Being a "Guy of the Street"

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a McCain campaign co-chairman, described SENATOR OBAMA as "a guy of the street," referring to his experimental youthful drug use. The description wreaks with racial overtones.

On CNN the Republican strategist, Bay Buchanan, went even futher, asking if it was not indeed legitimate to ask if SENATOR OBAMA "sold cocaine." When pressed by Campbell Brown, Ms. Buchanan insisted that the comment had no racial undertone whatsoever and that the American people needed to know if SENATOR OBAMA was a "dealer."

This is downright despicable stuff.

Here are the facts about SENATOR OBAMA:

*Received B.A. in Political Science majoring in International Relations from Columbia
*Elected President of the Harvard Law Review
*Harvard Law Review editor
*JD of Law from Harvard
*Civil Rights Lawyer for a private law firm - 9 years
*Constitutional Law Professor for the University of Chicago - 12 years
*Illinois State Senator - 8 years
*United States Senator - 3 years
*Leader of the largest campaign in United States history

How low will the McCain campaign go? Their rhetoric has incited rally goers to shout things like "terrorist," "kill him," and "off with his head." How low will this campaign go to win? From a political standpoint, it does not appear that these things have affected the race; John McCain continues to sink in the polls.

But the rhetoric is dangerous. I don't like this tone, including Cindy McCain's today, essentially accusing SENATOR OBAMA for voting against the measures that would keep her son in the Armed Forces safe. As a mother she feigned outrage and elicited pity. What she failed to say is that her husband voted against many of the same bills.

Does Senator McCain's campaign realize that this is dangerous rhetoric? Or, do they care? They seem to only care about winning. This being so, is this the kind of person we want to lead our country? I think not.