There were several moments in last night's Republican debate that you may see in November. Mike Huckabee saying that Iraq hid their WMD in Jordan, a US ally, is an example. But for my money, this moment will be the most damaging, if John McCain becomes the nominee.
John McCain has said on numerous occasions that he doesn't have much understanding or even interest in economics. He's said it plenty of times in plenty of different settings over the years. Here it is in The Boston Globe. And The Wall Street Journal. And The Baltimore Sun. And Russert brings it up and he just lies about it.
I know that McCain is the media's fave and he's got Liebercrat support and all. But people are really hurting out there thanks to 30 years of Republican economic mismanagement, and I don't think they want any part of another stooge.
Meanwhile, this is supposed to be the most honest American to ever set foot in Washington outside of Abe Lincoln, someone so very scrupulous and just chiseled in stone. Only he's actually as much a political animal as anyone else. And puncturing that bubble of honesty would spell doom for McCain. This little white lie on the economy is not the first but it's perhaps the easiest to refute.
I know the media will jump on this grenade and call it "dirty politics" and maybe send Chris Matthews out there dressed up as Edward R. Murrow demanding a cease and desist, but they're going to have to work overtime to turn McCain into some kind of deep economic thinker.