All these personal attacks, such as over pre-natal care, who is really the mother of Trig, Palin’s daughter Bristol pregnant, her supposed support of the Alaska Independence Party, trying to make an issue of a DUI by her husband over 20 years ago, and many others, including probably her hair and clothes, are, according to Barry, a distraction

“And, you know, look, I come from Chicago, I know politics is hard, you know, it’s not for the faint of heart, I understand that,” Obama continued. “But when we end up involved in these constant distractions, these petty, trivial slash-and-burn, back-and-forth, tit-for-tat politics, so that we no longer talk about the things that the American people care about, that may be good for the television ratings, but it’s not good for you.”

“Real change has never been easy. . . . The status quo in Washington will fight. They will fight harder than ever to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November.”

“The same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives by pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy in the hope that the media will play along. The attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences to turn us against each other for pure political gain.”

“I think not just Democrats, but independents and some dissaffected Republicans, are interested not in a bunch of attack politics but in solving problems.”

That is what Barry has said this year. He has already stated that the families are off limits. Will his followers in the Nutroots and the media listen to the guy they back? Or, are they so afraid of a strong woman, something they say they always supported, that they are willing to dig deep in the sleeze to score petty points? Or, do their personal attacks just show they have nothing else? That attacking children and babies is the best they can do?

Maybe the NY Times could listen to Barack

But this clearly stands as a challenge to the traditional image of a potential first family, and could well provide fodder for provocative conversations around kitchen tables or sly references in the late-night television comic-sphere. It will test again what voters deem private, at a time when the Web has pulled down so many curtains, and what in these times is considered a normal family life.

The Times themselves have been part of that provocation and slyness, of pulling down nasty curtains.

For the record, I thought it was a bit disappointing that Bristol became pregnant at such a young age. In today’s society, it can be dangerous to have a child so young without a college education. Neil Boortz has said it time and time again. But, on reflection, I realized that she is not out on her own, but, will have the loving support of her family, the babies father, and, based on the community reaction where she lives, their support as well. The baby will be loved, and should do well in life.

No one is perfect, and teenagers are teenagers. Things happen. Do Democrat voters really want to go there with the sleaze?

Whew! A big kerfuffle in the ’sphere today is over a comment that John McCain made, as pushed by Think Progress - McCain: I ‘Don’t See How It Matters’ That I Don’t Know The Price Of Gas, from the original story at the OC Register

WICKSOL: When was the last time you pumped your own gas and how much did it cost?

MCCAIN: Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t see how it matters.

I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of town hall meetings, many as short a time ago as yesterday. I communicate with the people and they communicate with me very effectively.

And, of course, Think Progress, as well as many other lefties, such as the Huffington Post and Balloon Juice, and even some of those on the right (at least originally), bought in to the line of thinking that McCain is divorced from reality, and has no clue about the cost of gas. (See a ton of links at Memeorandum)

In fact, is it a question, which was coming not from the reporter, but one that was sent in by an OC Register reader. And, does it really matter? Sure, as James Joyner points out, he could have answered better, but, it is exactly the type of question that Obama rarely answers, says is a distraction, and is let off the hook on. Second, see that part about the Secret Service? That is because he was doing the interview over the phone after just getting off a plane, and was waiting for the USSS to get going. So, yup, he was in a bit of a hurry.

I’d like to ask how many people in a lot of states pump their own gas. Quite a few states do not allow you to. And, when was the last time you did it yourself? Me, a couple days ago, but, guess what? Can’t remember exactly which one.

But, there is also another pretty good reason for the answer, given later in the interview

I’ve been on the campaign trail for so long I don’t remember when I last filled up my own gas tank, but I certainly did for many, many, many years and I understand the difficulties and challenges that it poses for the people of California and my home state of Arizona.

Oops. Guess Think Progress forgot that one!

