The problem with comparing Obama to Tiger Woods

At a pro-war rally, a GOP supporter describes the '08 campaign: "You can have your Tiger Woods. We have Senator McCain."

Published April 9, 2008 5:50PM (EDT)

At a pro-war rally in D.C. Wednesday, hosted by a conservative group called Vets for Freedom, John McCain received an interesting introduction from one of the group's founders.

The key quote, of course, was David Bellavia saying, "Rest assured that people like Senator McCain will be the goal and the men that my two young boys will emulate and admire. You can have your Tiger Woods. We have Senator McCain."

As David Kurtz noted, "It's Masters Week, but what does Tiger Woods have to do with this?"

There are a few angles to this. First, Bellavia is not just a random conservative McCain fan; he's actually a Republican candidate for Congress, running for Tom Reynolds' open seat in upstate New York.

Second, McCain was standing nearby during Bellavia's comments, and hasn't distanced himself from them. (Indeed, he hugged Bellavia after the introduction.)

And third, MSNBC's Chris Matthews decided this was a "no harm, no foul" moment -- because Tiger Woods is a good golfer.


By Steve Benen

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