Monday, August 25, 2008

Obama's Misfire   [Peter Wehner]

I want to echo what Yuval says, as well as Jennifer Rubin over at Contentions. Senator Obama’s new ad, trying to explain his association with the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers, may rank as among the worst tactical mistakes of the campaign. It puts into play an issue that has been largely ignored by the MSM. It will drive at least some responsible members of the press to cover the truth about Obama’s association with Ayers, which is certainly enough to seriously harm Obama. And it once again raises the problem of Obama’s other troubling associations over the years, including (but not exclusive to) the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

For weeks it has been clear that Obama is, for the first time in his national political career, on the defensive. He and his campaign look increasingly rattled. They seem unsure what strategy to pursue and what the new rationale for an Obama presidency ought to be. They seem to be shifting back and forth, from trying to recapture the old magic, now long gone, to using a two-by-four against Senator McCain. And now they have made what strikes me as a major misstep. Many people who never knew who Bill Ayers is, what he has done, and what Obama’s relationship with him has been, are about to find out. And for a presidential candidate who is still a mystery to many people, and about whom they persistent and growing questions, it cannot be a good thing to be linked to Ayers.

The Obama campaign, which was running an almost flawless campaign for months, had begun to crack under the pressure of a presidential campaign. That pressure has now created a break. It is one I suspect they will come to regret.

08/25 06:44 PMShare