McCain questions Obama's readiness in a crisis

Wednesday 22nd October, 09:07 AM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Latest 15 of 78 Total Comments Show All

Wolfpack at 07:02 AM JST - 23rd October

It's hillarious that the title of this article states, 'McCain questions Obama's readiness in a crisis'. His own VP questioned Obama's readiness - not McCain. Typical of the media these days...
bushlover at 07:58 AM JST - 23rd October

I can't wait for the US election to be over so all those pumped up on JT can either cry foul or gloat in victory. I can't wait to laugh at all the excuses that will follow no matter what the outcome.
Betzee at 10:00 AM JST - 23rd October

He also questions whether the Illinois Democrat has the character to stand up to his own party and to stick with his core philosophical views.

It's a good question and when applied to McCain it's obvious he failed miserably on that score. He didn't even support his own immigration reform legislation (which bore his name) when it came up for a vote owing to the Republican base's opposition. He similarly backed away from his opposition to torture.

The problem is his campaign has opted for tactical victories, such as taking down Obama a peg by comparing him to a celebrity, and failed to create a grand narrative as to why we should elect John McCain. In this regard veteran film director Barry Levinson observed:

[M]y suspicion is, no Hollywood producer is involved in the McCain presidential run. I say this for a simple reason, it's badly orchestrated, lacks a narrative, and when they come across a good story idea they bungle it. An example: When McCain left the campaign trail to return to Washington to help solve the financial crisis it blew up in his face. It made him seem erratic, ineffectual, and worse of all, not true to his words. There's an old Hollywood axiom that says, "Don't put the leading man in a scene that makes him look bad."
coulrophobic at 10:47 AM JST - 23rd October

Biden is now less accessible to the media (and Joe the Plumber types) than Palin ever has been.

Odd for a ticket that supposedly has it wrapped up.
Altria at 10:52 AM JST - 23rd October

Biden is now less accessible to the media (and Joe the Plumber types) than Palin ever has been.

He's just biden' his time...
Sarge at 11:33 AM JST - 23rd October

The latest AP poll has Obama leading McCain by just ONE point, 44% to 43%. How can this be???? Is AP asking only Republican warmongers?
Lieutenant at 11:37 AM JST - 23rd October

The latest AP poll has Obama leading McCain by just ONE point, 44% to 43%. How can this be???? Is AP asking only Republican warmongers?

Live the dream Sarge. There's always the end-of-year jumbo just around the corner too.
SezWho2 at 11:57 AM JST - 23rd October

Wolfpack,

I think you have a misleading statement going there. I think you mean to say that when he was not Obama's VP pick, Biden questioned Obama's readiness. I don't think you can show any instance in which Biden has done so as Obama's VP choice.

I believe that the record shows that Biden questioned Obama's qualifications at a time when many of the Democratic candidates were doing so. Hillary did as well, I believe. That's an obvious play against someone who is relatively new to national government.

The trouble is that the Democrats pretty much wore that issue out. Obama prevailed. The baseless charge didn't stick then and it's not going to stick now.
coulrophobic at 12:31 PM JST - 23rd October

"The trouble is that the Democrats pretty much wore that issue out. Obama prevailed. The baseless charge didn't stick then and it's not going to stick now."

After Jan 21 it will be all too apparent that Obama lacks qualifications to be president and C in C. Even VP Biden concedes as much.
Betzee at 01:05 PM JST - 23rd October

After Jan 21 it will be all too apparent that Obama lacks qualifications to be president and C in C.

Given you predicted McCain would be 20 points ahead by the end of September I'm not sure what your predictions are worth. But I will concede I had my doubts when McCain selected Palin and pulled 10 points ahead in a post-convention bounce that offered the prospect of momentum. Who can forget how obnoxious McCain supporters were on this site and how Obama backers everywhere felt all might be lost if he didn't hit back hard in the wake of "the celebrity" commercial? But he never did.

Perhaps he knew the McCain strategy was about dominating the news cycle and using that to coast to victory. The Palin pick and then his abrupt annoucement he was returning to Washington for the bail-out crisis were gambits intended to accomplish this.

Obama's unflappable nature in the face of unforeseen events may indeed serve him well as president. It reflects a refusal to be stampeded by breathless commentary and the advice of pundits to live only in the media moment.
Helter_Skelter at 02:37 PM JST - 23rd October

Obama's unflappable nature

I wish he were as unflappable on the issues.
coulrophobic at 02:57 PM JST - 23rd October

"Given you predicted McCain would be 20 points ahead by the end of September I'm not sure what your predictions are worth."

I don't recall predicting McCain would be up by 20. I don't put much faith in polls.

"Obama's unflappable nature in the face of unforeseen events may indeed serve him well as president."

We know too little of Obama to describe him as "unflappable".

Better you go with something like 'Obama's handlers were able to reframe their candidate's indifference to the economic meltdown as poise' or 'Senator Obama calculated that if he could conceal his glee over the F Mae and F Mac debacle he knew he would win from the openly partisan press unmerited praise like being called "unflappable." '
Sarge at 11:23 PM JST - 23rd October

Obama: We must be clear about who John McCain's fighting for. He's not fighting for Joe the Plumber. He's fighting for Joe the Hedge Fund Manager."

The opposite of that would be true.
Good_Jorb at 11:32 PM JST - 23rd October

The opposite of that would be true.

Half of it would be true, both Obama and McCain signed off on the world's biggest welfare cheque. Either Obama or McCain will have to continue on with Bush's nationalizing of the banks and the bailing out of Joe the Hedge Fund manager.
SezWho2 at 07:40 AM JST - 24th October

coulrophobic,

After Jan 21 it will be all too apparent that Obama lacks qualifications to be president and C in C. Even VP Biden concedes as much.

Setting aside that a prediction is not a rebuttal, where does Biden "concede" that Obama lacks qualifications? Have a little respect for facts. Don't just make stuff up.