Can you believe James Carville letting McCranky off the hook for his campaign's vile anti-Obama smears?

by Ken

When our good friend Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake gets riled, sensible folks tend to stand back and clear a path. The antics of "Democratic Consultant" James Carville this morning on CNN have smoke coming out of her ears.

And understandably so. Isn't it bad enough that we have to listen to the lying scumbug McCranky pontificate daily about the horrible smears being perpetrated by his opponent? When his opponent has merely tried to get a smidgeon of truth on the record while the Crankyman has an entire team of truth-hating smear artists toiling 24/7 to produce sacks of manure to hurl against Obama -- with, of course, the whole of the Right-Wing Noise Machine ready and eager to spread the crap, all too often abetted by the mighty infotainment-news media? Now we have to listen to someone supposedly on our side making the astonishing claim that the little scumbug doesn't know what's being said in his name?

Actually, I'm prepared to believe that he doesn't know, in the same way that he doesn't know . . . well, pretty much everything an honest and/or competent candidate for the presidency is expected to know. I think it's all too compatible with the low-life man of dishonor he has become to not know things -- whether through simple intellectual laziness (of which he has a great deal) or, as it seems increasingly, through cynical design -- it's, er, inconvenient for him to know. Can't blame the little bastard for what he doesn't know, right? Like the orgy of lies, delusions, and smears that makes up the sum and substance of his vile campaign.

Just now I couldn't even get onto FDL. Perhaps a tidal wave of anti-Carville-mania has the tube paths overflowing? Anyway, here is Jane in full battle cry:


Carville Says McCain Too Honorable To Know About Attack Ads
By: Jane Hamsher, Thursday, September 11, 2008, 9:55 am

So the McCain campaign runs attack ads against Barack Obama basically saying he wants to diddle your five year old, and what does "Democratic Consultant" James Carville say about it on CNN?

CARVILLE: And John McCain, deep down inside my heart, you know, as you know, I've said before I admire McCain. I don't believe he knew about it. I hope somebody asked him. But I refuse to believe that John McCain agreed to airing this spot. I know he says I'm John McCain, I paid for it but they have that in the can and they do it. It I don't think he knew about it. I really don't.

You're kidding me, right? The Republicans have made this campaign about character, once again. They've smeared Obama with the ugliest, most disgusting, distorted ads we've seen since Willie Horton, and what does Carville do? He lets McCain off the hook.

I'm listening to this come out of my teevee in a state of disbelief -- he couldn't possibly have said what I thought he said, did he? So he says it again:

CARVILLE: I can't sit here. They're running a completely false ad against Barack Obama, and you say he's out there talking about this. I mean, my point is, I really don't think that Senator McCain knows about this ad, and in my heart of hearts, I want to believe he's absolutely furious about this and somebody's being called on the carpet because this ad is blatantly completely false.

This is beyond "off message." Does someone want to ask Carville what side he's playing on?


CONFIDENTIAL TO JAMES C., FROM KEN AT DWT

Uh, James, I would like to think you're going to live to regret this. I would like to think you're going to be snowed under by people who remember when you played for our side.

Do you remember, James, where you said on CNN, "In my heart of hearts, I want to believe he's absolutely furious about this and somebody's being called on the carpet because this ad is blatantly completely false"? Has it occurred to you that you could have said:

I used to admire John McCain. However, when I see the kind of campaign his people are running, all lies and smears, all I can think of is, maybe he doesn't know. In my heart of hearts that's what I want to believe. It's not much comfort, though. Do we want a president who doesn't know what's being done in his name?

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