To mask his own liberal-Democratic views, Obama must brand John McCain more of the same. Hence why he's repeatedly said McCain is running for Bush's third-term. In responding, McCain typically asserts that Obama is running for Jimmy Carter's second-term. That is fine and good when it comes to economic policy, but what of the Iraq war? In rebutting the McSame claim, McCain needs to say, "I know you are, but what am I."
Yes, I mean it: McCain should outright accuse Obama of being more like Bush on the war. They may have diametrically opposed positions, but their outlooks are identical in how single minded, inflexible, and (dare I say) dialectical they are. In the midst of a catastrophe back in 2005, Bush went on prime time to say, "My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq -- we are winning the war in Iraq." No matter how violent Iraq got, Bush would not face the facts on the ground. It took him until December 2006 to acknowledge for the first time that we weren't winning and to adapt.
Bush believed victory was our certain destiny; Obama believed it was defeat. He opposed the surge, saying it could not and would not work--that there was simply no way to curb the violence we had unleashed in going to war. Even after it did work, Obama denied that Iraq was any safer until it was undeniable. Bush and Obama have tunnel vision--only McCain has demonstrated an ability to adapt, to win a war we were losing.
