At first I honestly thought he was just being a sad old man on “that one” but the more I think about it the more I think it was a little more hateful.

Grumpy old man with his frustration hanging out all over the place.

Both. I put my dvr on record and turned off the debate 30 minutes into it. Obama was doing such a nice job, so sincere. McCain was just pissing me off with his out of touch responses and constant attacking.

I think he was just pissy. I also think he’s been building up to something pretty vile that he’s letting his VP pick and his campaign actually say out loud, that Obama is a distasteful poser who actually wants terrorists to rule America. McCain just won’t say it out loud, but the implication that Obama was less than was out there. McCain’s desperate. And he’s losing.

I agree with the other Mary. McCain is losing. He’s losing badly. He’s desperate, and desperation is driving him to abandon any sort of aspiration towards a loftier goal, and instead say anything he think will help him win. It’s ugly, vicious and empirically false. We know it. He knows it.

I unfortunately missed that quote, so can’t express an opinion. The McCain quote that floored me was his comment on Nuclear power and how utterly dismissive he was of the risks:

“Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that,”

What I am most bothered by is how many people seem to honestly believe McCain/Palin is a better choice. Fortunately they are in the minority, but I fundamentally can not comprehend the mindset required for to buy into the bull-pucky they’re slinging. I have more in common with the most remote cannibal tribesman in New Guinea than I do with the die-hard republican down the street from me. And the consequences of this election, this choice, are so important that it has me questioning my relationships with friends and family members who don’t get it. It’s frightening.

Between that and the refusal to shake hands, I think spiteful old man – and I wonder, if there is some racism there, too.

It was very telling to me that he and his wife are not interested in wading into the crowd and meeting people, she kept her hands behind her back and did not approach the spectators and they left the room right away. The Obamas stayed and talked and posed for photos. So who is more in touch with the people?

I was going to say “curmudgeon,” but as I wrote it out I began thinking about how the McCain campaign has been amping up their sidewinding rhetoric linking Obama to “terrorists” and “terrorism”, and asking repeatedly, like we should all be very afraid, “Just who is Barack Obama?” I’m not sure whether the statement happened because McCain’s drinking his own toxic kool-aid, or whether it was more calculated. Does it matter, I wonder? In case of the former, he’s a fearful and misguided old fool, and in the case of the latter, a morally-bankrupt and conniving old fool, willing to prey upon Americans’ worst prejudices in his grab for power.

The thing that I couldn’t believe was that McCain said he knew where Osama bin Laden is and how to get him. OH, REALLY??? And how thousands of additional lives will be lost before you SHARE that information?? I wish Obama would have called him on it.

It is clear that Senator McCain does not like, in any terms you wish to define, Senator Obama.

Both. I think it was said out of contempt for Obama, no surprise there. But I’m more intrigued by what the comment says beneath the surface. While he may not have consciously intended it to be objectifying, dehumanizing an opponent makes it easier to excuse hate crimes and acts of physical violence carried out against them and their supporters. Turning Jews and their sympathizers into ‘other’, ‘the enemy’, and eventually ‘vermin’ in the eyes of the general public worked well for Nazi Germany, maybe the Palin/McCain camp is looking back on history after all!

I think true colors will out.

I thought you might like this.

seriously fucked UP. but you know what? it helped Barack so I’m glad he did it.