America Knows B.O.

Today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Senator McCain plans to go hard after what McCain calls Obama's "touchiness" when it comes to his record. In some ways, this is the inverse of Karl Rove's political theory--attack your opponent's strength--as McCain is essentially attacking Obama for perceived flaws that McCain has, not ones Obama has.

Voters know that Barack Obama has been running for President for over one year now. They have had constant, successive opportunities to witness him in various venues. Not once, not in any clear instance in public, has Senator Obama appeared annoyed or sarcastic or even "touchy."

The extremely touchy guy running for the White House is John McCain. Lately, McCain cannot be questioned about anything at all, and everyone knows this. Just ask the Des Moines Register Editorial Board. Or just watch McCain debate. He can't even look at Obama.

Here is a key graph from McCain's prepared remarks today:

My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults.

The true problem with this, is that it might have worked, oh one year ago. It might have worked if Obama was a totally new force on the political scene.

But Obama is not new. He's the opposite of new. Obama has been wandering around the United States for many months now. He's been everywhere. Answering questions, giving speeches, explaining himself. Didn't McCain even complain about this? How Obama was a "celebrity" figure in the world?

The other aspect of this is that Obama reacts with umbrage when questioned. Again, this is McCain and his snarly sidekick Palin. Not Obama.

The unspoken reality is just bad news for the Republicans: John McCain knows who Obama is but he does not like what he sees. However, a growing number of Americans now know who Obama is and they do like what they see.

So, essentially, we have a losing candidate with a well documented, nasty temper standing up in a crowd and screaming: "But you don't even know this guy!"

Again, this strategy might have worked earlier in the campaign. But another factor suggesting this strategy would have never worked for McCain is that, well, we don't really know McCain. And the more we do find out, the less appealing he becomes.

McCain ran for his party's nomination without having to reveal much about himself beyond an old narrative. "Vote for me-- I was a P.O.W. and am a Maverick." The GOP looked at Mitt Romney and Huckabee and Fred Thompson and thought... well... we better go with the war hero.

But besides the well worn heroics of the distant past--does John McCain have any significant legislative accomplishments after 26 years in Congress? (And you can't count campaign finance, because McCain now breaks the very finance laws he created.) What are the issues McCain is passionate about? What are his new policy ideas? Who the heck is John McCain?

But the most thrilling height of the hypocrisy of this approach arises when Winky Palin swings it around. Who the heck is this lady? She won't give serious interviews or answer questions from non-screened voters. Does she have a single non-energy issue she cares about? Who knows.

McCain can push this fear-based approach as hard as he wants. But it's a total concrete wall in terms of political strategy. It just reinforces the image people now have about John McCain, that he is erratic, angry and out of touch.

In fact, John McCain is so out of touch, he doesn't seem to know that this Obama guy, well, he's been running for the White House gig for quite a while now. And now America knows.