Barack's Chicago Machine

McCain has started to go after Barack for being a Chicago machine politician. This attack on his friends doesn't mention the worst of them, other than Tony Rezko, but it does start down that important path.

“Barack Obama,” an announcer intones, “born of the corrupt Chicago political machine.”

The ad quotes Obama saying, “In terms of my toughness, look first of all, I come from Chicago.”

Then the announcer continues:

“His economic adviser, William Daley. Lobbyist. Mayor's brother.

His money man, Tony Rezko. Client. Patron. Convicted Felon.

His "political godfather." Emil Jones. Under ethical cloud.

His governor, Rod Blagojevich. A legacy of federal and state investigations.

With friends like that, Obama is not ready to lead.”

During a conference call with reporters, Steve Schmidt, a top McCain strategist, said the TV ad was a “real buy” that would air nationally and “will air across the depth and breadth of the battleground states.” Schmidt also belittled the media for not providing a “symmetry” to their probing of Obama’s background compared to the scrubbing that the team of McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has received.

Rock Star Mocked

It wasn't long ago that comedians were complaining about the difficulty of finding an angle for mocking Barack Obama. No longer.

Last month Jon Stewart, host of the satirical news programme The Daily Show, had to tell his audience that they were allowed to laugh at Mr Obama after a joke fell flat.

But Mr Stewart made comedic hay during the Illinois Senator's international trip, mocking his progress through the Holy Land, where he said the candidate stopped "in Bethlehem to see the manger where he was born."

The angle now is that Barack is high on himself, and comedians are doing their best to knock him down a peg or two.

The attitude was summed up by Dana Milbank, the Washington Post's resident political humourist, who declared: "Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee."

Mr Letterman listed top ten signs that Barack Obama is overconfident, which included "Offered Bush 20 bucks for the 'Mission Accomplished' banner" and "Having head measured for Mount Rushmore."

This is all to be expected - the immunity to being mocked was an artificial condition brought on by racial discomfort, and the religious zeal with which Barack broke onto the scene.

Mr Obama is also under fire for moving politically towards the centre ground, moderating positions he had once boasted were evidence of his unique appeal.

Jay Leno, of the long-running Tonight Show, said: "Barack Obama now says he's open to offshore oil drilling. So, apparently, when he promised change, he was talking about his mind."