Maybe This Will Stick

Hey, I don't blame anyone these days for trying to trip up Obama. Let's be honest, it's a little boring out there now. We're waiting for Pennsylvania on the Democratic side and for McCain to get the Shiite Sunni thing straight in Iraq, on the Republican side. Just kidding, McCainiacs.

But really, no one considers the McCain/Obama public financing debate high political drama. And Hillary, who leads the league in plans, unveiled another one, I think. Scintillating.

So, when Obama suggested that some Americans in small towns are bitter because of the recent economic trends in this country, and, as a result, they "cling' to religion and their guns for comfort, the punditry (as well as the Clinton and McCain campaigns) jumped on the statement as a huge gaffe. Folks were saying that this might be the giant error that Hillary has been waiting for to alter the Democratic primary campaign.

Hmm. Did anyone see a recent poll where roughly 8 in 10 ten Americans feel the country's headed in the wrong direction? Did anyone notice how uttering the word Nafta in Ohio changed the dynamic of the Dem's primary race? So, I'm just wondering why this was a huge blunder? Are we getting picky about verbiage that may not sound perfectly complimentary? Or are we just trying to see if we can keep finding ways to not like Barack Obama.

If it's the latter, I say fair enough. There's nothing else going on. Let's keep poking around to see if we can uncover a sinister underbelly that will puncture his attraction for millions of Americans. But once again, I say to the Clinton and McCain campaigns: be careful what you wish for. Every time a situation is created to put Obama on the defensive and to expose him, he finds a way to move past it. And when he does, the teflon gets that much more non-stick.

Hillary tried the old "Obama doesn't think Pennsylvania is important" tack when Obama stuck to his 50 state strategy in March. Then he started to campaign in the Keystone state in earnest and promptly cut her lead in half. McCain's campaign uncovered the Rev. Wright speeches to bury Obama and--surprise--Obama neutralized the furor with one of the great speeches in recent memory.

Now Obama's hitting back at this lastest flap. Check out the You Tube video of his remarks in Terre Haute, Indiana. I don't know. It just doesn't seem like a really big deal.

And once again, the Clinton campaign is doing its darndest to neutralize any advantage it may leverage from Obama's remarks--this time courtesy of Bill Clinton resurrecting Hillary's Bosnia gaffe.

So, hey, I say go for it. But if you're looking for Obama to bury himself, don't hold your breath. And if you think either McCain or Clinton can somehow bury him in the court of public appeal, you're dreaming. But, it's boring out there. They might as well give it a shot.

Obvious question: will Obama's comments hurt him? Talk about this or anything else by clicking 'comments' below , bypassing the Gooogle sign-up and hitting the nickname or anonymous buttons.