillary's ridiculous attacks on what he said about Republicans formerly being the party of ideas; he said that the old Washington thinking values time spent in Washington and proximity to the White House, a slap at Hillary touting her time as First Lady; he attacked Washington lobbyists, when Hillary has defended their role in the process; he said we can overcome racial categories, a rebuke to the Clinton strategy of polarizing the campaign along racial lines.

Then, he grounded his message of hope in Edwardesque stories illustrating the need for better health care, education, and wages—a lunch-bucket appeal. Near the end, there was a soaring call for national unity, echoing his famous 2004 convention speech, "I didn't see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina, I saw South Carolina." And he framed his fight with Hillary, in another reference to the way she and her husband have fought this campaign, thusly, "It's not about black versus against white, it's the past versus the future." Ouch. And when he said the old politics was about "divisions, distractions, and drama," could there be any three words better suited to describe Clintonian attack politics?

Overall, a stunningly deft performance, and a moving one. It's the best liberal case you'll ever hear for moving on from the Clintons."

And then David Freddoso:

"He is getting above the fray right now. I really think it will work for him in the future. Clintonian politics may have died tonight — but let's not say such a thing too hastily.

Hillary fled without a concession speech because a 30-point defeat, after the disgraceful, negative, and even at times racially charged campaign she ran, is an embarrassment.

By the way, did anyone else notice the cable networks cutting Bill off earlier?"

What a win. Here's Barack's speech: