In a panel in The Big Tent in Denver moderated by The Washington Note’s Steve Clemons, pollster Geoff Garin opined that the Obama campaign really hasn’t taken on John McCain the way they should.  One example he gave was over the compromise energy plan that Obama made some positive remarks about.  Garin said that here we have a bipartisan plan, Five Democrats and Five Republicans came up with moderate, maverick plan. Obama has said that he appreciates the plan because it illustrates the kind bipartisan, outside the box thinking that he would want to occur when he is President.  How can McCain take up the Maverick, Bipartisan label if he opposes this agreement?  Obama should hit him over the head with it by saying that John cCain is so tied to the oil industry he can’t even support bipartisanship on teh energyissue.

Another item Geoff Garin came up with is the national security issue.  As he said, “John McCain’s answer to international problems is always to send in troops.” Garin pointed out that when the Clinton Administration started bombing Serbia from the air, McCain denounced this tactic destined for failure and said that the only way to solve the issue was to send in massive ground forces.  Well since he was drastically wrong, as the air campaign led to Serbia’s surrender and withdrawal from Kosovo, this example paints a frightening picture of what a McCain foreign policy would be like. It also questions McCain’ judgement.

Garin’s examples show that if used intelligently, McCain’s own record can be used to counter the maverick, wise, bipartisan identity that he is trying to carve out for himself.