The Page is Turned
Ever since catching the national spotlight, I’ve thought that Karl Rove was a political genius. After reading his latest WSJ column, I’m more convinced that he’s a genius. Here’s Mr. Rove’s take on Obama’s performance last night:
Mr. McCain, too, raised questions about Mr. Obama’s fitness to be commander in chief. Mr. McCain pointed to Mr. Obama’s unnecessary sabre-rattling at an ally (Pakistan) while appeasing our adversaries (Iran and Syria). Mr. McCain also made it clear that reining in spending, which is a McCain strength and an Obama weakness, would be a key issue.
Mr. Obama had not been so effectively criticized before. In the Democratic contest, John Edwards and Mrs. Clinton were unwilling to confront him directly or in a manner that hurt him. Mr. McCain was rightly preoccupied by his own primary. On Tuesday night, things changed.
Perhaps in response to criticisms that have been building in recent days, Mr. Obama pivoted Tuesday from his usual incantations. He dropped the pretense of being a candidate of inspiring but undescribed “post-partisan” change. Until now, Mr. Obama has been making appeals to the center, saying, for example, that we are not red or blue states, but the United States. But in his Houston speech, he used the opportunity of 45 (long) minutes on national TV to advocate a distinctly non-centrist, even proudly left-wing, agenda. By doing so, he opened himself to new and damaging contrasts and lines of criticism.
As I said here, I thought that the dynamics of this race to change. Here’s how I worded it:
I might get proven wrong but I’ve got to believe at some point, people will start thinking that this isn’t a campaign for prom king, that it’s a campaign to be the leader of the free world in a most troubling time.
The biggest question this campaign will answer is whether voters want the charismatic, though unqualified empty suit or if they’d prefer the substantive fighter. I think I know but it’ll be interesting to see this play out.
Mr. Rove isn’t wrong too often, which likely means that he’s right this time, too. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Kirk Watson’s national TV meltdown has gotten people questioning Obama’s qualifications. I’m betting that people are digging into his record as I type. I’d bet that the Clinton campaign is getting ready to launch an attack pointing out Obama’s empty accomplishments file cabinet.
Until now, Obama had run a brilliant, though vapid, campaign. Last night, he stopped looking inspirational. Instead, he started looking like a gifted speaker with an empty resume. I still think that that’ll catch up with him right about Convention time.
Technorati Tags: Obama, Kirk Watson, Hillary, Democrats, John McCain, Karl Rove, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
February 21st, 2008 at 3:31 am
I think you’re right on the money but we’re going to see a few days of rough sledding for McCain following the NYT’s hit piece today.
It seems that CNN and MSNBC are going to treat the Times story as new information instead of what it really is, a re-hash of old stories.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Well, now that the MSM has decided who the Republican candidate will be, they will be out in full force trashing every aspect of his life. Also, expect to see a rehash of the story that appeared in 2000 about McCain aiding his captors.
None of the viable candidates of either party is worth spitting at, but, as distasteful as voting for a socialist and “Canamericoist” will be, it is the only way to stop the donkeys’ headlong plunge into pure socialism and communism.
I don’t care that Hussein Obama says he’s not a Muslim, look at his associations! Who one associates with has more to do with a person’s character than what he says in ten thousand speeches.
April 7th, 2011 at 6:31 am
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