The temperament question comes roaring back

[babylonsister]

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16630.html

The temperament question comes roaring back
Posted August 21st, 2008


For months, any and all criticism Barack Obama directed at John McCain was about policy differences. It’s become one of the more dramatic differences between the two campaigns — McCain would go after Obama on personal issues (arrogance, patriotism, etc.), while Obama would go after McCain on substantive issues.

Yesterday, Obama’s team mixed it up a bit, and started pointing at least one of McCain’s more glaring character flaws.

In an apparent effort to regain the offensive, the Obama campaign launched a broad attack on McCain {yesterday}, portraying him as reckless on foreign policy, a hot-head who’s too willing to use force and not willing enough to apprise himself of facts on the ground before urging military action.

On a conference call with reporters {yesterday afternoon}, senior Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice argued that there is “a pattern here of recklessness” when it comes to McCain’s approach to various national security issues. She pointed out that McCain reacted too quickly with “aggressive and bellicose” rhetoric on the Russia-Georgia crisis, and contrasted that with Obama’s measured response to the dust-up.

“There’s something to be said for letting facts drive judgment,” Rice said, also referring to McCain’s desire to target Iraq right after 9/11.

Richard Clarke, who was a top counter-terrorism official in the last three administrations, also weighed in on the call, slamming “quick-draw McCain,” calling him “reckless,” “trigger-happy” and “discredited.”

There’s no shortage of Dems arguing, “If only Obama would pursue (fill in the blank) narrative/line of attack, he’d stand a better chance.” And with that in mind, challenging McCain on his temperament is just one of many possible approaches for Dems to pursue.

snip//

But on the temperament question, my only concern is that there are so many narratives to pursue with McCain, it’s hard to know which to pick — and Dems can’t pick them all. McCain’s a flip-flopper. And a hothead. And he’s out of touch. And he’s a confused old man. And he’s an angry candidate running a desperately negative campaign. And he’s self-righteous. And he’s a hypocrite. And he’s given up on straight-talk, preferring constant mendacity.

It’s obviously tough to choose, since all of these narratives are true, but I think “Senator Hothead” certainly deserves its due.