by Damozel | McCain's somewhat smarmy little pander to the bikers at Sturgis (offering his wife up for participation in a topless beauty contest for biker chicks) comes back to bite him where it hurts a Republican the most. (If you want to see what sort of goings-on go on there, there's footage all over the internet).
The pastor at Jenna Bush's wedding---an Obama supporter (PR)--- seems to have heard the word about the exact nature of the beauty contest for which he volunteered his wife. And---speaking, I guess, for Christians everywhere---he spells out his and God's opposition:
"...I do know, however, that as recently as last week I think it was, the senator made a comment in South Dakota regarding his wife entering some Buffalo Chips contest which is this topless deal and if she were to enter she would probably win it and my personal opinion and based on my understanding of the Christian faith, that's not, not, N-O-T, not the type of expression that a presidential candidate, or anyone for that matter who is a follower of the Christian faith, ought to make," (Political Radar)
Jonathan Martin said:
Caldwell also criticized McCain for jokingly saying he would have liked to enter his wife in a beauty contest at the Sturgis motorcycle rally. The affair can become risque, with tops and bottoms being removed, but there is no evidence that McCain knew that when he cracked the joke (Politico).
That's what I thought too at the time. I thought it was simply a shameless pander at an unabashedly sexist event. But Martin updates his post as follows: "ABC has a McCain aide saying the candidate did know about the nature of the contest but was merely joking." (Politico)
Though for that matter, it was relatively inoffensive for a McCain joke, meaning: it was simply another confirmation of his deeply entrenched sexism, lack of any sense of fitness, and "loose cannon" reputation. Compared to some of his jokes? Hardly offensive at all. I'd give it a score of 7 out of 10 on the offensiveness scale instead of, say, a score of 15.
Anyhow, this pastor, Caldwell, also commented semi-obliquely on McCain's adultery.
"His marital history has been duly recorded....and...our pastor....indicated that he would not feel comfortable voting for an adulterer and I don't know exactly to whom he was referring but I think the data speaks for itself....[A]t the end of the day....I think the American public deserves full revelation of the candidate's character and competency....."(Political Radar)
Or maybe not so semi-obliquely:
Asked if he would hesitate to support a candidate who committed adultery, as McCain has, Caldwell added, “Absolutely I would. Because if you can’t keep your faith to your most sacred vow — ’til death do us part’ — how in the world can I trust you to lead my family? My government? My nation?” (The Carpetbagger Report)
Back to you, Jonathan Martin!:
Liberals have been itching to get the issue in circulation for weeks, even more so after the John Edwards confession, and now a prominent Obama supporter has obliquely raised John McCain's admitted infidelity to his first wife....(Politico).
Yet again, the answer to all challenges to McCain's virtue, common sense, steadiness of character, reliability, and so forth is the same:
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded to the criticism by saying that Americans “know that John McCain’s faith and character were tested and forged in ways few can fathom.” (Carpetbagger Report)
Will this ever wear thin? Watch Colmes take on Sean Hannity when Hannity tried to use the "POW" tactic in a discussion of McCain's adultery.
A McCain spokesman also said:
"These people are Obama campaign surrogates." (Political Radar)
Really? Bush's dear friend is a "surrogate" for Obama? Isn't that special.
He also said:
These kinds of personal attacks are disgraceful. This absolutely exposes the hypocrisy of Obama's claim to represent a 'new kind of politics.'" (Political Radar)
A strategist, "speaking on the condition of anonymity," with dark hints that if the Obama people started to discuss "character and background," they would find themselves in a discussion they don't want to have. (Political Radar) I'd have said McCain already put those issues on the table. And if they have some sort of hidden information I'd like to know what---not that I believe they do; I'm pretty sure Obama got pretty thoroughly vetted during the primaries. (Political Radar) But if they do, let's have it. Or rather, if they've got anything, I'm sure we will hear all about it....in October, say.
The GTL is hopeful that the evangelical base will wake up to the fact that McCain isn't exactly a poster child for marital fidelity.
Cindy McCain, the BEER-BARONESS, helped him to mastermind their “Leave the first, DISFIGURED wife behind in the dust while chasing the American Dream together” DECEPTION of the once-beautiful swimsuit model (before her automobile accident while John McCain was in “captivity” maimed her for life), Carol McCain.... The point is, those “evangelicals” the McCain campaign has been TARGETING (Like that word, evangelicals?...are beginning to smell through the wafting odors of the “buffalo chips.” (GTL)
AmericaBlog says:
First off, it was Evangelical leader Rick Warren who seemingly alluded to McCain's adultery in the past 24 hours, while speaking to ABC's Jake Tapper. And it was God himself, I believe, who included the admonition against adultery in Leviticus, so unless Rick Warren and God are working on the Obama campaign and nobody told us...
In any case, accusations about disgraceful personal attacks from the people who have repeatedly suggested that Obama is un-American, hates the troops, and wants America to lose a war,.... an accusation with vaguely racist undertones, and have injected race into their TV commercials, a point noticed by at least one mainstream national network correspondent - now that's rich. So tell us again how pure as snow McCain is.
Hey, AmericaBlog left off the dog-whistle to readers of the Left Behind series and/or the Book of Revelations---thankfully "debunked" by CNN's thoughtful treatment---implying/suggesting that Obama might be Antichrist!
But if you were hoping, in this time of international crisis, that the candidates would get back to discussing actual issues instead of trying to prove who is the better Christian, there's more to come. At Firedoglake, Christy Hardin Smith writes:
On Saturday, Rick Warren will host a forum with Barack Obama and John McCain billed as a discussion on character and values. What is intriguing is the intersection of faith with the scramble for power among Warren's supporters and detractors within the evangelical and wingnut power broker communities.
Some commentary has gotten quite shrill: at the Corner, hysterical claims that Obama supports killing live birth babies if their mother ever thought about abortion; and RedState demands an all-or-nothing abortion question from Warren or else cancel the event (I'm sure Warren is shaking in his pews), while the debate continues to rage over what Obama and McCain and their parties actually think about abortion and "family values."
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The separation of Church and State is clearly hidden here.
It has been said that the church needs sinners to whom to minister and therefor the church and state need each other!
This is one small voice from Canada who says that the Change which is so seriously needed in the U.S. can not be introduced this early into the Presidential Aspirant's Platform, or the votes won't come in to elect the Advocate of Change and the 'platform' is of absolutely no value unless the voters award him the Presidency.
In my opinion, this is why the platforms of both of the hopefuls contain such unsound extravagant benefits knowing the depleted condition of the U.S. treasury and financial conditions all around. Voters must be stupid to expect and believe these promises of pie in the sky.
My suggested reading is contained in the August 18th, 2008 edition of BusinessWeek magazine. (Monies paid to CEOs, if returned would restore the economy, in my opinion, but it is not likely to happen!)
Since Church and State have been mentioned in the same breath, I feel permitted to say, that a Holy Spirit, God Sent Revival would take care of everyone's needs but would not satisfy the greedy, so we must forget it.
Have a beauty day, Eh!
Don McLeod
Posted by: Don McLeod | August 16, 2008 at 09:12 AM
I very much appreciate having been invited to join the Grasroots Finance Committee, but though my father was born in the United States on the fourth of July and was brought into the world by a doctor still dressed as Uncle Sam because they had to get him out of the parade; his parents and grand-parents were all born in the U.S., however I was born in Canada and do not meet the donor requirements to be an American citizen.
I must restrict my donation to 'hollering support' from 'Up North'.
God Bless, Eh,
Don McLeod
Posted by: Don McLeod | August 17, 2008 at 09:10 AM