McCain grasping at straws to turn around bad poll numbers

Desperate to reverse his plunging poll numbers, today John McCain acted like a man who was - well - desperate. During a campaign stop in Ohio with running mate Sarah Palin, McCain lashed out against Barack Obama saying the race comes down to a simple question: "Country first or Obama first?"

Actually, it's more like "McCain first". McCain has done everything humanly possible to pander to voters - from choosing a neophyte for his running mate to threatening to cancel the debate so he could pretend he was solving the bailout dilemma.

During McCain's tirade today, he said Obama "will deepen our recession." Considering McCain voted with Bush 98% of the time this year and 90% the rest of the time, I'd place my bet that McCain's policies would deepen the recession. You can't erase your record of the last eight years just because you don't like how it turned out. The old "tax and spend" accusation the Republicans have hurled at Democrats for decades isn't going to work this time -- because it's the Republicans who have presided over the largest deficit and largest increase in the size of government in our country's history.

McCain also stressed his own record of opposing Republicans on key issues, and said, "When it comes time to reach across the aisle and work with members of both parties to get things done for the American people — my opponent can't name a single occasion in which he fought against his party's leadership to get something done for the country. That is not putting the interests of the country first."

The point McCain seems to be missing here is Obama didn't have to fight against his own party because they weren't the ones proposing tax cuts for the wealthiest, deregulating the financial industry, lowering environmental standards and embarking on an illegal war - just to name a few.

During today's rally in Ohio, McCain had Palin safely by his side, so she couldn't make any more disastrous comments to the media. Palin said she is looking forward to this Thursday's debate with Sen. Joe Biden, adding "I've been hearing his speeches since I was in the second grade." If that's supposed to be a dig against the 65-year-old Biden's age, Palin should remember those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Seventy-two year-old McCain, who was born 30 years before Palin, would be the oldest President in history if by some disastrous turn of events he is elected. Palin should keep the old age jokes to herself.