Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

John McCain has decided: let the smears begin. And so campaign silly season has arrived with a vengeance. It seems a Hamas spokesperson told a WABC interviewer that Obama would be as a good a president as John Kennedy. That was enough for McCain to let the fur fly:

Senator John McCain…portrayed the Democratic contender as being the favorite of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, and implied that he would also be friendly with Iran, a Hamas ally.

Speaking at a news conference in New Jersey, Mr. McCain said he believed that comments made by a Hamas leader approving Mr. Obama’s candidacy were “a legitimate point of discussion…”

Obama tried to fight fire with fire saying McCain:

was “losing his bearings” and engaging in “smear” tactics. “My policy toward Hamas has been no different than his,” Mr. Obama said in an interview on CNN.

McCain has indeed lost his bearings if he ever had any. But the true indication that he has lost either his bearings or his marbles is this:

Mr. McCain has taken pride in the enmity with which he regards Hamas. “I think that the people should understand that I will be Hamas’s worst nightmare,” he said late last month in a conference call with conservative bloggers.

Conversely, he has tried to portray Mr. Obama as sympathetic to Hamas.

“I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States,” Mr. McCain said to the bloggers. “If Senator Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.”

Oooohhh, I can just feel the shivers going up and down Khaled Meshal’s spine: John McCain is going to be my own worst nightmare. Who does McCain think he’s fooling? What can he possibly do to Hamas? Shut down all those fat U.S. bank accounts its leaders maintain? Turn away Meshal’s son from attending Yale? Send in commandos to liberate Gaza from the iron hand of Hamas? He reminds me of the old silverback gorilla in the zoo pounding his chest as he remembers those glory days when he could command the gorilla world’s attention. Dream on, John.

As for who Hamas is supporting for president…I didn’t know they had a say in the matter. Does Ahmed Yousef, who compared Obama to Kennedy, vote? Is he a Chicago ward heeler? Then who the f(&k cares?

The militant Israel-First wingnutosphere practically creamed in their pants when David Duke republished without my permission one of my Comment is Free essays (Duke subsequently removed it at my insistence). Only in the minds of wingnuts like the former does it signify anything that another extremist loon thinks highly enough of your work to steal it. If David Duke features my work what does that mean? That I have anything in common with David Duke? That I have anything to answer for? No. Just as Obama has nothing to answer for. And those like McCain who try to claim otherwise should be seen for the whorish smearmongers that they are.

It’s going to be a long, hot campaign. But John, we’ll be watching you every step of the way.