The Milhous Argument

I happened to be home to watch the first segment of Hardball today. Guest host Mike Barnicle was filling in for Tweety and of course, all the talk was about how BOTH John McCain and Barack Obama were running negative campaigns. EXCUSE ME?! Equating John McCain's "Britney" ad (she's a W. supporter by the way) which he says he's "proud of" to Barack Obama's rebuttal ad correcting the record of the lies told in the McCain ad, and insinuating that they are equally negative is appalling but that argument is for another post.

What I wanted to bring attention to was good ol' reliable Pat Buchanan and his recurring meme that there's nothing wrong with using Obama's middle name "Hussein" in ads or speaking it when referencing Obama, to which everyone on the panel, Michelle Bernard, Bob Shrum and Barnicle just went giddy over. They couldn't stop laughing at Buchanan for comparing Barack Hussein Obama's name to Richard Milhous Nixon.

Hey Pat, it's not what you say but how you say it. Bernard eventually said there's absolutely nothing wrong with the name but it's wrong when you say it in a tone that makes people think they're electing a jihadist to be president. At one point, even Buchanan just starts chortling because I'm sure even he couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth.

When I first watched it I was enraged, but then I looked at it again and just laughed along and shook my head at the ridiculousness of "Statler's" statements. Attempting to call the subject of McCain's attacks "real issues" because that's the only way he can get close to winning is a complete joke. Those Republicans talking point regurgitators will literally say anything and not care how stupid they look when saying it. Same goes for Ron Christie and even Elisabeth Hasselbeck.