Countdown Campaign Comment: On Rank Hypocrisy and Rashid Khalidi
By Nicole Belle Friday Oct 31, 2008 1:45pm
What's that old saying? When you point a finger at someone, you have four fingers pointing back at yourself. Well, just like every other smear that the McCain campaign has desperately flung at the Obama campaign, the reality of this new "palling around with anti-Israel types like Rashid Khalidi" looks bad...bad for McCain.
Senator, Senator, Senator...Morals aside, this is the classic problem of guilt by association:
Obama and Ayers gave Khalidi's organizations 80-thousand dollars. McCain gave Khalidi's organizations 448 thousand dollars.
Obama and Ayers. Obama and Ayers. Obama and Ayers... and McCain.
Obama and Ayers and McCain. Ayers and McCain.
Ayers and McCain!
So now, not only is Rashid Khalidi your problem, not Obama's. But now you're connected to Bill Ayers. The only difference is who gave this nebulously nefarious guy with the Arabic name more money, you or Ayers?
Golly, Senator, that'd be you... by a figure of at least 5-1.
Which is also the ratio of your campaign's sleaze bombs that blow up in your own face.
Full transcripts below the fold
Finally as promised, tonight's Campaign Comment and Rashid Khalidi.
And it is one thing -- one stupid, cataclysmic thing -- to try to slime your opponent because of his relationship with some guy, only to then find out that your own candidate has a stronger relationship with that guy.
But this graduates to the level of fatal political malpractice when the ultimate result of your effort to slime your opponent, is to in fact draw a parallel between your candidate, and William Ayers.
The huffing, puffing, panicky McCain noise machine has really done it this time.
John McCain, and William Ayers, both gave money to this man Rashid Khalidi.
Senator McCain, you may want to get a pad and pencil here and write all this down.
I'm actually going to agree with William Kristol, when he wrote in the New York Times, that you should fire your entire campaign staff.
In three short steps, while trying to link Senator Obama to Rashid Khalidi... they have instead linked you to Rashid Khalidi...and Bill Ayers.
Watch, Senator...
Step One: get the running mate who thinks she's smarter than everybody else to throw out the first pitch.
VIDEO, SARAH PALIN: It seems that there was yet another radical professor from the neighborhood who spent a lot of time with Barack Obama, going back several years. This is important, because this associate, Rashid Khalidi, he, in addition to being a political ally of Barack Obama, he's a former spokesperson for the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Now Senator, if you're seeing that clip for the first time, take a minute to clean up whatever you were drinking, and whatever you hit with your spit-take.
As you remember, Senator McCain, Rashid Khalidi's also the guy you gave 448-thousand-873 dollars to, ten years ago.
When you were Chairman of the International Republican Institute, and Khalidi wanted grant money to spend in the West Bank, for his Center for Palestine Research and Studies.
As you know, Senator, 448-thousand dollars goes a lot further than friendship.
You gotta tell Governor Palin stuff like this, Senator.
Unless, of course, she already knew, and said it anyway -- which means that those stories about how she's stabbin' you in the back are just scratchin' the mavericky surface.
But to continue this long, dismal tide of self-destruction, Senator...
That was Step One.
Step Two... get the drumbeat rolling with the most over-rated strategist in the history of American politics, Karl Rove, on the echo chamber of choice, Fixed News.
VIDEO KARL ROVE: What bothers me about this is where was the McCain opposition research when this article came out last April that talked about Obama's presence at the dinner for Khalidi and mentioned in the story the tape. This would be a lot better if this drumbeat had been started last spring.
Senator, put the bottle down.
You may know all-too-well, and I may just be guessing, that Rashid Khalidi had to have come up last spring, but what used to be the cooler heads in your campaign said: ick-snay on the alidi-kay.
Because your campaign had to have known that you mainline directly back to him -- and not just the 448-thousand dollar grant in 1998... but another series of other grants from your group to Khalidi's group in 1993... you'd know how much those were for; we haven't found out.
Yet.
But, the smart folks are all gone now.
All you got left are Sarah Palin and Karl Rove... and Rudy Giuliani.
Steps One and Two having been completed....
He was Step Three.
I know! Let's ask Rudy! He'll try anything.
Honestly, Senator, I know you like this man, but, frankly, if he's talking about anything west of Hoboken, New Jersey, or anything more complicated than how to speed cross-town traffic, he's lost.
The problem is, when Rudy Giuliani starts talking Rashid Khalidi, not only is Rudy going down, but he's taking you with him.
VIDEO RUDY GIULIANI: What I do know is that Khalidi has made Israel... he has a connection with the PLO... I believe Khalidi's wife was the translator... he has a very hostile view to the state of Israel ...and he was giving a party and Senator Obama said laudatory things about him... and Senator Obama and Ayers, sitting on the Woods board, gave something like $70,000 or $80,000 to Khalidi's organizations
Senator, Senator, Senator...
