Gramm-pa McCain loses Joe the M.I.A.: The Video

By GottaLaff

I posted the story here. Now we've got the video, courtesy of Think Progress:

Joe Sudbay writes: "Maybe Joe was meeting with his PR team trying to get his country music deal. No matter, even Joe the Plumber has gotten what he can out of John McCain."

VIDEO: Gramm-pa McCain Forgets His Own Military Endorsements

By GottaLaff

It's getting sadder by the day:


This is a little hard to watch... but, no, I don't feel sorry for him. Anyone who has run a sleazy, race-baiting, hate-filled campaign the way he has does not get my sympathy.

By the way, my dad, who is a retired internist (with a truly stellar reputation, and who is very knowledgeable about this subject) told me the other day that he believes Gramm-pa is starting to show definite signs of diminishing mental faculties. This video seems to confirm his (and others') professional opinion.

IWRC* Palin's crowds are dwindling

By GottaLaff

Via Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis blog, since I can't connect to Politico (but somehow got through to Celtic's blog):

This from Politico's Ben Smith:

A smaller crowd

My colleague Amie Parnes tells me the McCain campaign says they won't release crowd counts any more.

And a Florida paper puts the number at today's Palin rally at a respectable, but non-rapturous, 4,500.

See that, IWRC? When you are nasty, call people names, and lie about them, it reflects badly on you and the campaign, and results in embarrassment, loss of appeal and dwindling poll numbers.

A clever, experienced Alaskan husky such as yourself should have anticipated these political repercussions. So much for that stupendous learning curve, eh?

*"In What Respect, Charlie?"

Gramm-pa McCain's lost marbles

By GottaLaff

Yesterday, I posted about what passed for the first joint town hall meeting with Gramm-pa and his granddaughter. Here are some more highlights, along with an accurate assessment of Gramm-pa's deteriorating mental capacity:

John McCain will not only take on special interests and Washington insiders, he'll fundamentally alter human nature. And without raising taxes, either. He'll lead us to a sort of martial nirvana where all other emotions are replaced with patriotism, and turn the United States into a shining, selfless, bipartisan cross between heaven and Sparta.

Or maybe he's just a desperate shell of a man, babbling glorp.

If Reverend Wright went around shouting stuff like "We're going to put an end to greed!" people would start thinking he was some kind of fruitcake.

Now let's take a second look at that town hall meeting:

You might think "I'll end greed" would be the most mortifying thing John McCain could say at one sitting. You'd be wrong. At Wednesday's town hall -- his first with Sarah Palin -- he topped himself with this explanation of her credentials:

"She has been commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. Fact. On September 11 a contingent of the Guard deployed to Iraq and her son happened to be one of them so I think she understands national security challenges."

Which is fine except:

The governor of Alaska doesn't command the National Guard in combat overseas.

Sarah Palin didn't deploy anyone anywhere on September 11th. She was a guest speaker at an Army deployment ceremony.

Track Palin isn't in the National Guard; he's in the Army.

Sometimes it seems like it's more than John McCain can handle, just keeping all the lies about Sarah Palin straight in his head. Tomorrow he'll say she's in the Air Force herself, on a plane she bought on eBay, bombing the bridges at Toko-Ri.

And the piece de resistance:

"I know how to win wars! I know how to win wars!" -- John McCain 7/15/08

I know this is a sort of threadbare exercise -- the old switcheroo -- but imagine what would happen if Barack Obama got the Army and the National Guard mixed up.

What's even more threadbare are what's left of the contents of Gramm-pa's head.

H/t: Chris

John McCain VS The Prime Minister Of Spain

This is very scary and serious. The part that worries me isn't so much that he didn't recognize Zapatero's name at first, but even after the interviewer laid it all out for him, he still continued to talk about Latin America and total blather. (John has more background here)

After the interviewer presses him a couple times on the point and tries to focus him on the fact that Prime Minister Zapatero isn't from Mexico and isn't a drug lord either McCain comes back at her saying, "All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the Hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not. And that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region."

Then there's a moment of awkward pause before she says. "But what about Europe? I'm talking about the President of Spain."

McCain: "What about me, what?

Interviewer: "Are you willing to meet with him if you're elected president?"

McCain: "I am wiling to meet with any leader who is dedicated to the same principles and philosophy that we are for humans rights, democracy and freedom. And I will stand up to those who do not."

Zapatero at least has a sense of humour about it.

As for Zapatero himself, the prime minister is apparently taking this latest attack to his ego with characteristic equilibrium. McCain may not know who Spain's leader is, but Zapatero promised to work with the new administration "whatever it is."