When Republicans Attack

Just in time for Halloween, Team McCain released its latest negative ad, “Preconditions.”

“Preconditions” uses gimmicks from previous attack ads:

• shaky, blurred images


CNN Debate image

• scratchy backgrounds


scratchy background

• frighteningly distorted faces (Iranian President Ahmadinejad)


Before distortion



After distortion

• swirling blotches of color


Color blotches

• ominous background music (drone morphing into mideast melody)
• parallel poses of Obama and a bad guy to suggest guilt by association


Obama at microphones



Ahmadinejad at microphones

It might seem curious at first that the video of the CNN YouTube Democratic candidate debate containing Obama’s reply to a question about meeting with hostile world leaders without preconditions is so blurred, but perhaps the intent is to draw attention away from the debate and the original footage, so that viewers won’t notice the attack ad’s slanted editing.

Here is the edited text (cited from JohnMcCain.com’s press release):

YOUTUBE QUESTIONER: Would you be willing to meet separately without precondition within the first year of your administration in Washington or anywhere else with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea?

CNN’S ANDERSON COOPER: Senator Obama?

BARACK OBAMA: I would.

Here is the unedited question and answer:

YOUTUBE QUESTIONER: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since. In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?

CNN’S ANDERSON COOPER: I’d like to point out that Stephen is in the crowd tonight. Senator Obama?

BARACK OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding principle of this administration, is ridiculous. Now Ronald Reagan, and Democratic presidents like JFK, constantly spoke to the Soviet Union, at a time when Ronald Reagan called them an Evil Empire. And the reason is because they understood that we may not trust them, that they might pose an extraordinary danger to this country, but we have the obligation to find areas where we can potentially move forward. And I think it is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them. We’ve been talking about Iraq–one of the first things I would do in terms of moving a diplomatic effort in the region forward is to send a signal that we need to talk to Iran and Syria because they’re going to have responsibilities if Iraq collapses. They have been acting irresponsibly up until this point, but if we tell them that we are not going to be a permanent occupying force, we are in a position to say that they’re going to have to carry some weight in terms of stabilizing the region.

The questioner (Stephen Sorta) loads the question for a positive response, and Obama uses the question to distinguish between his diplomatic philosophy and that of the current Republican  administration.

But stripped of context, Obama’s reply sounds like a simple-minded embracing of inimical regimes, when in fact Obama states that he would use the talks with Iran to hold them responsible for securing peace in the region. And clearly agreeing to the preconditions alleged in the McCain ad would undermine peace and stability.

There’s room for debate on the issue. (In follow-up answers, Democratic opponents Hillary Clinton and–to a lesser extent–John Edwards criticize Obama’s approach while not rejecting it totally.) But the debate should take into account the entire question and answer, and not the deliberately misleading snippet in the McCain web ad. If McCain and Palin are so willing to twist words and speeches, how can they negotiate successfully with hostile states, even with preconditions?

Original footage from the CNN YouTube Democratic debate: