Jesse Lee is the Online Rapid Response Manager for the DNC, this is a daily update on the day's messaging.
Oh, they were so proud. After handily losing two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, with another loss likely coming down the pike, John McCain got off what his campaign felt was simply the best line ever. Frank James of the Swamp noted, "You could see he was spring loaded on that one." Chris Cillizza of WaPo said, "In case you were wondering whether the 'I'm not President Bush' line was planned...McCain campaign sends this..." - a link to the Youtube of the clip of course. And CNN got the insider reaction...
CNN: "Relieved McCain aides thrilled over Bush one-liner... McCain aides expressed relief Wednesday night that the Arizona senator "finally" used a line that took on one of Obama's central campaign themes. 'Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush,' he said. 'If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago. I will take this country in a new direction.' McCain advisors - who said they had been pushing him to stress that distinction more explicitly than he had in the past -- immediately uploaded the quote to YouTube, and circulated it to reporters."
And so it must have been very disappointing to wake up and find that the "best line ever" was being used by the Obama campaign in one of the best and most amazingly rapid response ads of the election:
That must be just the message the McCain campaign wants front and center. You might have also noticed some of McCain's greatest facial expression hits. Lest anybody be accused of taking them out of context, here they are in full contextual glory:
John McCain rolls his eyes over murdered labor leaders in Colombia:
John McCain gives air quotes to "the health of the mother":
John McCain has the shock of his life at discovering he's been "flat-out lying" about Obama's health care plan: