The Real John McCain?

Maybe we saw the real John McCain in the last debate. Yes, he was condescending to his opponent. He was angry most of the night and yes, he rolled his eyes too much....hell it was the only thing that stopped him from blinking.

But when he had the chance, John McCain passed on bringing up the Rev. Wright stuff. He couldn't pull off Karl Rove's deep in the mud, politics of absolutely lowest common denominator. Certainly Rove's hands have been all over the McCain campaign ever since he sewed up the nomination. The Sarah Palin pick was a genuflection to the Rovian base, counter to McCain's widely reported preference for Joe Lieberman.

One year ago, many on the left, including me, felt that of given all the Republicans running for president, McCain was one we could at least live with. He had always been a guy who, when push came to shove, would do what he felt was the right thing regardless of the political consequences. But once Karl Rove got his hands on the McCain campaign, it's been a fast slide into the depths. We saw a hint of it last week when McCain told two supporters they were wrong and Barack Obama "is a decent American, a good family man." Last night, by refusing to bring up the Wright issue, maybe John McCain took a step toward restoring his image.

Will there be blood on McCain's hands?

If the worst happens and some right-wing nut takes the not-so-subtle hint from the McCain campaign that Barack Obama is "dangerous" and "not one of us," there will be blood on John McCain's hands. And, let's be clear.....the "worst" will be an assassination attempt on Barack Obama. Everybody in the media is afraid to say this out loud, but we all know it's the 800 pound gorilla in the room.