The Blog

Defining John McCain

12:18 PM, Apr 7, 2008 • By KEVIN KUSINITZ
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Maybe Democrats are too distracted by the state of their candidate's campaigns. Or maybe they, like everyone else, were counting on Romney or Giuliani to be the Republican candidate. Whatever it is, their current strategy isn't working out. Politico's Ben Smith reports:

Democratic talk of an early, hard-hitting campaign to "define" and tar Arizona Sen. John McCain appears to have fizzled for lack of money, leading to a quiet round of finger-pointing among Democratic operatives and donors as McCain assembles a campaign and a public image relatively unmolested.

Despite the millions of dollars pooling around Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, anti-McCain funds have fallen far short of the hopes set in November, when a key organizer, Tom Matzzie, reportedly told The Washington Post that the "Fund for America" would raise more than $100 million to support the activities of a range of allied groups.

"Define" McCain? I thought it was common knowledge that he's a 71 year-old Vietnam vet/POW. He loves America, is strong on defense, and has stood by President Bush throughout the war. He's been known to irritate his fellow Republicans on occasion, although not often enough to suit the New York Times. Oh yeah, and he used to be something of a hot head back in the day. Anything else we don't know about John McCain?

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