The McCain-Palin campaign made an irretrievable tactical error when they decided to go down the road of “Obama paling around with Domestic terrorists“. The fact of the matter is that Americans KNOW who Barack Obama is and they like him.

Despite the concerted smear tactics from right wing radio and the internet; people know this man and they like what they see.

For McCain and Palin to attack him as some sort of radical, left wing, nation of islam, black panther terrorist was foolish and what’s worse it brought out the nut-jobs who make up the Republican base.

This failed on multiple levels.

First and foremost it has unified and energized Democrats to an unbelievable extent.

Secondly it has completely fractured the Republicans by:

  1. Energizing the fringe right
  2. Disgusting the moderate right (many of whom are speaking out against McCain as we speak and many others who will jump off the ship as they see it going down. And
  3. Alienating undecided Republicans and independents who view the economy as the most important image.

It is clear that when the history of this campaign is written that perhaps the most iconic moment will be John McCain pulling the mike out of the hands of a lady who called Barack Obama “an arab“.

It symbolized John McCain’s lame effort to put out a fire that he had carelessly started.