John McCain says he will attack Barack Obama over his association with William Ayers during Wednesday's final presidential debate.
It is hard to believe that it was this easy to provoke him.
Over the last couple of weeks, Obama and Joe Biden have been trying, with no pretense of subtlety, to goad McCain into bringing up Ayers during the debate.
During an interview with Charlie Gibson, Obama said, "Well, I am surprised that, you know, we've been seeing some pretty over-the-top attacks coming out of the McCain campaign over the last several days that he wasn't willing to say it to my face."
And Biden was even more explicit, stopping just short of calling McCain a punk during a campaign appearance in Missouri.
Anybody with an intact brain stem understood that Obama and Biden were daring McCain to bring Ayers up during the debate, that they want him to bring it up.
Anybody that is, except John McCain.
John McCain said Tuesday that Barack Obama is “probably ensured” that his association with 1960s radical William Ayers will come up in Wednesday’s debate.The Ayers attacks against Obama have not served McCain well. Obama has actually seen his favorability ratings increase, and his lead over McCain grow to double digits. If any electoral tactic can be judged to have failed, it is the Ayers attack.
“I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised that I didn’t have the guts” to bring up Ayers, McCain said on KMOX, a St. Louis radio station.
“I think he is probably ensured that it will come up this time.”
But McCain is going to bring Ayers up in the final presidential debate, his last real chance to make a favorable impression on voters, solely to prove that he "has the guts." What is he, in the eighth grade?
Does McCain imagine that Obama will be caught off guard if he brings up Ayers or Jeremiah Wright during the debate? Does he think Obama will not have a response prepared?
Has McCain forgotten what happened the last time he telegraphed a punch at Obama? He got his head knocked off.
Maybe McCain is a masochist, and he genuinely enjoys getting the crap kicked out of him. If I didn't know better, I would believe he is trying to prove beyond all doubt that he lacks the temperament and the judgment to be president.
It is almost embarrassing to watch.
