James Fallows at The Atlantic writes this:

In these circumstances, and with a presidential election four weeks away, is it conceivable that candidates will waste time arguing whether one of them has been in the same room with a guy who had been a violent extremist at a time before most of today’s U.S. citizens were even born? (William Ayres was a Weatherman in the late 1960s. Today’s median-aged American was born around 1972.) Of course, it’s not only conceivable: it’s the Republican plan for this final push “turning the page” on economic concerns and getting to these “character” and “association” questions about Barack Obama.

Grow up. If John McCain has a better set of plans to deal with the immediate crisis, and the medium-term real-economy fallout, and the real global problems of the era fine, let him win on those. But it is beneath the dignity he had as a Naval officer to wallow in this mindless BS. I will say nothing about the dignity of a candidate who repeatedly winks at the public, Hooters-waitress style.   A great country acts great when it matters.   This is a time when it matters for politicians in the points they raise, for journalists in the subjects they write about and the questions they ask of candidates. And, yes, for voters.

Changing the subject, aka “hey look over there” politics.

I think, though, the call to “act great” could apply to the Obama campaign also.   Yesterday they released a film about McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal.   While I agree that the scandal was about banking, finance, and corruption and thus has relevance in today’s economic crisis, I remain unsure that it matters in the long-term and unsure if it was wise that the Obama campaign has officially endorsed it as an issue.   I understand the value in talking about it, perhaps from the surrogate level, because it paints a factual picture of McCain.   I hope, though, that Obama doesn’t dwell on this scandal the film has been released, let the media talk about it today, move on tomorrow.   There are far too many present-tense scandals and crises to deal with.