John McCain Is A Dishonorable Coward

CNN reports:

A prominent surrogate for John McCain on Thursday raised Barack Obama's admitted cocaine use as a teenager and said the Illinois senator should speak candidly about it to the American people.

Speaking to Dennis Miller, a comedian and conservative radio talk show host, former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating said Obama should be more forthright about his background and what he called his "very extreme" record.

"He ought to admit, ‘You know, I've got to be honest with you. I was a guy of the street. I was way to the left. I used cocaine. I voted liberally, but I'm back at the center,'" Keating, a co-chair of McCain’s campaign, said Obama should tell voters. "I mean, I understand the big picture of America. But he hasn't done that."

Even leaving aside the fact that Obama has publicly admitted illegal drug use as a teen for more than a decade now, this is beyond ridiculous. And the McCain campaign refuses to repudiate these remarks, only noting weakly that they were not officially authorized.

But let's break this down a bit...

"A guy of the street"? Obama's never been homeless, so what is that supposed to mean? A gang member perhaps?

"I was way to the left. I used cocaine. I voted liberally..."? So now only leftists use cocaine? I'd actually dare to bet that a substantial percentage of regular cocaine users are in a high enough income bracket to make them tend to be Republicans. Seriously, what the hell does drug use have to do with party affiliation?

These statements are so irrational that it's clear they're not intended to be part of any sort of coherent argument. They're just designed to draw up images of the scary black man high on cocaine in the minds of white voters.

If the McCain campaign is going to let its surrogates spew this sort of shit, then McCain himself ought to at least have the courage to say it himself. When the Obama campaign hits McCain the hardest, the words generally come directly from Obama's mouth. The most personal thing Obama has said about McCain is that he's erratic and out of touch, possibly trying to make voters think McCain is going senile. Regardless of whether one things such attacks are appropriate, at least Obama owns them.

McCain, however, is generally respectful to Obama in person and stresses bipartisanship on the campaign trail even as his running mate, wife, and numerous other surrogates constantly question Obama's character and patriotism.

McCain may have been a brave man back when he was imprisoned in Vietnam, but now he's a pathetic coward who sends out patsies to do his dirty work.

John McCain, you have lost your honor. All that is left for you is to lose this election and be thrown into the dustbin of history where you belong.