Not a Big Truck

First couple minutes of this video.

So, his response to all criticisms are either “drill here, drill now!” or “please, remember, I was a POW.”

John McCain has recently made a habit of using his POW experience as a one-size-fits-all retort for criticisms lobbed at his campaign.  (See our earlier post about allegations that McCain was not in a “cone of silence” before Rick Warren’s debate at the Saddleback Church.)  Today, the Obama campaign released an ad depicting McCain as an out-of-touch moneybags who can’t even keep track of how many houses he owns:

The McCain campaign’s laughable response:

The reality is they have some investment properties and stuff. It’s not as if he lives in ten houses. That’s just not the case. The reality is they have four that actually could be considered houses they could use. … This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years — in prison.

Only four houses!  A true man of the people.

The idea that McCain permanently gets a free pass not only on all allegations of dishonesty but also on charges of elitism simply because he was a POW is ludicrous.

Part of me hopes that the McCain campaign continues using this line of defense against criticisms from the Obama campaign.  I’m not convinced of its ultimate effectiveness.  Being a decorated veteran running against a non-veteran was not enough for John Kerry in 2004 or Bob Dole in 1996.  The American people don’t care nearly as much about military service and POW status as McCain hopes they do.

What’s more, I think the endless repetition of the “But I’m a POW” cry from the McCain camp could become a punchline of sorts if they are not careful.  Think of Rudy Giuliani running on his post-9/11 record as “America’s Mayor.”  At the beginning of the presidential campaign season, everyone thought Giuliani had a great shot at becoming the Republican nominee thanks to that record.  But Giuliani could only play that one note and found ways to bring every discussion back to 9/11.  Even though most people still respected Giuliani’s service as mayor, his shameless repetition of it in speeches and debates eventually became kind of a joke, to the point that Joe Biden mocked him as the man whose every sentence consisted of “a noun, a verb, and 9/11.”  McCain should watch out, especially if Biden ends up on the ticket.  I think a similar thing could happen to him.  All that’s necessary is a single witty and memorable (but not nasty) line like Biden’s.