Revenge is a dish best served cold

I never felt that the McCain campaign was intentionally playing the race-card in its attacks against Barack Obama during the election season.

It was simply running the same tired Republican playbook of characterizing him as a snobbish, limp-wristed, liberal, proto-socialist boogeyman who doesn't share or appreciate the values of "real Americans." This was exactly the same way they sought to frame John Kerry, though obviously to much greater effect.

However, in the attempt to "other" Obama, it made it seem as if they were subtly trying to point out (wink wink nudge nudge) that, well, he's a black guy. And, so the typical campaign playbook routine had a boomerang effect by implicating the campaign itself for stirring up some of the racial epithets that were heard at the rallies and made such big national news.

But, I don't think this was the intent. If they had wanted to play pure racial politics, there would have been a 24x7 Jermeiah Wright channel on my cable network. From what I understand, it was McCain himself who said that Wright was essentially off-limits as a campaign topic.

Witness this priceless display by Michael Goldfarb, McCain Campaign Spokesman, who simply won't bring himself to say Wright's name even when practically ordered to do so by the CNN interviewer.

CNN: "Well, say it!!"
Goldfarb: "We all know who we are talking about here."




Now, it's not to say that there wasn't some ugly reactions by a few McCain supporters towards Obama that were clearly racially motivated. It's just that those people weren't going to vote for Obama anyway.

And, the massive news storm that followed some of the incidents could have only hurt the Republicans with the swing voters they would have needed to win. How many sub-urban soccer moms find the prospect of lynch mobs to be appealing?

So, while I don't blame McCain personally (and in some ways I laud him for trying to take the issue off the table), obviously one can't have any sympathy for those of his supporters who eagerly DID attempt to trade in racial or religious prejudice as a way ginning up fears of Obama and votes for McCain.

And, it is to those reprobates that I gleefully dedicate the following:

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, President-elect Obama said that "when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20, he plans to be sworn in like other presidents, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama."

While most presidents use their full names, there have been recent exceptions: In 1977, James Earl Carter was sworn in as president as Jimmy Carter. And in 1981, Ronald Wilson Reagan simply went by Ronald Reagan.

While awaiting the inauguration, I myself am going to be reading up on my Sharia-law statutes, just to ensure I've got all my bases covered.