And, as Patterico points out

So, does John McCain know the cost of a gallon of gas in America? Yes, he does. Here’s a news story from June 18:

“The price of a gallon of gas in America stands at more than four dollars. Yesterday, a barrel of oil cost about 134 dollarsm” said McCain.

Again, that McCain quote is from June 18 — six days before the O.C. Register interview that Think Progress uses to claim McCain doesn’t know the price of gas.

He recommends you post the quote in bold at every blog who got it wrong.

“It is a grave and dangerous mistake for an American leader to meet with a terrorist organization like Hamas. Engaged in a campaign that deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians, Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. President Carter is wrong to meet with Hamas, a terrorist group that has also killed innocent Americans.”
~ John McCain

h/t: Conservative Belle

Let’s play “Who Said It?” (via poor-attitude.org archives thru Hot Air)

Q. Is Iraq the last country we confront in the Middle East?

A. Who wants to volunteer to get cross-ways with us? We’ll be there a century, hopefully. If it works right.

What’s your guess?

One of the reasons I feel so strongly that John McCain has the potential to be one of our great Presidents is that he has consistently throughout his career taken stands on principle regardless of the political consequences to himself. He is very different from many politicians in that he appears to be completely unwilling to throw aside his convictions for personal or political gain. He is a man of integrity and character.

He will also stand his ground when all others stand against him. He hasn’t won a lot of friends in the Senate for those stances, but he has won the respect of most. When he is wrong, he owns up to it. When he is right, he won’t bend his principles to the pressure from his peers.

I was looking for something completely different when I ran across this article from a couple of years ago.

December 8, 2006 — WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain yesterday slammed the report by the Iraq Study Group, warning the recommendations would lead the United States to a historic failure and endanger thousands of American troops.

“There’s only one thing worse than an overstressed Army and Marine Corps, and that’s a defeated Army and Marine Corps,” said McCain, a Vietnam POW for five years and a likely GOP candidate for the White House.

“I believe this is a recipe that will lead to our defeat sooner or later in Iraq,” said the Arizona senator, a former Navy fighter pilot whose father and grandfather were both four-star admirals.

The study’s chief authors - former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (R-Ind.) - could only listen as McCain eviscerated their plan at a packed Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

McCain, who favors sending more troops to Iraq to crush the insurgents, ridiculed one of the panel’s key suggestions - that thousands of American troops withdraw and instead “embed” forces within retrained Iraqi units.

He said the idea would “put at risk a large number of American advisers.”

Only a fraction of Iraqi units are now considered reliable.

Hamilton immediately acknowledged that McCain had a point on embedding troops.

“You’re absolutely right about that,” he said. “There is no blinking the fact that that’s a risky mission and a difficult mission, and we should not slide over it, as you have not in your comments,” Hamilton told McCain.

But Hamilton said the United States would have enough combat forces there to protect its embedded troops.

McCain also mocked the commission’s idea of seeking peace talks with terrorist states Iran and Syria, saying, “I don’t believe that a peace conference with people who are dedicated to your extinction has much short-term gain.”

Another thing that has resulted in my enthusiastic support of John McCain for President is that he will unequivocally support our Troops. He will not put them in untenable situations (embedded with Iraqi Troops!) without the proper support needed to minimize American casualties and to ensure American victory.

I believe that John McCain will not settle for anything less than victory in any conflict we have with our enemies foreign and domestic. He obviously has an abiding respect for our Troops and will do whatever is necessary to protect them from becoming political pawns. He obviously loves America and will do whatever is necessary to see that we are not humiliated by defeat in order to further someone’s political career or a political party’s agenda. He obviously understands how incredibly high the stakes are for the United States in the Battle of Iraq. He obviously doesn’t have a problem swimming against the tide to see that we do not leave Iraq until our Troops can leave there victorious and with their heads held high.

A precipitous withdrawal from the Battle of Iraq would have consequences that we can barely even imagine.

Crossposted at Blue Star Chronicles