Talking Points Memo reader ER looks at the latest Barack Hussein Obama dust-ups and sees a pattern wherein John McCain and the national RNC get to play "good cops", coming in to denounce the unsavory tactics of the "bad cops", who still gets to push the false message that Obama is a terrorist sympathizer. I'm not so sure.
For one thing, McCain said his campaign would "make sure nothing like that ever happens again", which means there are only two possibilities. He can do a better job of vetting his warm-up acts, in which case the issue of false associations with the mythical swarthy Middle Eastern hordes will dry up. Or, he'll have a gaffe like this once every two weeks. So far, the Obama campaign has taken the high road, saying they appreciate McCain's apology and trust that he means what he says about putting an end to the disrespect. If mistakes keep being made, though, it will be fair to ask Team McCain why they can't keep a better handle on his supporters. That's what will play poorly for McCain; Middle America understands that accidents happen once in a while, but if there's a pattern of jingoism that isn't stopped, they'll figure it out.
