ratbastid

THAT'S my view. Deny it all you want--I'd expect nothing less. From inside your view, it would be impossible to do otherwise.

The James Johnson situation is a product of the state of politics at the moment. Even a suggestion of the hint of the whiff of impropriety in the Obama campaign is getting screamed all over right-wing blogs and echoed by (ahem) other rightist voices. The mainstream media is picking it up--the "story of the story" in most cases, but it amounts to the same thing--and before long everybody knows about Obama's mythical Jew Problem, or that Obama's In Bed with Big Banking.

It would be nice if at LEAST the same bullshit was being pulled on McCain. At worst he's getting away with some bumbling mis-statements that make him look like the codger he is--the REALLY grevious stuff about him isn't anywhere on the mainstream's radar.

I mean.. It'd be really nice if the campaign and the coverage could be about issues instead of gotchas, but barring that I'd at least like even time for the gotchas.

Just to actually have the FACTS of this thing on the table:
- Campaigning in PA, Obama criticized Countrywide and singled out their CEO as being excessively compensated and making bad loans
- Jim Johnson was named to Obama's VP vetting committee. He had taken out millions in loans from Countrywide, and has a close business relationship with said CEO. He's NOT the CEO in question, despite what less-informed bloggers are screaming.
- There's no evidence Johnson did ANYTHING wrong, CERTAINLY no evidence of anything criminal. To take the issue out of the campaign discourse, he stepped down from his position.
- Obama was immediately accused of the new right-wing capital offense of "throwing Johnson under the train".

Those are the FACTS. I have the vain hope that perhaps the discussion can now proceed rationally. I'm prepared for disappointment.