# McCain not as forked as the McCain Forked thread, but still forked **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 8, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951 "2008-10-08T03:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/141 "2008-10-11T00:32:47Z")
Palin abused power in the state trooper investigation [Story](http://www.adn.com/palin/story/552393.html) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/142 "2008-10-11T00:36:14Z")
Wow. This crash is truly a thing of beauty. I’d like to thank the academy and all the little people. Here’s the video, by the way: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Kf6YKOkfFsE/hqdefault.jpg "McCain Tries to Tame Flames He Earlier Fanned") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE) ---
**Author:** ![Fat\_Chance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@Fat\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/143 "2008-10-11T00:38:38Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Palin abused power in the state trooper investigation > > [Story](http://www.adn.com/palin/story/552393.html) I flipped on the TV to see more about the McCain townhall thing to see this as the lead. I just can’t believe… I don’t need to read any thrillers, I don’t need to watch any great movies. Real life is so crazy and weird right now. I only wonder if McCain will drink more Jack than me tonight. I think I wouldn’t bet against him, this has to just be the worst worst day for him (yeah other than the whole crash, broken, prisoner thing…) ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/144 "2008-10-11T00:43:20Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > I just saw McCain’s capitulation on MSNBC. Wow. This is really starting to crush my very soul. I use to admire him so much, and tonight I saw the tiniest dot of the old John McCain in there when he was correcting the idiots in his audience. Man, what a WTF week this has been. I have some limited sympathy for McCain. But y’know, this is what has been building for damn nigh 30 years now, with an accelerating trend in the last 15. The rabid right keeps throwing around words like “traitor” and “un-American” and “evil” in reference to liberals (hell, not even just liberals - any opponent!) and sooner or later a certain class of people is going to start believing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/145 "2008-10-11T00:50:26Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE) “He’s an Arab”? _ **“HE’S AN ARAB”?** _ There are no words. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/146 "2008-10-11T00:50:32Z")
I think McCain’s heart grew two sizes today. Maybe there is hope for him (but not his campaign) after all. I saw a beaten man finally realize what he hath wrought from starting the Ayers smear. He knows the election is a lost cause and now he can’t bring himself to tear the country apart any longer. Then on top of all this, his running mate was found by a bipartisan panel to have abused her power. This is it- game over. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/147 "2008-10-11T00:50:46Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > I use to admire him so much, and tonight I saw the tiniest dot of the old John McCain in there when he was correcting the idiots in his audience. _“We hates Obama!! No, we loves Obama!! Hates tricksy Obama!! No, no, we loves Obama!! Preciousss…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/148 "2008-10-11T00:52:21Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Wow. This crash is truly a thing of beauty. I’d like to thank the academy and all the little people. > > Here’s the video, by the way: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE) … Wow. This could just be cynical old me, but I wonder if this is just another tactic, a sleight of hand, if you will, to get Obama to lower his guard. This deserves a thread of its own…somebody start one. \ I command it! \ ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/149 "2008-10-11T00:56:31Z")
McCain has campaigned so erratically that I will not be surprised to see him come out smearing tomorrow. He may just be now cynically deciding that acting decent is his best chance for a game-changer since smearing is only driving him deeper down. And he may be right. Not enough of a chance, maybe not a “best” chance, but at least a least poor chance. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/150 "2008-10-11T01:01:20Z")
> [@Fat\_Chance](#): > > The fact that McCain, shook his head sadly, took the mic from her and said, “no, no he is a decent man, a family man, a citizen…” (paraphrased) > > He actually said at another moment, he was a good man, that you shouldn’t be afraid of as president. And as he said it I thought he was about to cry - not because he saw his last chance disappear with the defense, but because it looked like he was realizing what he had done, what his tactics had done, what he had made people feel. It was hard, hard, guilt I think I saw. Exactly. I don’t think his look of chagrin (maybe even despair?) was phony. I feel bad for him. Not bad enough to give him a sympathy vote, but I do feel bad. The last debate should be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/151 "2008-10-11T01:03:54Z")
