Short memories

Does anybody remember why Hitler's march into Russia failed? It was for exactly the same reason that Napoleon's similar march failed, right? I'm not comparing Romney to Hitler, except in that they both seem unable to learn from history. This is Romney's latest campaign ad.

I'm not even going to attack the obvious lies, distortions and half-truths that it's riddled with. Instead, here's a failed campaign strategy from just 4 short years ago.

Is it just me?

Veep Debate

Watched the v.p. debate Thursday while I was in Seattle for a conference. You betcha, gosh darn it! In response to Capt. Fogg, yes, I found Sarah's exaggerations annoying, along with her repetition of the word Maverick. But most of all, I disliked that smug, prim smile that seemed to be painted onto her face throughout the debate. Here we have a straight-up chucklehead mouthing inanities for 90 minutes, and she acts as if what her much older and more learned opponent has to say couldn't possibly be worth her attention. As for the inanities, the platitudes Palin served up are the same ones I recall hearing in every Republican campaign back to Reagan in 1980. You would have to have been in a coma for the last quarter of a century to find this stuff refreshing or relevant, especially given the near-apocalyptic economic events we have been going through. Anyhow, I should at least give Palin credit for being more or less coherent in her delivery and confident in her bearing. It isn't easy to stand in front of millions of people the way these candidates are doing, whether they're prepared intellectually or not.

I found it amusing that a woman of mature years whom I met on an airport shuttle thought Katie C's interview of Palin was "unfair" and that somehow it really is important that you can see Russia from Alaska. Why it is important, she found it hard to explain. But we're watching them Rooskies, just in case they rear their slavic "gullivers."

I thought Senator Biden did a fine job -- he came across as serious, respectful of his opponent, likeable, and as always, knowledgeable about an impressive array of issues.

Finally, I hear that McCain is going to go back to the tried-and-certifiable strategy of attacking Obama's character and his associations. They've figured out that they're going to lose on the merits, so character assassination is all they have left. I don't think it will work very well -- many people have heard this garbage. The main thing that undermines it is Obama's presence: he comes off as calm, genuinely thoughtful, and highly professional. The man just doesn't look or sound like a bomb-throwing commie radical or a secret-handshake Islamic Jihadist. He exudes competence and got-it-togethness. People who attack him as McCain plans to do end up looking like morons.