The Sunday political talk shows deliver debate, if nothing else. They are produced, booked, written and hard-wired for a relentless back and forth. Thus this exchange from ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” was remarkable in its unanimity — journalists, conservative pundits and lone Democrat Donna Brazile all agreeing that Sen. John McCain is a political and policy disaster on the economy.
The assessments were biting, too. Conservative stalwart George Will said McCain substituted “vehemence for coherence” in calling for the firing of SEC Chairman Chris Cox, a move Will labeled “un-presidential.”
Sam Donaldson said McCain sounded so off-message that “age” was back on the table.
A four-minute clip of the show is currently one of the most popular political videos on YouTube. The Obama campaign is sending reporters shorter Youtube soundbite clipsof each rebuke. “In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights,” promises the Obama communique. As the saying goes, with pundits like these…