- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
John McCain seems to be doing his best to build his own version of a double-layer border fence between his campaign and the hardcore anti-immigration wing of the Republican Party.
In a new ad up Friday in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, McCain plays a clip from a GOP primary debate last June, in which he vehemently defended the immigration reform legislation that nearly brought his campaign down. The ad -- and McCain's comments -- points out the Hispanic names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Latino immigrants serving in Iraq and Afghanistan now. "Let's from time to time remember that these are God's children," he says. "They must come into our country legally, but they have enriched our culture and our nation in every generation."
The ad serves two purposes -- one, like nearly all McCain ads, it evokes the sense of honor he finds in military service (possibly reminding voters of his own), and two, it brings voters back to the John McCain who fought hard for an immigration bill his own party fought even harder against. Of course, that's mostly important because in the year or so since the bill crashed and burned in the Senate, McCain has spent a lot of time trying to flee from his own legislation, telling Republican primary voters the border needs to be secured before any undocumented immigrants get legal status. Earlier this year, he said he wouldn't vote for the bill if it came up again.
Possibly because of that, Barack Obama beat McCain 47-22 in a recent AP-Yahoo News poll of Latino voters. The new ad -- which features a shot of nativist Rep. Tom Tancredo, who ran for the GOP nomination on a border security platform, looking angry at McCain -- might help close the gap. McCain's campaign also says Obama is in no position to lecture him on immigration; while Obama participated in the bipartisan talks last year that crafted the bill, he later pushed for an amendment supported by unions that would have helped kill the legislation if it had passed.
But you'll notice the ad is in English -- which means it's not just aimed at immigrants, but also at moderates and independents who liked McCain's maverick image the last time he ran. Besides the immigration message, the ad has another layer: "See, this guy stands up to his party! He's not like all those other Republicans!" And that may be the message McCain wants to drive most of all.
BOOKS
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Obama's first book, a memoir focused on personal issues of race, identity, and community.
By Barack Obama
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Obama's second book, in which he shares his personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.
By Barack Obama
10 reasons there's a bright future for journalism
An optimistic take on what's coming, both for news outlets and news consumers.
By Mark Glaser, Salon
Obama: From Promise to Power
In this compelling book, a Chicago Tribune reporter draws on interviews with Obama, his family, friends, and rivals, as well as his own extensive coverage since Obama's days in the Illinois Senate, to offer a nuanced look at a man of idealism and ambition intent on making history.
By David Mendell
SPEECHES
July 28, 2004: Obama's first national prime-time speech
In this speech, Barack Obama urges America to remember its unity, pledging that "out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come."
August 28, 2008: Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party's presidential nomination
In this speech, Obama lays into John McCain, describing him as "anything but independent."
November 5th, 2008: Obama's victory speech
In this speech, Obama tells his ecstatic supporters, and the entire nation, that "change has come to America."
January 20, 2009: Obama's inaugural address
The new president calls upon the nation to face its challenges head on, with determination, strength and a commitment to ensuring the delivery of freedom to future generations.
SALON STORIES
How would Barack Obama handle foreign policy?
The presidential contender on dealing with Iran, fighting AIDS in Africa and restoring America's standing in the world.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Chicago is Barack Obama's kind of town
The city has a unique history of launching the careers of powerful black politicians -- which is part of the reason Obama moved there.
By Edward McClelland, Salon
American revolutionary
In his acceptance speech, Barack Obama stood up for Democratic values, took the fight to McCain -- and proved that the United States is still capable of reinventing itself.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama's epic win
The culmination of a brilliant campaign, Obama's unequivocal defeat of John McCain marks a political and generational transformation.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?
The Clintonites in his Cabinet, forgiveness for Lieberman, the creeping signs of centrism -- progressives aren't ready to panic, yet.
By Mike Madden, Salon
"A new era of responsibility"
Mixing straight talk about dire times with lofty rhetoric about hope and determination, Obama repudiates Bush and vows to get to work.
By Mike Madden, Salon
OTHER STORIES
The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
By Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker
Time's "Person of the Year" coverage of Obama
A strangely fascinating database of Obama-formation, including everything from "6 Degrees of Obama" to a collection of Obama-themed art from Flickr.
Time
The presidency of Barack Obama
This New York Times megapage is the last word on Barack Obama, including everything from his personal biography to his current political stance on detainees and Africa.
The New York Times
Pres. Obama Touches Down in Florida's Heartland
McCain Looks to Block Net Neutrality, Appease Telecom Donors