From The Left Anchor...

So, Joe Klein visits a focus group of twenty one people assembled by Republican message guru Frank Luntz and comes away with this:

Bad news for both Obama and McCain, but slightly worse--I think--for Obama.

<snip>

The Obama ad mocking McCain's seven houses was effective only when it focused on the mortgage crisis.The McCain response, claiming that Antoin Rezco, the corrupt Obama contributor, had helped pay for Obama's house was far more effective--the indpendents hated the (somewhat exaggerated) idea that Obama cut a deal with a sleazeball to buy his house. (And as for McCain's Paris/Britney ad--the key wasn't the charge that Obama was a celebrity, but the sight of him speaking to that vast crowd in Germany, which at least one member of the focus group compared to a Nazi rally.)

More below the fold...

Obama is now presented with the biggest political opportunity of this campaign and his single best prospect for defining John McCain for what he is – a no-hold-barred Rovian political opportunist who is willing to engage in hyperbole, misrepresentation and outright lying to question the patriotism of his political opponents.  Americans do not like people like John McCain.  Generally speaking, Americans are skeptical of people like John McCain who habitually tout their own patriotism while questioning the patriotism of others.  And more importantly, Americans have been forced to endure the last 8 years of failed government under George W. Bush, a person who, just like John McCain, is willing to lie about the patriotism of his political opponents.

Guys,
This is a brilliant read - money quote:

I know that people like me are supposed to try to be fair...and balanced. (The Fox mockery of our sappy professional standards seems more brutally appropriate with each passing year.) In the past, I would achieve a semblance--or an illusion--of balance by criticizing Democrats for not responding effectively when right-wing sludge merchants poisoned our national elections with their filth and lies....But there is no excuse for what the McCain campaign is doing on the "putting America first" front. There is no way to balance it, or explain it other than as evidence of a severe character defect on the part of the candidate who allows it to be used.

Klein gets the media approach to the Presidential elections 100% right and shames many of his colleagues in the process....wish the guy had a tip jar but please go ahead and read it all it is a wonderful post!

THANKS JOE!

Former Democratic Primary Candidate John Edwards has now confirmed he had an affair with Rielle Hunter & WAS at the Beverly Hills Hilton JUST AS THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAID.

LA Times

I want to point out that all the people who said "this is a conspiracy", now seem to be turning into moralistic scolders.  "I'm shocked - shocked I tell you".

But you are all missing the main story ~ did one (or both) major candidate pull a "Primary Colors" on Edwards?

It was only about three months ago that John McCain put out this earnest web ad, piously called "Tolerance," which commentators like Andrew Sullivan cited as evidence that McCain would say "Goodbye to All That" and run a non-Rovian campaign. I must confess I had similar hopes.  Today, Sullivan says he was wrong.  I was too. What a fool I was.

Hopefully this new trend of journalists actually doing their jobs and revealing the truth about McLiar will take hold and catch on like wild fire...hope springs eternal.  With these two "former" avid supporters finally seeing who McLiar really is maybe there is a sliver of hope that some of the others will wake up and effectively perform their journalistic duties too...not holding my breathe though.  

Recently, John McCain has taken to boasting, "I know how to win wars."  But he isn't talking about Iraq.  As his gutter politics of the last week show, McCain is talking about the "character war" against Barack Obama.

As predicted, McCain is turning to the Republicans' tried and untrue formula for success from 2000 and 2004.  That is, because Americans overwhelmingly prefer Democratic positions and priorities across almost the entire spectrum of issues, the GOP has to make the race about something else.  This year as in 2000 and 2004, the Republicans will turn the race into a presidential personality contest. And to win it, they need to manufacture a "character gap" between John McCain and Barack Obama:

Now I'm not a big fan of Joe Klein.  But he reflects a certain Broderesque Beltway wisdom, and today it turned on John McCain:

A few months ago, I wrote that John McCain was an honorable man and he would run an honorable campaign. I was wrong.

Joe Klein, swampland

In attacking Obama's character, McCain has trashed his own maverick, decency brand, and he may not be able to get it back.

More, after the fold.

Joe Klein has written a short piece today where he states:

A few months ago, I wrote that John McCain was an honorable man and he would run an honorable campaign. I was wrong. I used to think, as David Ignatius does, that McCain's true voice was humble and moderate, but now I'm beginning to think his Senate colleagues may be right about his temperament.

Could the mavericky shine finally be coming off of the image of John McC[ompl]ain?

Jump. . .

They want Time Magazine to fire or silence me.

Joe Klein is finally fed up. He came out punching yesterday in his Swampland blog over at Time online.

I win the Internets.

For I have the secret to taming the media hydra.

I won't even tease you with it.

Okay, maybe just a little bit...

American politics has proven that many people can find some kind of redemption.  I've not been a fan of Joe Klein over the years -- especially the past decade -- but lately he's been sounding more like someone with real, honest-to-God integrity and passion.

Of course, sometimes pundits break in one direction for a tiny bit, get freaked out, and come roaring back to their former comfy Beltway "wisdom" all the stronger.  Joe Klein may yet do that.

Note to Senator McCain: If you want to win an election, don't ever, EVER say "I would rather lose a political campaign." Specifically, don't say this, especially in relation to Iraq:

This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.

► With Defense Minster, Ehud Barak

*

BOOOO-YAHH!!  Let the smackdown begin.

► Whiner!!

► Too Old!!

► Too Angry!!

► Smear Merchant!!

The Village™ elders dropped an anvil on his head.

► Update: He's Losing it.
*

► First up: Jack Cafferty knee-caps McWhiner.

.....he's right about this.  And remember, this is TIME magazine..........

McCain Meltdown
Posted by Joe Klein (TIME Swamp Blog) JULY 22, 2008 7:00

John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire:

This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.

Via TPM, Joe Klein (known around these parts mostly by the name Joke Line)  calls out McCain for his 'Obama would rather win an election than lose a war' bullshit.  TPM's comment is simple: McCain loses Joe Klein.  The quote and my take below the fold.

The McCain campaign responded to questions about his gaffe on the CBS Evening News on the timeline of the Sunni Awakening and it was reported by Ed Henry on AC 360 tonight.

The surge strategy that was supported by John McCain and opposed by Barack Obama was responsible for the reduction in violence we have all seen over the last year and a half. If Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda, and the US forces would have already left Iraq in defeat.

Watch the panel at AC 360 try to spin this one in the video below the fold.

Well  the denizens of the village are not always wrong.

Responding to this:

"This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say that I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Sen. Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign," McCain, R-Ariz., told a Rochester, N.H. , town hall crowd.

McCain Attacks

Joe responds and "Surprise, surprise surprise" gets it right