NORFOLK, VA - At a town hall meeting in Virginia's Tidewater region, Barack Obama took a few minute of the education-themed event to address concerns that he may have offended John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin at an event yesterday on other side of the state.
That would be, of course, his use of the "L" word to knock the McCain/Palin promise for change. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," he said less than 24 hours ago, generating a McCain-induced whirlwind of media coverage around whether or not what he said was sexist.
"We are here to talk about education, but, you know, I'm running for president, so that means I've got to spend a just a brief moment talking a little bit about politics," Obama said apologetically to a roomful of teachers, parents, and school board officials. "Before we begin today, I want to say a few words about the latest, made up controversy by the John McCain campaign," he continued as the crowd chuckled.
Obama proclaimed his comment was innocent and taken out of context - and pushed onto the willing media like "catnip." He scoffed at their "outrageous ad" released this morning, which was played on the morning TV shows, and explained it was all a calculated effort by the GOP. "[The McCain campaign] would much rather have the story about phony and foolish diversions than about the future," he said.
An exasperated Obama ticked off the ills facing the nation - including a tanking economy, two wars, and an energy crisis - and incredulously exclaimed, "And this is what they want to talk about? This is what they want to spend two of the last 55 days talking about?"
The lipstick flap comes after Obama has accused the McCain campaign of trying to make the election about character and personality instead of issues - so far successfully, it would seem. Frustrated, Obama declared, "I don't care what they say about me, but I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough!"
But with so many news outlets - especially cable and Internet - influencing the news cycle, it seems as though personalities, gaffes, and yes, even made up controversies will continue to make their way to the forefront of political coverage. "This is a game that we play. It's a game. It's a sport. And maybe if this wasn't such a serious time it would be okay," Obama said.
So how does he plan on cutting through the Republicans' effective tactics?
"We are just going to keep on presenting the facts, truthfully, forcefully, consistently every day. We are going to hammer away at the fact that the stakes in this election are too high. They have to do with whether we can rebuild the middle class and put this country back on a pathway to success in the 21st century competitive, global economy. We're going to hammer away at that every single day. And I trust the American people to pay attention," he explained.