# McCain seems to be choosing the "nuclear option"... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 10, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366 "2008-10-10T19:09:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/1 "2008-10-10T19:09:12Z")
Will it work? [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/new-mccain-ad-slams-obama-on-ayers-economy/?hp](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/new-mccain-ad-slams-obama-on-ayers-economy/?hp) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/2 "2008-10-10T19:14:38Z")
McCain going negative is week-old news. Actually, from the thread title I was expecting something . . . different. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/3 "2008-10-10T19:15:26Z")
The more I see of his (and especially Palin’s) rallies, the more I suspect that, on some level, they are hoping for the “Have I no friend who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” option… ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/4 "2008-10-10T19:20:54Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > The more I see of his (and especially Palin’s) rallies, the more I suspect that, on some level, they are hoping for the “Have I no friend who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” option… That is my take on this. They are deliberately trying to whip their crowd into a frenzy with the “Obama is a terrorist!” crap. And if…if just on accident…not that we wanted it to happen this way…\… Some knuckle-dragger out there will take matters into his own hands and try to off the poor guy. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/5 "2008-10-10T19:21:15Z")
The McCain/Palin ads for the past week have been all negative, all the time – and all stuff we’ve heard before. I think Obama was right, a couple of months ago, when he said he felt he’d benefited from the hard campaign fight vs. Sen. Clinton, because by the time of the general campaign, all the negative ammunition against him would be old news. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/6 "2008-10-10T19:25:32Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > I think Obama was right, a couple of months ago, when he said he felt he’d benefited from the hard campaign fight vs. Sen. Clinton, because by the time of the general campaign, all the negative ammunition against him would be old news. Are you saying, come November 5th, I’m going to have to send Hillary a thank-you note? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/7 "2008-10-10T19:31:11Z")
I wonder why the fact that McCain has gone negative continues to be front page news. Ooh, now he’s REALLY going negative. Bah, humbug. He tried and failed. It’s not news anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/8 "2008-10-10T19:37:09Z")
Maybe it’s because I’m in NJ, but I hadn’t seen any ads as bad or as untruthful as that one. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/9 "2008-10-10T19:44:46Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Maybe it’s because I’m in NJ, but I hadn’t seen any ads as bad or as untruthful as that one. He gets as much play out of the media accounts as he would to actually pay the media to run it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/10 "2008-10-10T20:28:47Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > Are you saying, come November 5th, I’m going to have to send Hillary a thank-you note? :eek: No, he’ll have to pay up whatever was promised for good behavior at the convention. But the primary fight did help. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-seems-to-be-choosing-the-nuclear-option/467366/11 "2008-10-10T20:44:22Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > And if…if just on accident…not that we wanted it to happen this way…\… I’d need much stronger evidence to believe that they’re actually trying to make this happen. Unfortunately, they are all too clearly not trying _not_ to make it happen.