This week, John McCain tacitly conceded his campaign’s shortcomings as they relate to research. It was, after all, the excuse they used when McCain cozied up to radical TV preacher John Hagee and Rod Parsley. We pursued them for a year, the campaign said, but we didn’t know anything about them.
So, while talking about his search for a running mate, McCain said the other day, “We’re going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya — well, basically, it’s a Google. You just, you know, what you can find out now on the Internet. It’s remarkable, you know.”
The remarks, of course, suggested McCain didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but he at least seemed to appreciate the value in looking into those McCain chooses to associate with.
It’s remarkable, then, that the McCain campaign could be this inept.
ABC’s Rick Klein reports: Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during an unsuccessful 1990 campaign for governor.
Clayton Williams stirred controversy during his 1990 campaign for governor of Texas with a botched attempt at humor in which he compared rape to weather. Within earshot of a reporter, Williams said: “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” […]
McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said the Monday event was being cancelled, given the offensive comments. He said he could not yet say what McCain would do with donations brought into the campaign by Williams.
That’s no small sum, either. ABC News’ report added that Williams recently boasted of already having raised more than $300,000 for McCain.
First, it seems pretty obvious that McCain should give back the money Williams raised for him, or better yet, donate it to a charity that combats and responds to rape in society.
Second, McCain did the right thing by cancelling, but note that the campaign only backpedalled after ABC called. McCain was otherwise more than willing to hang out with this misogynistic right-wing clown and take his money.
Which leads us to the broader point: this campaign sure is incompetent.
One of two points is true: either McCain’s campaign knew about Clayton Williams’ background and didn’t care, or the campaign never bothered to check. I have no idea which is the right one, but neither is encouraging.
This keeps happening to these guys. McCain campaigns with Hagee, and his team says they never checked him out. He campaigns with Parsley, and his team says they never checked him out. He hires lobbyists to run his entire campaign operation, and then has to fire a big chunk of his team because his aides never checked them out.
We are, in other words, talking about a presidential campaign that is completely lacking in a sense of right and wrong, or a campaign that is hopelessly incompetent, making the same mistake over and over again.
I’ve seen candidates for state legislature with more sophistication. Is this what we can expect from a McCain White House?
To be fair, Williams isn’t a part of McCain’s inner-circle, he’s just some right-wing fat-cat hosting a fundraiser for a candidate. But let’s not forget, as far as McCain is concerned, those who host fundraisers for a candidate are necessarily “associates” of the candidate. And, as far as McCain is concerned, if you “associate” with unsavory characters, it’s incumbent on a candidate to “apologize” publicly.
Senator, we’re waiting.