McCain, Obama, and the GI Bill (more)

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/05/mccain-rejected-by-his-senate.html

money quote:

UGLY! I wonder how many Republicans who have to run with him on top of the ticket are starting to feel some buyer's remorse about now. Many senators were embarrassed and one GOP solon said it was the most vicious personal public attack he had every heard in his 18 years in the U.S. Senate. McCain seems to be coming apart-- the campaign hasn't really even begun and he's already unhinged. But everyone knows, especially his wife (who he publicly called "a cunt") that he's on a hair-trigger.

It'd be interesting to hear confirmation of this from a second source. The "GOP solon" claim, at least.

Contra Digby, if McCain's GOP Senate colleagues were appalled, I'm not sure that this was a calculated alpha-male ploy. Presumably they would know.

Also the fact that it came at the end of a loss on a major / prestige bill, and worse, one where McCain was deserted by most of his GOP Senate colleagues, doesn't exactly support "calm, cool, calculating". Wrong place, wrong time.

Finally, if this was a calculated act, McCain sure stepped on his own message. The lobbyist / Hagee / Parsley stories took all the air out of the alpha male act (if that's what it was), so at best McCain continues to have a message discipline problem.

McCain, Obama, and the GI Bill

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/are-we-clear-by-digby-if-john-mccain.html

Digby argues that McCain's temper tantrum might well be a carefully crafted political expression aimed at asserting his alpha male cred and tagging Obama as effeminate..

.. but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Sully on the GI Bill

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/webbs-bill.html

Sully's last comment is exactly my reaction.

I asked my ultra-conservative Catholic bud what the strategeric thinking here is. He responded:

"The military will vote for McCain."

Finding this, uh, less than edicational, I responded more acerbically than I probably should have.

But is there any credible & substantive strategeric thinking behind the GOP/Admin/McCain position here?

As best I can see, the McCain campaign is beginning to look like a bunch of amatyoors.. one might even say a (ahem) clown show.