Remember when John McCain first went on the attack? Barack Obama landed in Afghanistan on Saturday, July 19, trailed by an entourage that included all three network TV broadcast news anchors. By Tuesday, July 22, everyone was laughing at this YouTube video mocking the media’s infatuation with Obama. The same day, reporters covering the McCain campaign in Pennsylvania received a press pass dubbing them the “JV Squad: Left Behind to Report in America.” Meanwhile, a new McCain TV ad blamed high gas prices on Obama’s opposition to drilling offshore. By Thursday, the McCain campaign had released a series of video clips illustrating Obama’s opposition to the “surge” in Iraq.

Marc Ambinder seems shocked by this:

I do not think the Obama campaign expected this from John McCain, and certainly didn’t expect it to begin while Obama was overseas.

Well, for crying out loud, Obama turned his back on his opponent and went traipsing off around the globe as if he were an incumbent running for re-election. What did he expect Team Maverick to do? Twiddle their thumbs?

Funny thing about basking in the adulation of the masses in Berlin. It sure makes it hard to respond effectively to talk about gas prices in Ohio. Congratulations on the shark jump, Fonzie.