Think Progress

McCain campaign attacks Bill Kristol: ‘He’s bought into the Obama campaign’s party line.’»

Yesterday on Fox News Sunday, Bill Kristol said John McCain’s campaign has really become “a pathetic campaign.” In his New York Times op-ed this morning, Kristol went further, suggesting that McCain should “fire his campaign” and “start over.” Asked to respond to Kristol’s criticisms, McCain campaign spokeswoman Nancy Pfotenhauer said on Fox News:

Well, you know Bill is entitled to his perspective. And I used to work for Bill. And I can tell you personally sometimes he’s brilliant and sometimes he’s not. And this is one where it’s the latter category. You know, I think unfortunately he has bought into the Obama campaign’s party line.

Watch it:

UpdateThe Huffington Post notes that McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds also hit Kristol. "I know Bill Kristol is an intelligent guy, I just don't think what he had to say was very intelligent," he said.



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85 Responses to “McCain campaign attacks Bill Kristol: ‘He’s bought into the Obama campaign’s party line.’”

  1. deebaser Says:

    Bill Kristol is now ‘in the tank’ for Obama. lol?


  2. deebaser Says:

    did she really say that with a straight face?


  3. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    Nancy Pfotenhauer, you need to be slapped back to reality


  4. RUCerious Says:

    To quote Sheriff Bart:

    They desperate! THEY DESPERATE!!!


  5. b40 Says:

    The McCain camp will throw anyone under the bus for speaking out. This would certainly make it uncomfortable to work in this administration.


  6. Wayne Says:

    Nothing is funnier than Republicans eating their own.
    The wheels are completely off the bus now.

    Bwahahahahaha.


  7. BrianFL Says:

    Add William Kristol to the list of “liberal media” that keeps growing daily.

    Although I agree that the notion that McCain should fire his campaign and “start over” at this point is laughable. Republicans picked a horrible candidate that didn’t have support from most of the Republican base, most independents, and certainly not Democrats. They should “fire” their candidate and his dim-witted running mate.


  8. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    No, Kristol is trying to save face and keep some amount of credibility (which will be a stretch). Last week he was cheer leading McCain’s nasty attacks and this week he is condemning them, because they are having a negative affect on the campaign.

    Kristol is a total nut job and no one should pay him the least bit of attention.


  9. RUCerious Says:

    More fluff from Phancy Phhhtenphutter.


  10. RUCerious Says:

    And I can tell you personally sometimes (0.000000001% of the time)he’s brilliant and sometimes (the restof the time) he’s not.


  11. joe cantwell Says:

    yesireee,

    they’re starting

    to eat each other.

    enjoy.

    #

    thank you.

    ^


  12. scytherius Says:

    OMG they are eating their own.

    What I have learned in all my years involved in politics (my first vote was 1964) that polls are all well and good but if you want to know if someone is winning or losing, look at the campaigns. McCain’s campaign is in utter chaos. I’ve never seen anything like it. For all the talk about Republican’s stealing it, it’s obvious that the McCain people aren’t expecting that. They are expecting a slaughter by the Dems.


  13. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    Greenwald has a great post up on Kristol’s recent buffoonery.


  14. Badmoodman Says:

    “McCain campaign attacks Bill Kristol: ‘He’s bought into the Obama campaign’s party line.’

    - - Kristol’s last column urged McCain to go on the negative attack, and now advises exactly the opposite. But Kristol never acknowledges his reversal. It’s never about intellectual honesty or accountability and always about short-term power with these Wingnuts.


  15. Buckie Boy Says:

    You know, I think unfortunately he has bought into the Obama campaign’s party line.

    ….it’s called “REALITY”, get used to it.


  16. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    These people flip-plop more than fish out of water


  17. larkohio Says:

    McSame and Kristol fighting! Oh my! That is good for the Dems, not so good for McSame. I love it.


  18. RUCerious Says:

    It’s hard to figure out who the bigger buffoon is, Krystol or McIIIrd.
    That said, a hearty Nelson Muntz HA, HA!! to all.


  19. kasinca Says:

    These people will say anything to try to win. They are shameless liars. If Bill Kristol actually made that decision it would be the only thing he has ever been right about.


  20. 5th Estate Says:

    Whilst Kristol is right that the McCain campaign is utter crap that was plainly evident when he picked up Palin ( if not before).
    Ho one is going to fire their campaign team 22 days before an election no matter how crappy they are, so STFU on that one Bill.
    Kristol is of course trying to stay relevant in conservative circles. In a few months time he will get to say “look guys, I told everyone the McCain campaign was crap but you dind’t listen, did you. Now look what happened. You better listen to me from now on!”
    Thus Kristol is temporarily divorcing himself from the GOP so he doesn’t get any poo on his shoes. Then it will be business as usual and he’ll get to keep his welfare job.


