Editor's note: Ed Rollins, who served as political director for President Reagan, is a Republican strategist who was national chairman of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign.

No, only the wise knows the ammunition of the enemy. He is exactly right.

if it suits you, will you?

This is the same guy who predicted the Democratic Party will fall apart if Lieberman loses to Lamont.

What the hell is the point of this diary? You come here to post a column by Ed Rollins so you can complain about Obama's VP? Give it a rest.

Whatever arguement you want to use, please use your own. I have read you arguement on I don't know how many news websites...all submitted by democratic operatives. McCain is now appealing to those demographics that Obama once was and slowly turning to a Dukakis. God help our party if he loses.

The truth hurts and we all know it.

Hmmm "White independent moderate men and conservative women." Isn't that the same group that push Bush to victory in 2004? Uh yes it was.

Those demographics are coming back to McCain.

God help our party if Obama loses.

And what are YOU doing about it, besides casting blame.  This game is far from over.  But the song you sing here is the same one that PUMA has been singing for months.  If ever McCain was going to surge, it was going to be now.  Give him a little credit.  He's a crafty old coot.  Now we'll see how Obama responds.

I agree that we'd probably be in a stronger position with HRC on the ticket.  I wanted her there.  But instead of fixating on this narrative of Obama's "pride," I suggest crediting him with making a tough and responsible choice.  Unlike McCoot, he didn't pick solely according to political calculations, but looking ahead to governing responsibly.  

The race is not lost.  There is a good deal of time left.  Every time I've become frustrated with this campaign, they seem to right themselves and make it work.  I've taken nothing for granted at any point.  I don't think Obama has either.  This is the time to band together against a tenacious foe, not sink into defeatist recriminations.

If Obama goes after McCain, as it was leaked he would, then he is done. Palin is the attack dog and has motivated the Republican base. They are here to stay until election day.

God help our party if Obama loses.

Joe Biden is a strong choice if Obama wanted to go the experience route.  And more importantly he is a good man.  

I think that by not picking a reinforcing pick around change (say a Tester, a Webb, a Kaine) Obama showed weakness and the thugs smell weakeness like sharks smell blood.  

Obama has never cracked 50% in polls.  That is to say, after months of having the stage mostly to himself (or at least absent McCain) he has never closed the deal.   This has given McCain an opening.  But by no means is all lost.

Most/all of McCain's gains have come from rallying his base which was flirting with Obama or perhaps sitting it out.  Now that he has rallied the base, we are in the typical 50/50 election where it will be critical to define the thugs before they define us.   I don't think that we spent enough time at the convention doing this in personal terms, but it's not too late.

Look, it might not feel good to make it clear to the public that:

John McCain is a senile, angry, unstable, out of touch, wife-cheating, back-stabbing, racist.  

or that Sarah Palin is an inexperienced, fundamentalist, toothless piece of trailer trash who has more business  waiting tables at Denny's than she does running for national office.

But my friends, that is what we need to do to ensure victory.  You know that the other side wants Americans to believe that:

Barack Obama is an untested, feckless, Muslim empty-suited communist foreigner

and that Joe Biden is a slippery, jaded, cynical, do-nothing establihsment type.

They aren't hesitating to define our candidates this way.  It's enough.   It is time to sink to that level.

If Obama had picked Hillary, McCain would NOT have picked Palin

although the prospect of seeing Hillary vs Palin in a debate would have been pretty amazing to see.  Hillary would have chewed her up & spit her out without breaking a sweat.

Right now the task on hand is to make sure Obama wins. We can always talk about "what if" after the elections.

Everyone please remember that trolls, like this diarist, deserve troll ratings.

Good comment venician...very professional. I am glad we can talk politics by quoting facts and articles and polls.

God help our party if Obama loses.

That article isn't an analysis, it's a partisan hit-piece. It says this:

The reformer Obama who was going to be the candidate of change is now running with Mr. D.C. establishment.

while completely failing to mention that McSame is now trying to run as the candidate of change. It makes bald assertions about what McCain would have done, without any compelling reason beyond the fact that...well, no reason at all. It includes gems like this:

McCain, the maverick who is surrounded and advised by the D.C. establishment, has somehow picked the real reformer who has altered the Alaska political landscape by throwing out the establishment "good old boys" of both parties.

"The real reformer"? Are you fucking kidding me?

In short, it's GOP propaganda, devoid of actual substance. Thanks for distributing it. Next time you want me to read something, the answer is no.

This is where your argument failed -

Obama could not swallow his pride and pick Hillary

Unless you can back this up with one fact to prove it was pride your entire diary is a waste of time.

What do you mean by that?  Now that he is the candidate aren't we all supposed to be Obama supporters?  Are you hoping for a McCain victory for some reason?

He is the party Candidate and he deserves a lot better than this

Yes, Obama did spurn Hillary and he still has never explained to any of us die-hard Hillary supporters WHY he spurned her. In fact, he has done NOTHING, ZERO, NADA to reach out to clinton supporters - he has relied on Hillary to do it all.

Why would I trust Obama with anything he says ("she is on my short list") when in fact even that is a lie now that we know he did not even vett her.

Obama is denying democratic women the opportunity that mccain is presenting to republican women...

of making history by having the first woman VP.

Hillary is more qualified and more experienced than Palin or than Obama - he had no reason to spurn her and no reason to go for an old washington insider that garnered about 70,000 votes vs a qualified, strong woman candidate that got 18 million votes.

Obama has already made his first big juddgement mistake and has proved he cannot be trusted.

hillary 2012

Look, the diarist is a die hard PUMA who is not planning on voting for Obama anyway, and presumably, like all dedicated PUMAs, he or she has been a lifelong Democrat who wants more than anything to see Obama lose.
This diarist even wrote a diary about the fictional "whitey" tape.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/6/3/11229 /49236

Please use your TU status to dispatch this person to troll heaven.