Morals aside, this is the classic problem of guilt by association:
Obama and Ayers gave Khalidi's organizations 80-thousand dollars.
McCain gave Khalidi's organizations 448 thousand dollars.
Obama and Ayers.
Obama and Ayers.
Obama and Ayers... and McCain.
Obama and Ayers and McCain.
Ayers and McCain.
Ayers and McCain!
So now, not only is Rashid Khalidi your problem, not Obama's.
But now you're connected to Bill Ayers.
The only difference is who gave this nebulously nefarious guy with the Arabic name more money, you or Ayers?
Golly, Senator, that'd be you... by a figure of at least 5-1.
Which is also the ratio of your campaign's sleaze bombs that blow up in your own face.
Retire them, Senator, and this Clown College you have, before they quote "advise you" un-quote into trying to link Obama to the Keating Five or something.
Because if you lose on Tuesday, Senator, you're going to have a long time to think about not only why you sold your soul, but why you sold it to these chowderheads.
And if you win on Tuesday, you're going to go into office with more blowback sleaze on you than any president in our history.
And the White House is no place for a brain trust, consisting of very few brains, and nobody worth trusting.
Hey -- I got an idea, Senator -- maybe you should turn to a guy who evidently thinks like you, at least on funding Palestinian think-tanks.
Maybe you could get some late help... from William Ayers.
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You didn't mention the fact that Rashid Khalidi doesn't even deserve the smears. He's a respected scholar, for crissakes.
http://www.juancole.com/2008/10/mccain-racism...
The right pointing crosshairs at scholars must stop.
Right wingers despise intellectuals and academia- the fact Khalidi is a scholar intensifies the anger of the right,...
Hey, Keith can only fit so much in a Campaign Comment. I agree with you for what it's worth -- the Republicans are still scoring a field goal in that perfectly innocent academics are getting smeared, especially in totally nonsensical ways. An Arab man? Anti-Semitic? Do Republicans even know what "anti-Semitic" means?!
Anyway, Keith does a pretty good job of getting at the root of the problem as far as the electorate is concerned -- McCain and Palin are spouting nonsense and it's best to just disregard it for the hypocritical slander that it is. We can deal with this ridiculous surge of anti-intellectualism after we goalie the White House from these crooks.
Until this whole stink about him I didn't even know who he was. Looked him up, sounds interesting, so I ordered his book. Probably not what the right wing wanted when they brought him up.
this is a campaign run by wingnut bloggers and talkers...the same type of campaign worked in 2004, because the media didnt do its job
but now, the progressive blogosphere has come of age
now waiting for the msm to do its job, its been bloggers who have fought the smear campaign
yes, khalidi is a repected scholar...so respected, mccain's org sent him almost 500k
i love watching a campaign with no rudder run aground
btw, when is el druggo and loofa boy gonna scream about how the black has taken over the economist?
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/d...
But when McCain gives money to "terrorists", they automatically stop being terrorists!
He becomes a brilliant and respected scholar!
Until the nefarious Barack Obama has dealings with the "scholar," at which point the "scholar" becomes a raging, evil TURRIST!
Librills always have to have these things explained to them.
Gad! I'm making myself sick...
A true patriot and comrade, Studs Terkel, has died.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-...
Thanks for your contributions, Studs. The world is a better place because of you!
When does the C&L tribute go up?
This!
needs to switch to colour. ;)
You may try something for that. Like, a beer?
I believe that McCain now wishes that his handlers had not introduced Kahlidi because his own ties to him are now known - McCain funded the man he's calling names...WTF?
Sometimes I believe that what we're seeing is true senile dementia at it's finest with McCain. Clearly, he doesn't think things through - and maybe he can't. I think this man's mental condition is dangerous to this country.
He's clueless about having any strategy and, if his mishandling of his campaign is indicative of anything, it's indicative that this man is "unfit to serve" and "unable to manage" something as complex as this country.
Maybe so, maybe so; but consider his ranking at the Naval Academy, his crashed aircraft and all the rest of his gaffe-filled life.
I think that it has become glaringly obvious that Johnny Clueless just ain't too bright.
He is the stupid and privileged son and grandson of admirals.
Neither is Sarah the Diva.
It is as though the dumbest jock and ditziest cheerleader in the high school are running for the principal's position.
and did you see McCain telling Larry King that he came from humble beginnings. Honestly, it is to laugh.
Liar, liar, McCrankypants on fire.
"It is as though the dumbest jock and ditziest cheerleader in the high school are running for the principal's position."
That Mick Piobr, you nailed it.
How is it that Fox News can still be on the air? How come that they are able to spew hate and lies and get away with it? Isn't there some FCC rules against spreading disinformation?
Repubs are such buffoons. Keith nails it once again!
......back at the ranch, Obama is giving his "list of priorities" speech on the circuit now.and what are McCain and Palin doing?