  21. upside99 Says:

    When the McLame/Flailin Express has now lost the Weakly (sub)Standard support, the bus is definitely up to its hubs in shit.


  22. tom Says:

    Kristol also said on “Fox News Sunday” that the campaign should have sent Sarah Palin, rather than Rick Davis, to represent the ticket on the show. Of course, Palin was just cited for violating ethics standards on Friday.

    This strikes me as the same thing that Nancy was bragging about in this clip — both John McCain and Bill Kristol are “solution-oriented”. For example, “fire Cox”, “fire the campaign staff”, “kick Russia out of the G-8″, “cut taxes . . . no, buy up all the bad mortage debt”, etc., etc.

    The difficulty with all of their “solution-orientation”, of course, is that they tend to skip right over the “problem definition” step on their way to deciding up their “solutions”. As a result, they are recanting, changing, withdrawing most everything that they say on a daily basis.

    That, my friends, is the “problem” with the Unstable/Unable ticket, their campaign staff and mouth-breathers like Kristol.


  23. misshusseinmolly Says:

    The idea of Bill Kristol “buying into” anything Obama is as believable as Hitler “buying into” anything Gandhi. Kristol and Obama are diametric opposites on almost everything and everyone knows it. Who’s the next wingnut Pfotenhauer is going to accuse of defection — Rush Limbaugh? Karl Rove? Dick Cheney?

    I suppose this is Pfotenhauer’s best hammer throw, but it doesn’t come anywhere near close enough to ring the bell.

    Obama isn’t responsible for the GOP campaign looking as bad as it does. Obama didn’t pick McCain for their nominee. Obama never persuaded McCain to abandon all the principled positions he DID have in order to become a pandering Bush clone. Obama certainly didn’t choose Palin for a veep candidate. And Obama definitely isn’t responsible for the pitiful GOP record for the past eight years that would make ANY Republican candidate have a hard time getting elected.

    Nope — the GOP is in tatters all on its own.


  24. raynman Says:

    If it wasn’t so sad, it would be almost comical

    or is it

    If it wasn’t so comical, it would be almost sad


  25. Londongal Says:

    Kristol is a bloody twit who has NO credibility — period!!


  26. jpmdevildog Says:

    McCain tried to escape the recent criticism of his campaign by shooting some hoops with a few old friends:

    Senator John McCain took a few hours out of his busy campaign schedule to attend the annual basketball game that reunites “The Keating Five.”

    All four of the surviving five US senators who were implicated in the Savings and Loan Scandal of 1987 attended the match where they defeated the Georgetown University junior varsity team 21 to 16.


  27. tarazan Says:

    Nancy Pfotenhauer:” And I used to work for Bill….”
    No wonder she talks like a NeoCon.!!
    She even smiles like Bill…


  28. Zimzone Says:

    Billy Crisco…sliding in & out of positions like grease on ribs.

    Bill’s objective here is to stay in the news…right, wrong or indifferent.

    I’d love to b!itchslap him in the right cheek & suspect I’m not alone.

    Weakly subStandard, heh heh


  29. techsong Says:

    Nancy PFliar says now that just because Bill Krystol doesn’t agree with her, he’s dumb now. He’s only smart when he does. Bill’s been around block a bit more times then the blondie barbie doll. If this guy is trashing them they’re in real trouble. These McCain advisers have a lie cooked up for every situation and the execute it without batting an eye it’s so automatic. Her and the other McCain hand puppets sound like used car dealers trying to sell junk as new cars no matter what the appearance of the garbage their selling. America’s not buying it this year. Empty words are no longer enough.


  30. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    jpmdevildog #26–what a photoshop–funny!


  31. gummitch Says:

    tarazan Says:

    Nancy Pfotenhauer:” And I used to work for Bill….”
    No wonder she talks like a NeoCon.!!
    She even smiles like Bill…

    One has to wonder what “work for Bill” involved. Fact-checking?


  32. Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says:

    A wingnut fight, eh… I wonder whose handbag will break first?


  33. lurker Says:

    Bill Kritol must be reading TP. I have suggested this before.

    OT
    Columbus Day: The day the Indians discovered Columbus lost
    at sea.


  34. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    One good thing from Kristol’s perspective; his current outlandish wankery seems to be eclipsing his public image as “William the Bloody”.


