I remember the "outrage" after Obama's remarks during the primaries about certain less well-off voters who are "bitter" and "cling" to their guns. But since Obama and Biden have run an overwhelmingly positive and respectful campaign, such incidents were made the most of, since apparently that thin gruel was all their opponents had to work with. But just as a measure of the hypocrisy of McCain/Palin and their supporters, imagine the furor . . .

• If an Obama supporter had ever asked about Sarah Palin, "How do we beat the bitch?" as a McCain supporter asked about Hillary Clinton during the primaries
• If Obama had ever suggested that John McCain was a "terrorist's best friend" the way the Pennsylvania GOP did today
• If Obama encouraged people at a campaign rally to answer "A terrorist," to the rhetorical question, "Who is John McCain?" and then did nothing but smirk in response
• If Joe Biden had asked why Sarah Palin and her husband were "palling around with terrorists who attack their own country" over their association with the Alaska Independence secessionist movement

I think you could make a case that McCain is running the ugliest presidential campaign in modern history. I hope it backfires and he and Palin are buried by their own excrement. But in the meantime, it's fair to ask McCain supporters why they excuse such abuses from their side, and why John McCain can still claim to have a scrap of his supposed honor left.

Give me a break. This is the campaign that makes an issue about a man's health, age, and every other piece of dirt they can dig up. This delusional sainthood that the Obama supporters have applied to themselves is laughable. Not only did Obama kick off his race at the house of a non-repentant terrorist and others he calls them his heroes. What do you think Farrakan is? Read the mission statement of The Trinity United Church Of hrist on the web. Of course Barrack Hussein Obama never heard the anti American hate that was delivered from that pulpil by his spiritual leader Wright or so he says.

I'm sorry but I can't buy your assertion that Obama has run an honorable campaign. You are one of those misguided individuals that still thinks he is the messiah. Obama has lied and misrepresented himself throughout the primaries and the presidential race. Facts are that he was friendly with the terrorist Bill Ayres, and of course we all know about his association with the America hating Rev Wright. You can't claim that someone is running a smear campaign when he is telling the truth about his opponent. With his questionable background, who knows what Obama's true agenda is. He is the most egocentric politician on the scene today. He wants only to be elected president by whatever means possible and he doesn't care one bit about America. He is a coward that doesn't have the courage to stand up for us if if he had to. America's enemies certainly see this characteristic in him and will take advantage. He is a fraud.

Um..Jack Morris, why is it you fail to see that for every criticism you make of Obama one can be made equally about McCain. McCain was involved with Keating and the savings & loan scandal. McCain did lie that he was walking unprotected through the streets of Baghdad recently, McCain did cheat on his wife with a blonde half his age, etc. etc. He is egotistical enough to think he deserves to be president just like Obama and the American people will decide who they like best. Will you support their choice and respect your President Obama if they choose him?

If Bill Ayres is a terrorist, why is he not under arrest? He is not under arrest, in fact he has a respectable job at a respected university. Thus, he is NOT a terrorist. And you turkeys who fail to understand that criticism of right wing republican excess is not the same as criticising "America" are mentally challenged. You don't own America. Your America which I despise is not my America, nor is it the Rev. Wright's .

Ayers was acquitted of all charges in 1974, 21 years before Obama had any association with him. By the time Obama and Ayers met, Ayers was quite visible in Chicago, serving as a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago; working on numerous philanthropic organizations; and a leader for educational reform, working with the city's mayor, Richard Daley on the project.

This is hardly an "unrepetent terrorist." (And yes, I am aware of the New York Times article on Ayers and I am also aware that Ayers wrote a letter to the editor in response calling it a "deliberate distortion." As Ayers wrote, "[m]y memoir is from start to finish a condemnation of terrorism, of the indiscriminate murder of human beings, whether driven by fanaticism or official policy." (Emphasis added.

Again, I add, hardly an "unrepetent terrorist."

Bill Ayers was acquitted of all charges in 1974--21 years before he and Obama met. Since then, he was worked on numerous philanthropic projects, even working with the mayor of Chicago on one.

He has also in no uncertain terms condemned terrorism.

If Obama is elected President I am sure that they will respect him as much as the Democrats on this board have respected President Bush over the last 8 years.

Respect can be earned, and respect can be lost - some will base their "respect" on political parties while others will look further ...

As Forrest Gump says, "stupid is as stupid does!" and after a while respect for someone who embodies "stupid does" so completely is just plain hard to come by.

donnamp:

If Obama is elected President I am sure that they will respect him as much as the Democrats on this board have respected President Bush over the last 8 years.

Yes, Don but let's not forget that Democrats respected President Bush just as much as Republicans respected President Clinton before that. Care to go on?

Many of you McCain supporters have gotten too caught up in empty character attacks and are making a big mistake in not showing Obama the simple respect that he's earned. Your eagerness to ditch your intellects and join what has become a hateful mob is your own fault, and has nothing at all to do with Obama himself. The McCain campaign has abandoned its honor (if it ever had any) by inventing and broadcasting these fabricated character issues, and you supporters are following suit. Shame on all of you.

Do you know how stupid you sound when you go on about how Obama "doesn't care one bit about America" or that he's "a coward?" You're a small-minded pawn. A real sucker. In reality, you choose not to know anything about Obama. Why don't you think for yourself?

Most of you dittoheads can't even get your smears straight. Obama did not kick off his presidential race at Ayers' house. They only met more than ten years ago when Obama was running for his first public office of Illinois State Senator. Ayers played no significant role. They were just involved in an education reform movement that included many other people, including Republicans. But of course you're not interested in facts, are you? You just want some convenient excuse to hate Obama, and if actual facts don't allow you enough leeway, then you're happy to have some Republican campaign worker make one up for you. It's ugly and pathetic. Shame on you for debasing our political discourse.