McCain's Ads Expose How Desperate the McCain Campaign Really Is

I don't know if everyone saw the most recent John McCain ads for his presidential run, but the latest two are embarrassingly horrible and unbelievably inaccurate. The first is an ad targeted at Obama that says Obama is to blame for the rising gas prices in the United States. The second ad is a nauseating piece of video work set to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" that alleges a love affair between the mainstream media and Barack Obama.

Let's pick apart the gasoline prices one first. To begin with, one of Obama's critics' biggest talking points is that he lacks experience and the know-how to get things done. If Obama lacks all of this experience and ability to accomplish things in Washington, how is he able to make the gas prices reach record highs? Is he manipulating the price of the barrels of oil?

"Pump"


Secondly, McCain decries Obama's lack of wanting to help the average American by refusing to open up drilling in America's oil reserves off-shore. The facts, of course, are not fully explained by the McCain camp. If McCain were to lift offshore drilling prohibitions as president (which Bush has recently done), there is still a federal law banning the type of drilling that McCain wants to do. So unless Congress overturns the law or the Supreme Court decides that the law is unconstitutional, it is really more of a symbolic gesture than anything else.

More on the oil drilling: Americans are drunk on gasoline. No other country has as many flagrantly large SUVs and gas-guzzling luxury cars as this one. We are addicted to foreign oil; that much is not debatable. Let me make a parallel here. If your friend were a drunk and you had two choices to help him, either give him more booze and allow him to continue the way that he is or cut him off from booze, help him through the shakes and recovery and allow him to lead a better life, which would you pick? Drilling into our oil reserves is giving Americans more of what they're addicted to. Making Americans deal with the gas prices the way they are, which will be tough at first, will force this country to adapt to the ways things have changed and will lead to more independence from foreign oil and a more sustainable economy. This is rock bottom, and you can thank the Bush Administration for acting as the pusher.

"Obama Love"


Now onto the second ad. Looking beyond the absurd immaturity of the video and McCain's former musical numbers (Bomb Iran, anyone?), the video itself is made up of piecemeal clips with 10 second sound bytes with absolutely no context. John McCain may be trying to point out bias in the media, but he is using mainstream media tactics to do it. Fast-paced, out of context, small sound bytes are what's wrong with the media today, and the irony of all of this is lost on McCain.

Additionally, McCain has complained that Obama is getting more coverage as he tours the Middle East. Be careful what you wish for, John, as your camp is one of the main proponents of "Barack has no foreign affairs experience and does not understand Iraq." Is it only natural for the media to report intensively on what you have painted as Obama's main weak point? If Barack had gone over there and made gaffe after gaffe and the media skewered him, would you complain that the media was reporting on him? My guess is no. But Obama went over there and had a seamless trip and the media reported on this, and that pissed you off.

If McCain really wants more campaign coverage, he should be ready for all of those skeletons to come out of the closet. We had enough of Reverend Wright and Trinity Church to last us for a long time. How about some Keating Five and alleged cover ups about swindling charities to feed drug addictions? I doubt McCain would want those things splashed across the front page.

It's been a long time since people have been this excited about a presidential candidate (Gore and Kerry weren't exactly "Jump out of your seat and cheer" people and Bush is/was/will be a disaster). McCain has little public personality and a serious temper on top of that. Obama is just an exciting person and has energized a previously apathetic youth of the country. McCain seems to be angry that these kids are on his lawn. But seriously, good job making a substantive advertisement about the issues and the precarious position our nation is in. If you continue to spend money on garbage ads like these, your wife is gonna go broke between the InBev deal and financing ridiculous campaign ad spots. Peace.

Photos - John McCain (en.wikipedia.org), Barack Obama (news.bbc.co.uk)