McCain’s Impotence, Lynch Mob Edition

Apparently, McPalin rallies have been replaced by lynch mobs because John McCain is an impotent old man. Roger Simon, who after last week’s debates did back flips to claim that McCain had won, explains that crowds at McPalin rallies are getting dangerous because that evil woman Sarah Palin has hijacked McCain’s campaign.

Forget that an independent legislative panel found Friday that she had abused her power and violated ethics laws as governor of Alaska. Forget that with the possibility of Palin being a heartbeat away from the presidency, McCain gives up the argument that his ticket represents experience and a steady hand on the tiller.

The real problem for McCain is that Palin is running a separate — and scary — campaign that does not seem to be under anybody’s control.

She storms around the country saying: “Our opponent … is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”

She also says: “This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America.”

Get the drift? Obama is not only different, not only an alien incapable of loving his country, he is an actual friend of terrorists who would attack America. [my emphasis]

McCain, however, is not going to hide behind some woman’s skirts. Nuh uh. He’s going to hide behind Obama himself.

Here’s how McCain excuses his plan to bring up Bill Ayers at tomorrow’s debate (and Greg Sargent’s read on it, which I entirely agree with).

The key news in the interview — which was flagged by Mark Halperin and which you can listen to here — is that McCain is already laying the groundwork to blame Obama for his apparent decision to confront Obama over Ayers tomorrow.

Asked by his radio host if he’ll bring up the former Weatherman, McCain says:

"Oh, yeah. Y’know, I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised for me to have the guts to do that, because the fact is that the question didn’t come up in that fashion. So, y’know, and I think he’s probably ensured that it will come up this time. And, look Mark, it’s not that I give a damn about some old washed-up terrorist…"

It’s Obama who has "probably ensured" that McCain will bring up Ayers. What’s so lovely about this is that McCain is now portraying his apparent decision to hit on the Ayers association as driven by a need to defend his honor.

You see, McCain wouldn’t have brought it up, but Obama questioned his manhood, so he’s now forced to overcome his reluctance to talk about Ayers in order to defend himself. It’s the old warrior’s code that’s making him do it.

You see, it’s not McCain’s fault that his campaign now resembles a lynch mob. It’s just that he’s impotent to stop it.

With McCain’s current deficit in the polls, I guess he resembles Bob Dole in more ways than one.