The Great Non Sequitur

Dr Krauthammer writes about The Great Non Sequitur and the Hillary 3AM ad, which, as Obama senior adviser Susan Rice points out, neither Hillary or Obama are ready to answer,

Dr Krauthammer,

The only way either Clinton or John McCain can defeat an opponent as dazzlingly new and fresh as Obama is to ask: Do you really know this guy?

Or the corollary: Is he really who he says he is? I'm not talking about scurrilous innuendo about his origins, religion or upbringing. I'm talking about the full-fledged man who presents himself to the country in remarkably grandiose terms as a healer, a conciliator, a uniter.

Here's somebody who knows Obama (h/t Larwyn), Todd Spivak of the Houston Chronicle:

For instance. Obama sponsored a bill banning the use of the diet supplement ephedra, which killed a Northwestern University football player, and another one preventing the use of pepper spray or pyrotechnics in nightclubs in the wake of the deaths of 21 people during a stampede at a Chicago nightclub. Both stories had received national attention and extensive local coverage.

I spoke to Jones earlier this week and he confirmed his conversation with Kelley, adding that he gave Obama the legislation because he believed in Obama's ability to negotiate with Democrats and Republicans on divisive issues.

So how has Obama repaid Jones?

Last June, to prove his commitment to government transparency, Obama released a comprehensive list of his earmark requests for fiscal year 2008. It comprised more than $300 million in pet projects for Illinois, including tens of millions for Jones's Senate district.

Shortly after Jones became Senate president, I remember asking his view on pork-barrel spending.

I'll never forget what he said:

"Some call it pork; I call it steak."

Go read every word.

But back to the question of Who Ya Gonna Call?, it was Jane Hamsher who asked,

Blogger Jane Hamsher gets on and asks whether the 3 a.m. ad is reinforcing a Republican message — "isn't McCain ultimately the winner in that tactic"?

Compare and contrast:
Obama ad: Celebrities chanting to the tune of a glassy-eyed woman singing "We can change the world...nah...na na na nah"


McCain ad: Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, leadership



Who ya gonna call?

Obama called Lorne Michaels:

"So hopefully in addition to my call to Lorne Michaels, hopefully now people feel like everything's evened out and we can start actually covering the campaign properly," he said.

Yes. The Saturday Night Live guy.

Let's hope he was joking.

UDPATE
Via Brian Faughnan, who got it from Mark Hemingway of the Corner, "We are building a religion"




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