Now Schmidt is John McCain's new campaign director, having moved up from his role as senior advisor. Before, Schmidt was the guy on the road with McCain, frequently stationing himself right in front of the candidate as he spoke, studying his performance and giving him feedback. Now he's the guy "orchestrating the symphony," as one advisor put it. He succeeded in removing the "civility in politics" from McCain's rhetoric and succeeded in getting McCain to say "I approve of this message" to each television ad, regardless of it nastiness, untruthfulness, dishonesty and repugnance. Can this be "presidential material", who lacks the courage of his own commitment for need of civility in politics? Schmidt's fourth campaign slogan for McCain in a month. "Don't hope for a better life; vote for one." Which happens to be lifted from the British Conservative Party in the 1970s, when it was developed by the Saatchi and Saatchi advertising firm. But the facts ask, "Is your life better today than it was eight years ago, because John S. McCain, as President, offers nothing better?" Schmidt's time as a top Bush political aide and counselor to Vice President Cheney, who dispatched him to Baghdad to straighten out PR operations there, tells him about the conservative base.
"Schmidt's going to run the McCain campaign. It will have a much broader ability to make decisions," said one top McCain aide. "When he says something to the political people, there will be no question, no discussing." Schmidt’s elevation is the latest sign of increasing influence of veterans of Mr. Rove’s shop in the McCain operation. Nicolle Wallace, who was communications director for Mr. Bush in the 2004 campaign (and in his White House) has joined the campaign as a senior adviser, and will travel with Mr. McCain every other week. Greg Jenkins, another veteran of Mr. Rove’s operation who is a former Fox News producer and director of the presidential advance team in the Bush White House, was hired by Mr. Schmidt last week after a series of what Mr. McCain’s advisers acknowledged were poorly executed campaign events. "Birds of a feather flock together," a combination of Rupert Murdoch's ideologues and Karl Roves political assassins! If this is an indication of how a President McCain will choose appointees to run national security agencies, we are in deep trouble.
Mr. McCain’s advisers said that Mr. Davis would continue to hold the position of campaign manager, but that Mr. Schmidt had taken over every major operation where Mr. McCain has shown signs of struggling: communications, scheduling and basic political strategy. Mr. McCain’s aides said Mr. Davis would focus now more on longer-term campaign efforts, including helping with the selection of a running mate and planning for the Republican National Convention, which is now just two months away.
The run of attacks against Mr. Obama over the last couple of weeks have been strikingly reminiscent of that drive, including the Bush team’s tactics of seeking to make campaigns referendums on its opponents — not a choice between two candidates — and attacking the opponent’s perceived strengths head-on. Central to the latest McCain drive is an attempt to use against Mr. Obama the huge crowds and excitement he has drawn, including on his foreign trip last week, by promoting a view of him as more interested in attention and adulation than in solving the problems facing American families. “I would say that it is beyond dispute that he has become the biggest celebrity in the world,” Mr. Schmidt said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “The question that we are posing to the American people is this: ‘Is he ready to lead yet?’ And the answer to the question that we will offer to the American people is: ‘No he is not.’" But what other response would one expect from a Karl Rove disciple and fellow distorter of facts. Obama has greater qualifications for serving as President of the United States than has John McCain, whose records of failure overshadow any successes he may have had. Yes, he served his country in Vietnam, but so did millions of other, who sacrificed their lives - not their limbs; and who cannot capitalize on what was a failed policy, as has John S. McCain. Obama has more leadership ability in his little finger than McCain has in his entire broken body., much of which was caused by his failure as a Navy pilot.
Civility in campaign politics does not bar criticism based on facts, but certainly does not apply to innuendo, outright lies, and nefarious suggestions. The latter is propaganda, no different than the propaganda of the Nazi Josef Goebbels or that of the presidency of George W. Bush and his administration.
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