McCain campaign whining: It sure sounds like a death rattle

Looking presidential

Barack Obama cruises along on his international rock star tour, having been through Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. Today, he appears in Berlin to speak before a throng of, if not adoring, at least positively-inclined Germans. (And, who can blame the Germans, or anyone else for that matter, for their enthusiasm? Especially given the contrast between Obama and Junior?)

According to all the media punditry here in the United States, the trip has been a smashing success. Obama has succeeded in appearing "presidential" and was warmly greeted by American service personnel and State Department employees while he was in the war zones.

"It's not fair! I deserve to be the Prez."

Meanwhile, John McCain's campaign has been whining about all the media attention Obama has been getting. And the sniping has been nasty. There was the preposterous claim by a McCain surrogate that Obama lacked consistency in his opposition to genocide. And then, there was mad Johnny himself, saying "It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." Good grief!

(Don't get me wrong: from my (progressive) perspective, Obama leaves a lot to be desired as a presidential candidate. But he's in the enviable position of having a potential predecessor who set the bar so low that a trained monkey could do no worse.)

Overall, the McCain gang conveys a certain shrillness of tone that hints at desperation. We could be looking at a blowout, and they seem to know it.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again: after the fiasco of the 2004 presidential election it would be foolhardy to underestimate the stupidity of the voting public.

Still, hope springs eternal. It just might be that people are finally awake, that they are no longer susceptible to Republican lies and hatred.

Judging from the way McCain and company are whining, it sure seems like they think so.