Can Dems ever win the White House this way?

How serious are the Democrats about beating these two?

Some Democratic-leaning talk show host in North Dakota that most people in the country have never heard of calls the great Maverick McCain, the most glorious of our living saints except for our Savior-General Petraeus, a "warmonger". Republicans demand that Barack Obama denounce the statement. The Obama campaign meekly obliges and puts out a statement saying:

John McCain is not a warmonger and should not be described as such. He's a supporter of a war that Senator Obama believes should have never been authorized and never been waged. (McCain on the 'warmonger' remark by Adam Aigner-Treworgy and Mark Murray MSNBC 04/05/08)

Can the Democrats win the White House this way? Count me among the very worried.

And, of course, the plain truth that the Democrats have to keep in front of the voters from now until the fall election - if they're serious about winning the Presidency this time - is that the bold Maverick, especially when it comes to the Iraq War, certainly is a warmonger.

If the Democrats are afraid to say that, and even so timid that that rush to apologize for something neither Obama nor his campaign even said, how can they win this thing? Good grief, Rush Limbaugh and Mad Annie Coulter spew far worse things that that on a regular basis, and those two are far more identified with the Republican Party in the public mind than Some Guy in North Dakota that most people have never heard of. Why isn't the Straight Talker denouncing every fool, bigoted and dishonest thing Rush and Mad Annie say?

Because the Republicans intend to win the election in November, that's why. And they know they can scare Democrats into apologizing for mild things obscure Democrats without an official position say, while Rush can do "spade" routines about Obama and Mad Annie can call for poisoning a Supreme Court Justice and neither the Democrats nor our pitiful excuse for a press corps will bemand that St. 100-Year-War McCain "distance himself" from their bigotry.

See also: If The Shoe Fits by Digby, Hullabaloo blog 04/05/08; McCain Called a ‘Warmonger’ at Obama Appearance by Larry Rohter New York Times Caucus blog 04/05/08.

Tags: barack obama, democrats, mccain