How have the honest fallen

Good news and bad news on the campaign.

The bad news is, for the first time, McCain has pulled ahead of Obama.  Looks like he got a boost from the convention after all.  However, there's plenty of time left and usually the convention boost is temporary.  Obama still has more money, he still opposed the war, and there are still plenty of legimitate criticisms of both McCain and Palin.  And there are the debates.

I do have to admit I'm somewhat worried about the debates.  I'm assuming that the young, good-looking politician will impress people more than the cranky old politician who literally can't smile (half his face froze after a stroke ten years ago).  I'm hoping it'll play out like Nixon and Kennedy (another Obama-Kennedy comparison).  Obama's also taller, and when you see the two of them together on stage it'll be like Lincoln and some little angry troll who's not Lincoln (another Obama-Lincoln comparison).

However, McCain has been in the senate for a long time.  He's used to public discourse.  Obama is very well-spoken, but he doesn't have the same experience with public debate that McCain does.  Sometimes the debates are a surprise; remember Cheney vs. Edwards?  Cheney came off looking like a wise, friendly grandfather and Edwards came off looking like a punk-ass kid.  Edwards was much younger, better looking, and personable, AND he supposedly had more experience in public debate as a very successful trial attorney.  I'm just saying I'm worried there's a chance that McCain might come across looking great, and if he's good enough he might even make Obama look bad.  I'm afraid of a "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" moment.

Now the good news.

Lately a few pundits have been complaining about the fact that while McCain has been launching consistently untrue statements in a (successful) attempt to bring down Obama, the media has largely remained silent.  These pundits say that in previous years, the media was willing to call a candidate on it if he was lying.  But in today's world of moral equivalency, news channels prefer to give both sides "equal time," with no regard for the actual truth.

Looks like that's changing.  The media is starting to wake up to the fact that McCain has been consistently lying in his attacks on Obama.  The good news is this is going to come back and hurt him.  Even Republican strategists are saying it's a bad idea.  The hope, of course, is that McCain can drag Obama down into the mud.  No one does lofty better than Obama, especially not a grizzled old guy who literally can't smile.  But down in the mud, the Republican attack machine can run full gear and McCain has a chance.  Like right now, when he's two electoral points ahead.  But if Obama refuses to sink to McCain's level, and the press starts calling McCain on his dishonesty, then it's only going to backfire.

For months now I think McCain has been running a desparate campaign.  He knows the odds are against him and he's willing to do whatever it takes to win.  The problem is, it's becoming more and more obvious that he's only doing it to win and he long ago gave up whatever he thought was good or right or true.

It's too bad; I really used to respect the guy.