by Eric Martin
Via John Cole comes this remarkable juxtaposition that the faithless among us will surely chalk up to mere happenstance. First:
While Barack Obama is speaking about international affairs in Germany before thousands of fans tomorrow, John McCain will be talking about a pressing domestic issue with an equally striking if very different backdrop.
Weather permitting, McCain will helicopter from Louisiana to an oil rig in the Gulf Coast to make the case for expanded off-shore drilling, says a McCain aide.
Then, in preparation for McCain’s photo op:
The U.S. Coast Guard has closed 29 miles of the Mississippi River from New Orleans southward after a tanker and a barge collided, spilling more than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into the river.
Tugboats hold up pieces of a barge after it collided with a tanker Wednesday in the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
The river, a major shipping route between the Midwest and Gulf of Mexico, could be closed for days during the cleanup, the Coast Guard said Wednesday.
More than 30 ships already are queued up along the river, waiting to pass through the closed zone, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jaclyn Young said.
The Coast Guard has deployed 45,000 feet of inflatable booms to contain the spill and is lining up another 29,000 feet, but it could be days before the river is reopened, she said.
The accident left a sheen over 90 percent of the area, she said.
McCain’s camp canceled the stop citing weather. That’s plausible enough, given the fact that hurricane Dolly recently swooped in and is battering the region.
But I think that only underlines my point.
They won’t have to close the Mississippi river for a broken solar collector panel or a windmill that blows over.
it appears increasingly evident that god is for obama
um, like your title says – right. good point
The notion that such a landing would in any way measure up as a counterbalance to Obama Abroad is so pathetic.
They probably scrubbed it out of embarrassment.
Just as it was embarrassing that the McCain camp floated the idea earlier in the week about naming the VP choice while Obama was overseas.
Is there any Republican VP choice who could infuse much-needed energy and enthusiasm that McCain needs?
I think he will go with Romney, who seems like a safe and sound pick. But will that choice — or any others – excite voters?
If McCain was seeking only “excitement” with his VP pick, he would have chosen Karl Rove or Dick Cheney by now.
If McCain was seeking only “excitement” with his VP pick, he would have chosen Karl Rove or Dick Cheney by now.
McCain will helicopter from Louisiana to an oil rig in the Gulf Coast to make the case for expanded off-shore drilling,
Were they going to hang a large banner from the derrick saying MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?
Uh, what the late Steve Gilliard said about the Yankees.
Is there any Republican VP choice who could infuse much-needed energy and enthusiasm that McCain needs?
Bobby Jindal has stated publicly that he does not want the job. He probably could have infused “energy” into the McCain campaign, but I’m not sure of “enthusiasm”.
I look at it this way – if there was a candidate who could infuse energy and enthusiasm into McCain’s campaign, that person would have won the primary. Everyone in the GOP was looking for a “good alternative” to McCain through the primary season – someone who could bring in the money AND could unite the various factions to get the primary votes AND could still get the masses of people to turn out and vote in November. They couldn’t find ONE.
I suppose they could find an “up and coming” Republican pol who doesn’t have the experience to run for President but still enthuses the masses. The problem is – that pol doesn’t seem to exist. Jindal was a “Hail Mary” longshot to begin with, since his Catholic background would irritate a chunk of the god-botherers in the party. Most of the “up and coming” GOPers have already outed themselves as corrupt or racist (see George Allen, who would be in McCain’s shoes right now but for a reveal of his true self to the cameras that opened the door to publicize the long needed investigation into his background). Oh, and of course there’s Arnold, who has lost his luster to the GOP base but would bring in the votes if it weren’t for that messy fact that he’s not actually eligible for the job.
Nope they’ve got nothing. My bets are on Romney or on a corporate fool who has zero experience in government but who can try to sell folks on their “experience” in business (and use that as a stand-in for experience with “domestic issues”). In my dreams I’m still hoping for Carly Fiorina, but I’m sure that’s asking too much. (In my nightmares the ticket ends up McCain/Cheney and they win by a single state. Those are scary nightmares…)
Josh:
Agreed.
I think the “up-and-comer” idea is not a good one, though it may be superficially attractive.
If you’re pushing experience then push experience. Pick an elder statesman type who adds to the sense of gravitas you’re trying to project. To pick a whippersnapper is to highlight the age issue and concede it. It suggests that you really don’t think inexperience is such a problem.
He could exorcise the campaign of problems as necessary, though.
Demonic problems, anyway.
“Pick an elder statesman type who adds to the sense of gravitas you’re trying to project.”
Dan Quayle isn’t busy, is he?