  35. DaTruth Says:

    These ‘have mores’ have become so spoiled and decadent by now. Brought in the Palin chick to give the campaign a spin. It ain’t working! Truth is I can’t stand listening to the neo-nazi zionist ‘hockey mom’ speak. Palin has turned out to be a poor choice for McCain’s running mate. I feel sorry for McCain.

    It is good to know that God’s wrath lays on these right wing nuts! It was about time. With the idiot and his screwups they no longer have a leg to stand on.

    Obama needs a lot of support and protection from these right wing freaks if he is to live and lead this country through a more productive and positive direction.


  36. Mark @ News Corpse Says:

    Gee…Sometimes Bill Kristol is “not brilliant?” Who knew?

    Actually, millions of thinking people. The notion that McCain could fire his campaign three weeks before election day is hilarious. I’m sure the new staf would be up to speed by November 5th.

    It would also make it the fourth campaign team for McCain. He started off his campaign with what I’ll call Team One. They were let go when he ran out of money in the primaries, and he then had the scaled-back Team Two. They were replaced in a panic with the current Schmidt crew, Team Three. After Kristol’s advice, should McCain accept it, you would have Team Four.

    That’s the kind of steady leadership America needs today.

    Get your John McCain NOPE T-Shirts & Stickers today!


  37. ElBruce Says:

    No, follow Bill Kristol’s advice! He’s never wrong! Firing your entire campaign and starting over is exactly the 11th-hour game-changing mavericky maneuver McCain needs!

    DOO EET!


  38. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    gummitch Says:

    One has to wonder what “work for Bill” involved. Fact-checking?

    You’re joking, right? Bill Kristol hiring a fact-checker makes as much sense as movie theater concession stand hiring a nutritionist.


  39. 00mpp00 Says:

    You know this campaign has come apart at the seams when they start taking shots at neo-con commentators for being in the tank for Obama. This hatred of the media has gone too far. Just ’cause Kristol is now with NYT?

    http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/


  40. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    gummitch #31-she worked under him –hint hint wink wink ;)


  41. katy Says:

    whew!

    so now they’re, alluvem, trying out “reverse psychology”?

    on each other? on the dummies?


  42. Roket Says:

    Have you seen where popcorn futures are going through the roof? (snorgles)

    As the Republican Party slowly descends into utter chaos it will be very interesting to see how they explain away where they went wrong, and who or what they blame it on, especially since nothing is ever their fault. Perhaps it’s time for them to migrate to Alaska and secede.


  43. Wayne Says:

    Oh, by the way, Bill Kristol Ball, how is that Plan for a New American Century going lately?


  44. Witch1 Says:

    Good post’s all…Throw a few peanut’s at crazy bill krystol and by Thursday morning he will be back with the rest of the pacaderm’s, makeing each other look bad, good, what ever for fux new’s……Blessings


  45. upside99 Says:

    b40 Says:

    Your initials wouldn’t be RPG, would they?

    Just wonderin’


  46. shoeless Says:

    BrianFL Says:

    They should “fire” their candidate and his dim-witted running mate.

    And replace him with whom? Huckabee? The Republican’s problem is that McCain won the GOP nomination by default, while Obama had to eat out a steelar field of candidates for the Democratic nomination.


  47. shoeless Says:

    Sorry, I meant beat out.


  48. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    Why do so many of McSame’s campaign spokespeople remind me of Kevin Bacon’s character in Animal House?

    “Remain calm! All is well!”

    Meanwhile a tide of humanity thunders toward him, flattening him in the asphalt.


  49. tarazan Says:

    Bill was encouraging McCain camp to unleash Sarah Palin to go after Obama.
    He said let Sarah be herself.
    Bill even said that he talked to Sarah Palin before her debate and called for ‘gloves off’ approach,in an article he wrote early this month.
    That’s exactly what happened..but people did not like what they saw.
    During Democrats primaries he was happy with ‘Kitchen Sink’ attacks policy against Obama…which did not work either.

    Now Bill is hopeless about the trend where McCain campaign is going.
    Bill knows that McCain is Bush,and he cannot bring anything new to the table..other than smearing Obama,a startegy that backfired.
    Bill is frustrated because he wants to see Iran bombed after McCains becomes a president,as his NeoCons doctrine says.
    Now Bill knows where McCain is heading to after three more weeks from now.
    Back to the Senate.


  50. Guido the Loving OBGYN Says:

    *yawn*


  51. RUCerious Says:

    Lessee here, wasn’t it Krystol that was hawking the go negative line that he’s now repudiating?

