Obama ad: “No Maverick”

posted at 6:45 pm on September 8, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly

I guess Barack Obama doesn’t read Hot Air, nor listens to wisdom from our own Allahpundit.  Team O got so flustered by today’s “Original Mavericks” ad that they rushed this new spot out today, apparently before doing some rudimentary fact-checking.  Obama argues that the Bridge to Nowhere shows him to be the real Maverick:

It’s true that Palin didn’t start off opposing the bridge, but as Governor she made the decision to kill it. At least she moved in the right direction. Who voted for it in the first place? Not John McCain; he derided it on the Senate floor, despite it being a pet project from a Republican colleague. Two of the votes came from … Barack Obama and Joe Biden:

Though Gov. Palin originally supported the earmark spending on the Ketchikan bridge (“to nowhere), she eventually killed the project, chosing to spend Federal money on other infrasturcture programs.

However, Sen. Biden and Sen. Obama voted for funding the Bridge, even when given a second chance by Sen. Tom Coburn, who proposed shifting earmark funds to Katrina relief.

Let’s take a look at that amendment, too.  Coburn, a real anti-pork reformer, tried to cancel earmarks and redirect funds to Hurricane Katrina relief.  It gave the Senate a second chance to stop the Bridge to Nowhere and use the funds to help victims of the storm — which Obama likes to use as an example of his leadership.  And yet, the supposed “maverick” of this ad and his running mate chose to support the ridiculous $200 million Bridge to Nowhere instead.

The most laughable hypocrisy about this and AP’s earlier post is Obama’s decision to use the Ketchikan bridge to attack Palin.  He supported it; he failed to change his mind on it given a second chance; Obama owns that bridge right along with Ted Stevens.  Yet he blames Palin for the earmark as if she isn’t as good as a reformer as he is, because she stopped it despite Obama’s best efforts to build the boondoggle.

You can’t make this up.

Hopefully, “Captain Earmark” ($740 million in pork and counting, and with its own shady connections) will continue doing two things all the way to Election Day: keep talking about earmarks and keep attacking Palin.  The more he goes after the Republican running mate, the more he equates himself with her and makes McCain look presidential.

Blowback

You must be logged in to post a comment.