The American Spectator

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(Page 5 of 15)

br> Tomahawk, Wisconsin /p> p> Why is it we, meaning all of us, think this is a tragedy? Is it because it might cost us an election? Let's focus on the baby, the mother, the father and not the future grandmother. There is no place in politics for this discussion. Does anyone think the future grandmother wanted or condones this? I say NO. Let those who wish to use this rant on but believe me they will end up in the minority. I admire the whole family for doing the right thing and if there are those who would do other wise I say shame, shame, shame. br> -- Richard E. Ledford, Sr. /p>

Here's another perspective on Robert Stacy McCain's opinion that the McCain campaign mishandled the story.

Let's consider the alternative. The campaign announces Palin as the VP nominee and then apologetically (how else to put it?) also discloses her daughter is pregnant. The result is the same. The press behaves as expected and the rabid left-wing partisans light up their torches and remove the rust from their pitch forks.

Let's take a look at how Sarah Palin was rolled out. The partisans and pitch forks came out as they would have in any other scenario. The Daily Kossacks (the public associates them with the Democrats) run wild with incredibly vile blogs and the MSM couldn't resist but "report" on it with commenting that basically amounted to saying a woman's place is in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. The speculation hits a fever pitch that Trig is not her baby. Then after that played out for a day or two the daughter's pregnancy is announced to discredit the "smears" (this year's word thanks to the Obama campaign). This forced an embarrassed Obama to reveal that his mother had him at 18 (that would make his mother how old at conception?). If he didn't do that it would only be a matter of time (a day?) before McCain's campaign framed that disclosure. Obama might have had more time to react before too much venom was wasted if it was handled any other way.

My first impulse was to liken this event to taking on al-Qaeda in Iraq by drawing them to us instead of the other way around. Although al-Qaeda took the bait they didn't get reeled in right away because the public (Iraq and the MSM) was sympathetic to the terrorists.

No, this is more like a rope-a-dope. You're watching the fight and you see Ali getting pounded. You've seen this before and you're waiting. The spectators are behind the guy getting pounded. They're waiting until the guy doing the pounding gets tired or puts on a rapid display of all his tricks and Ali gets tired of him. And then BAM! Down goes the opposition. But this time the MSM and their rabid relatives will punch themselves out and will take themselves down. It has pretty much already happened. No doubt they'll come to and live to fight another fight. No doubt the same thing will happen no matter the subject or controversy.

p>This is twice in less than a week now that the McCain campaign has bested the MSM at their own game. First they played them by stoking the VP pick possibilities for over a week and then when it reached a fever pitch out came Sarah Palin right after the Denver convention. As an encore they then handle the pregnancy story after the Palin pick attacks have been thoroughly commented on. I think the McCain campaign knows what they're doing and they demonstrated that in August. br> -- Diamon Sforza br> Bartlett, Illinois

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