    To every pundit, spin, spin, spin…


  52. shoeless Says:

    tarazan Says:

    Now Bill is hopeless…

    Yes, I have been saying that for years.


  53. Taguba Says:

    Poor GOP dullards, they just cannot get their story straight. Do they smear Obama like they did Kerry and Gore, or do they take the high road like they did ….well, they have never taken the high road.
    The difference this time is the American people are not buying the $hit sandwich they are selling.


  54. RUCerious Says:

    Next thing ya know, Bily K will be telling Michael Savage Weiner to be nice!!


  55. galmud Says:

    This is so much fun!


  56. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    Nancy Pfotenhauer is hardly someone I would consider credible, and thus someone we would see as a spokesperson for McCain. Background info on this oil industry operative:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pfotenhauer


  57. greenpagan Says:

    Bill Kristol has one of the most astute political minds since…Dan Quayle…

    “Who…?”

    ====


  58. flex Says:

    Kristol is, and always will be, a lying, Fascist, ignorant, Wingnut big mouth.


  59. normalasf Says:

    Am I the only one who remembers an old Bugs Bunny cartoon where the king kept screaming “Where’s my Hasenpfeffer?”

    Every time this tool shows up on the teevee, I’m reminded of a cartoon.


  60. greenpagan Says:

    That perpetual sh!t-eaten grin is what bugs me about the guy. Almost as annoying as Bill O’Reilly’s “wandering” hands…And Steven Doocy’s face…

    ====


  61. Marie Says:

    No ThinkFast thread today:

    The Democratic-leaning community group Acorn has a photograph of John McCain, in March of 2006, sitting beside Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek at an event Acorn co-sponsored in Florida.

    The immigration event, which other photos show was packed with Acorn members, was co-sponsored by the local Catholic Archdiocese, the SEIU, and other groups.

    McCain was the headliner.

    Bertha Lewis, Acorn’s chief organizer, said in a statement that came with the photo, “It has deeply saddened us to see Senator McCain abandon his historic support for ACORN and our efforts to support the goals of low-income Americans.”

    ”We are sure that the extremists he is trying to get into a froth will be even more excited to learn that John McCain has stood shoulder to shoulder with ACORN…


  62. shoeless Says:

    Just read this in an article on Raw Story and had to share it.

    “That’s the intelligence we’re dealing with in this country,” said McCain supporter Jeamour Matthews of her opponents. “They don’t have no grace…”


  63. lurker Says:

    Part of mccain’s new stump speach:
    “The national media has written us off.,” McCain says in excerpts released by the campaign. “Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we’ve got them just where we want them.”
    http://www.americablog.com/ 2008/ 10/ politico-mccains-new-speech-like.html#disqus_thread

    I’m sure this will change a lot of voters minds my friends.


  64. Wayne Says:

    When Nancy Pfotenhauer and Bill Kristol both enter the same room, the collective IQ of the room drops 2 digits.

    With these two on McCain’s side, he doesn’t need an opponent to defeat him.


  65. theswan Says:

    ms photenhauser’s statements are as absurd as the campaign she is a part of. billy is the epitome of her idealogy.


  66. BrianFL Says:

    Nancy Pfotenhauer is the top lobbyist for Koch Industries, the large private oil company owned by the far-right Koch family. George W. Bush’s sister Doro is married to one of the Koch boys.

    Nancy’s husband is a top lobbyist for the mortgage industry at the same time she is advising McCain on the mortgage crisis.

    Most of you already know this, but I wanted to give her backround to anyone who did not know it.

    She was also President of the anti-feminist “Independent Women’s Forum”. If you’ve seen Michelle Bernard on MSNBC, she is from the same anti-feminist group (other members include Lynne Cheney), which leads to the question of how Bernard can be considered an unbiased analyst.


  67. CleanGene Says:

    I certainly hope that Steve Schmuck, Rick Devoid, Nancy Potatohead and Nicole Witless have long careers managing and speaking for Republican presidential camnpaigns. Compared to them Susan Estrich was a campaign genius.


  68. vat694848 Says:

    No strategy, or change of strategy can save McCain/Palin. McCain has pumped his chest the last two years over terror, the rug has been pulled from under his feet with this economic down-turn. Sen. McCain, after his crushing defeat will make Bob Dole look like Ronald Reagan. It could not happen to a better guy.