He just wants to stay above the fray because there are so many people willing ot make excuses for him. “Oh, it’s his advisers. Oh, it’s Palin. Surely the great and honorable John McCain would never, ever authorize or agree to this behavior!” He has authorized it. It’s his campaign. Now that the flames are burning, he can put the gas-can down. That doesn’t mean he’s going to do anything to actually fight the fire he started. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/152 "2008-10-11T01:06:44Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONfJ7YSXE5w) is the ad. > > McCain has truly lost his mind. Yeah, I think it’s alarmist and wayyyyyyy unsubstansiated…but…the construct is really interesting, though, to my old school trained wonk photographer mind. There was a "lite’ version as well on the TV. The ad is presented as a BW photog contact sheet, which is supposed to be “hard journalism”; a photographer’s contact sheet back in the film days was good proof of temporal reality. That was the sequence of images taken; the contact sheet spoke truth to what had happened in real time. With film, every frame was taken in sequence by necessity of the technology, so a contact sheet showed all. In this ad, it’s a total Fake as to truth: the images are spliced in willy-nilly, but it’s giving the aura of Hard Journalism. This is why the ad really makes me sad/angry; it’s playing on an essence of appropriate reporting, but is just using it as window dressing. The small comfort is that I figure the majority of folks watching won’t really get the old school reference of the reputable contact sheet. I have to also say that whover designed that ad was quite smart, in it’s possible subtle sheen as acceptable journalism. ---
**Author:** ![Fat\_Chance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@Fat\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/153 "2008-10-11T01:10:07Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Exactly. I don’t think his look of chagrin (maybe even despair?) was phony. > > I feel bad for him. Not bad enough to give him a sympathy vote, but I do feel bad. > > The last debate should be interesting. I feel bad for him too, and many liberals will, but none will change votes. But, I wonder how many hard core right wingers (the ones yelling kill him, and booing) will change theirs - they won’t vote for Obama now, but they may just not vote at all if they are pissed at McCain. I don’t want to jinx it, but I think its over now… ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/154 "2008-10-11T01:14:53Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I don’t think his look of chagrin (maybe even despair?) was phony. I agree. Nothing I’ve seen of McCain recently convinces me he’s that good an actor. > [@](#): > > I feel bad for him. Not bad enough to give him a sympathy vote, but I do feel bad. I agree with this too. I can also feel bad for him at that moment without absolving him of responsibility for approving recent ads that calls Obama “dishonorable,” “risky” and “dangerous” and allowing his pitbull to accuse him of “palling around with terrorists.” ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/155 "2008-10-11T01:15:34Z")
Why feel sorry for him? His own campaign released this statement today, [defending their behaivor.](http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Defending_the_crowds.html#comments) > [@](#): > > Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about. He dismisses hardworking middle class Americans as clinging to guns and religion, while at the same time attacking average Americans at McCain rallies who are angry at Washington, Wall Street and the status quo. Yeah, it sounds like McCain is genuinely contrite. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/156 "2008-10-11T01:18:10Z")
That video was absolutely surreal. In response to a rally attendee who expressed fear of Obama… > [@John McCain](#): > > I have to tell you, he is a decent person, and a person that you don’t have to be scared as president of the United States ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/157 "2008-10-11T01:21:30Z")
Mom! Is it soup yet? ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/158 "2008-10-11T01:21:53Z")
Holy shit. That town hall disaster… I never thought it would happen, but … it really is over. As of tonight, I think I believe that Obama will win. What a total fucking trainwreck McCain is. It’s simply glorious. I could not have scripted a more fucked up campaign event, without gallons of blood involved. It makes me all tingly to see him have to eat it up like that. I really think he must have cried the next time he was alone. And it is fascinating watching this campaign implode so spectacularly _right after_ Hillary had set the record for biggest campaign trainwreck ever. McCain must really be making her smile lately. There should be some really good books coming out of this in a few months. Shit at this rate it wouldn’t surprise me if Rick Davis himself dropped out before the election to release a tell-all confessional of the madness going on inside. They all must be \*itching \*to be the first to spill (not to mention profit). ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/159 "2008-10-11T01:29:57Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Why feel sorry for him? His own campaign released this statement today, [defending their behaivor.](http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Defending_the_crowds.html#comments) Was that statement prepared before or after the video? > [@](#): > > Yeah, it sounds like McCain is genuinely contrite. I think he recognized that those people at the gathering were speaking out of fear and ignorance that his campaign has, if not created, at least fostered and relied upon, he was chagrined by it, and he made a decent effort at correcting it. I’m not saying he’s going to be all sunshine and lollipops for the next few weeks. He may in fact turn out to be a bigger dick than he has been so far. I guess it’s my curse occasionally to empathize with someone even while recognizing his dickishness. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/160 "2008-10-11T01:35:08Z")
What McCain doesn’t seem to realize is that by flaming those flames he is painting a bull’s eye on himself. If the loonies that follow him think he is about to bail out on them it takes just one with extra cheese holes in the head to decide to put Palin on top of the ticket. I have no idea if that is what would happen in the even of McCain’s demise, but I am sure said loonie doesn’t know either. It’s not like they loved McCain before Palin anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951.md?page=9)