There really is no way McCain can distance himself from the remarks of Charlie Black. They are right out of the Bush/Rove playbook. No doubt, the pundits will try to give McCain yet another pass, but this one is too much. McCain has to fire Black. There is no other option. Otherwise, McCain is basically owning Black's words:
A top adviser to Sen. John McCain said that a terrorist attack in the United States would be a political benefit to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a comment that was immediately disputed by the candidate and denounced by his Democratic rival.Again, the punditry is going try to let this one slide. But, remember, Samantha Powers got canned after a media outcry over far less. She made a catty comment about another candidate. Charlie Black, on behalf of McCain and the GOP, basically said that if Americans were killed by terrorists, it would be a "big advantage" for McCain and the GOP. That's so 2004. And, it's so wrong.
Charlie Black, one of McCain's most senior political advisers, said in an interview with Fortune magazine that a fresh terrorist attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." He also said that the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, while "unfortunate," helped McCain win the Republican primary by focusing attention on national security.
"His knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us," Black told the magazine in its upcoming issue.
The comment reinjected the fear of terrorism into the campaign as both candidates had been shifting their conversation to the economy and $4-per-gallon gasoline. It also vividly recalled the 2004 contest between President Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, in which Republicans repeatedly questioned Kerry's ability to protect the country from terrorists.
The comments also returned the political spotlight to McCain's advisers and, in particular, to Black, who has drawn criticism for his long lobbying career and his representation of controversial foreign governments. McCain has been criticized for surrounding himself with top advisers who were lobbyists.
Black earlier this year severed ties to the lobbying firm he founded. Records show that his firm had represented the Pakistan People's Party, which Bhutto led until her death.