  69. Yankeluh Says:

    The look on McSames face when the took the microphone from that broad that called Obama an Arab Terrorist showed me that he realized that his campaign had jumped the shark and that it was over. When he had to stand there and contradict everything he had been telling the crowd, that Obama is a decent man and you need not fear him, must have really stuck in his craw. Now the right wing is imploding. I really feel that we are going to have the biggest landslide since Johnson wiped the floor with Goldwater. If we get our veto proof majority we can fix the crap we have had to endure for eight years.


  70. paleolib Says:

    Bad career moves made by Nancy Pfotenhauer in the past year:
    (1) Quitting her day job to work full time for the McCain campaign;
    (2) Admitting on national television that she used to work for Bill Kristol;
    (3) Accusing Bill Kristol of buying into the Obama party line (because let’s face it, Bill Kristol will still have a job in three weeks and Nancy will be looking for one).
    (4) Getting out of bed this morning thus allowing her to get abused by Fox “News” of all networks.


  71. RUCerious Says:

    lurker @#62 ~ kinda reminds me of the knight in the Holy Grail. Armless, legless and still yelling about kicking someone’s ass…


  72. tnrc75 Says:

    To paraphrase LBJ regarding CBS anchor Walter Cronkite’s statement that Vietnam was lost, “if I’ve lost Kristol, I’ve lost the country.”

    ‘course, as others have perceptively noted, this just gives him cover to be allowed to criticize the “direction” of the GOP if and when they get hammered in under a month. It’s a pity Bill K isn’t more honest. He does seem like a smart guy, but unfortunately, his apparent intelligence is outweighed by his grasping for power in this game of charades that comprises American political discourse today.

    That said, pull up a chair kids, these GOP cannibalism fests are Wonderful entertainment…


  73. Winski Says:

    Let’s see…they blamed everyone else, except maybe Bambi (oops in CA..can’t go there), the poor - ooops..gets you in trouble too…The left wing, the right wing, the white house, dogs howling at the moon, bad koolaide, pow’s, crooked hockey pucks, the CRA (almost doubled up with laughter now..), terrorists, moms, Alaskans, kids, hhuumm…do I detect a pattern???

    Nancy Pfotenhauer got some bad KoolAide and she can’t find a MIRROR !!!


  74. bonzo 1958 Says:

    Should not have read *poofenfoppers* remarks while eating. Just look at this mess all over my monitor.


  75. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    tnrc75 Says:

    It’s a pity Bill K isn’t more honest. He does seem like a smart guy, but unfortunately, his apparent intelligence is outweighed by his grasping for power in this game of charades that comprises American political discourse today.

    Where is the evidence that Bill Kristol is “a smart guy”? I sure haven’t seen any evidence to that effect.


  76. McWars Says:

    To say Nancy irks my nerves is, of course, an understatement. Every time I see this person this screeching sound blares in my head, “IRK EEEEEER!! GO SHOPPING!! IRK EEEEER!! GO SHOPPING!”


  77. pete Says:

    Does ANYONE give ANY weight to what this clown says? If so, they must be the stupidest 20% of the stupidest 20% of the population. This moron is still trying to convince people hat sending Babe Ruth to the Yankees was a sound decision. He’s an ass-nugget of the worst kind.


  78. Lusmu Says:

    I happen to think that Nancy is a hot little number, but man, this lying makes her unattractive. Clearly an intelligent woman, who’s willing to sell herself to the highest bidder.


  79. Leftside Annie Says:

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

    Ah, schadenfreude! It’s what’s for dinner! ;o)


  80. Bozo The Neoclown Says:

    methinks this woman has been hanging out with rush and his oxy


  81. lm945 Says:

    That’s another loyalist they’ve thrown under the bus.


  82. Diana9 Says:

    “The Borgen Project has some good info on the cost of addressing global poverty.
    $30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
    $540 billion: Annual U.S. Defense Budget.”


  83. LibertyLover Says:

    As entertaining as it is to watch Republicans eating their own… I really hate what the McCain/Palin ticket is doing to this country.


  84. Chocolate Jesus Says:

    If you’re a Nazi and the ol’ Kristol Meth ain’t working for you anymore, you know you’re in your final throes..


  85. Brain From Planet Arous Says:

    I guess Obama is better for Wall Street Investors, Telecom Surveillance, Drilling for Oil, and perpetual war than McCain is. McCain simply could not get away with more Bush-like actions, but people are so sick of Bush/McCain, that they believe this will be “Change”, where according to voting records and actions, is more corporatism. After all, look at who was on top of Wall Street and Telecom Extortion payments….Obama. This is LBJ more than JFK.


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