Being just as consistent in their character assassination. It's not what Americans need or want to hear from them but it's all they have, gosh darn.
I think, being transparent like this shows onions, onions that the war hero doesn't have.
I can readily see why MSNBC has become the new evening "must watches" for an increasing number of americans: It's Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow!
These two honest individuals are not afraid of speaking power to truth and they do so every night.
These two "mavericks" make the "faux mavericks/shills" look like amateurs.
OT but interesting:
I BELIEVE WE NOW SEE PRECISELY WHY MC CAIN CAMPAIGN HAD A MUZZLE ON SARAH PALIN! CHECK IT OUT - EVERY TIME SHE OPENS HER MOUTH, SHE SHOWS US HOW STUPID SHE IS! AMAZING DOOFUS SHE IS.
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2008/10/31/open-...
when there's nothing but high winds howling inside her brain.
Gah!
Poor media infringing on Palin's 1st Amendment rights.
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/talking...
What a fucking idiot. That this woman could possibly make it to high office has to be one of the most tragic possibilities in America.
Abbada abbada say what?
Oh fer cryin' out loud, this woman is as smart as a sack fulla hair.
REPUBLICANS talking about their Constitutional rights being violated?
They not only don't get it - they've been wiping their collective asses on that great document for the last eight years!~
In other news, the descendants of Waffen SS troops killed in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1944 are filing wrongful death suits at the Hague.
/snark
Too scary.
Speaking of which, I have some tricksters at my door right now. The witching hour has begun.
Back soon.
Oh, I can't wait until this election is over. My head is about ready to explode.
that Khalidi is considered to be both a highly respected Muslim scholar and a moderate? Why doesn't the truth matter to these wingnuts? Is it blindness or just sheer stupidity?
....the difference in a Canadian election, they'd understand just sickening this US election really is.
I've ben around a long time and the closest thing to racism we see her is when English Canada will take on aspects of French Canada but even that is not a slimy, personal thing.
This election will change how US elections go in the future and unfortunately, the seal is broken and it will be worse. Why? Because of the acceptance level of the general populace. You have allowed these two campaigns to get away with the racial slurs, allegations, lies, deceit and overall pathetic candidate ignorance. Palin is an embarassement, McCain has been a totally desperate, egomaniac, driven without principle candidate. A true example of someone who sells their soul to Satin and it's a pitiful ending but probably a long time coming for such a dubious career and life, simply as a human being.
I wonder if John McCain's campaign is going to try and smear Obama by linking him to John McCain?
...........
Well, Obama has shared the stage with him, multiple times, recently.
That was awesome!
QUICK! Post the pics of McSame 'Shaking his hand !"..before he argues that he 'did share the stage with him, BUT in one event he didnt look at him'..so 'the Dregs report' should highlight that defense, plus there is plenty of evidence that McSame does NOT..repeat 'not' tend to show even the most common courtesy to Sen. Obama on a very high percentage of opportunities to do so, battin' close to a thou'.' So McPOW has an incredible defense against having any similarity to "..that one".
I offered a thought last night about the 2 visions I had, one being the Obama family seen strolling on the white house lawn or seated in prep for a family photo and the second being, the Palin crew,doing the same but also highlighting, just how dysfunctional they all are.
On Firedog lake, I see they have posted a really nice family photo of the Obama's...exactly what I had in mind.
Now, picture the Palins...and don't forget the druggie militia man.
I love it. The slimers managed to slime themselves. Sort of like Halowe'eners pushing over an outhouse and falling in the hole.
What's up with attacking Rashid Khalidi anyway? He is an American born scholar, that just happens to be critical of Israel. Me thinks Lieberman's fingerprints are all over this one. Too bad Joe is not up for election this time around; he could get flushed along with his fellow Republican turds.
Just in case anyone is interested... this is the site of this laughable Amateur Right Wing Pundit:
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/10/joe...
His comment are pretty funny. I've never seen so many idiot Rush-sucking opinions in one place.
Or should Obama stick with running a positive campaign, and steer clear of negativity?
Mr. Servo, I choose option 2 for 200 please.
Does anyonne really expect right wingers to read the information and sift the lies from the truth?
As long as FOX news says Obama is a terrorist, that's all the proof they'll need
that they saved this until the very end because if they brought it up during the spring there would be plenty of time to refute it but now there are only four days?
4 days is an eternity this time around.
They won't get away with anything. The tv station here at the north end of the continent has all the poop already and they're owned by conservatives.
Obama 08
Did you notice in the clip of Sarah Palin mentioning Rashid Khalidi's name how the crowd was booing? So many of her supporters are pure racists through and through. It'd be funny to reveal to them that he's actually an American citizen.
I don't know much about the PLO, but I know it was a secular resistance organization, not an "islamo fascist" (meaningless term) organization like Hamas.
I'm going to check out juancole.com for more information on Khalidi.
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