Monday, September 22, 2008

Presidential

All you need to know:



Besides the remarkable unanimity, I think Sam Donaldson opens up the most potentially damaging hidden point, that McCain's age is addressable as an issue in regard to his inability to find a consistent voice. It's something Obama seems to do to his more traditionally rhetorical political opponents, witness Hillary's shifts even as she self-consciously took us through "finding her voice." The problem an ingrained D.C.-type politician has with using his or her traditional voice against Obama is that it is by nature a media feeder, a kind of meta-rhetoric designed to win news cycles, while Obama's just telling the truth. So that "experienced" politician has to find a way to be truthful all the time with their voice, which isn't as easy as it sounds.

So for McCain to try and find his consistently truthful voice right after his 72nd birthday is by nature a difficult task. At 47, some change is understandable. Even finding your footing as a female politician age 60 after years of working for your husband's ambitions, that's not entirely impossible to imagine. But Donaldson is right -- if McCain's voice is flailing around in a single day when he's supposed to be the experienced, battle-tested guy...

Well, with the election 42 days away, how much more time does he expect us to give him?

No comments: