Bob Schieffer on Obama's "Restraint"

I actually think, for the major TV networks, Bob Schieffer seems more objective and less liberally biased than most major newscasters. I thought the way he conducted the third Presidential debate, the best I thought, was well-done. I thought that CBS-TV made a mistake by hiring Katie Couric as its anchor after Bob Schieffer took over from the dismal final days of Dan Rather's tenure and was steadily growing an audience. Other than a brief pop in the ratings with her first few shows, she quickly slid to the bottom of the major newscasts.

Bob Schieffer's closing commentary on this Sunday's Face the Nation lauded Obama's "restraint" over the election, noting that he was hoping for one of Obama's ethereal, "we are the ones we've been waiting for" stem-winders at Grant Park on election night and expecting Obama to rub McCain's nose in it. 

Oh, yes. Let's review how, with Obama's superior campaign organization, fundraising (because he reneged on a pre-campaign promise to accept public financing of the general campaign) that in one month alone nearly doubled what the McCain campaign had for the whole general campaign and outspent McCain up to 8-to-1 in battleground states, and running down the economy after the worst economic tsunami since the Great Depression, Obama managed one-point victories in North Carolina and Indiana, a 2-point victory in Florida, a 3-point win in Ohio, and a 4-point win in Virginia and a smaller margin of victory in all but two national polls?

Obama's election night restraint with no fireworks, etc.? Well, Obama just might think at a time we're in an economic downturn, it just might not be good politics to gloat. There's an old saying: "Be careful of what you wish for: you just might get it." Maybe Obama's worried about people with unrealistic expectations, supporters with contradictory agendas; he's not going to be able to be all things to all people.

What I take particular exception to is the following:

That restraint, Obama's understanding of how it would all look - an ability so often lacking in today's politicians - may well be what brought him to victory.

Time and time again in a hard-fought campaign there were lines Obama could have crossed and didn't. He made no issue of John McCain's age; he raised no questions about his health; he never went after Sarah Palin. He knew how it would have looked. 

Are you kidding me, Bob? No issue of John McCain's age? A recent UCLA story of registered voters said that of Obama's supporters, 63% listed McCain's age as a factor. In contrast, only 10% of McCain supporters listed Obama's multracial background a factor--while it was a huge plus in Obama's support. 

Let's see: John McCain was "out of touch"? He "can't remember" how many houses he owns? "We don't want the same OLD folks in Washington"? The campaign ad that was retro early-80's and noted John McCain can't use a PC or send emails? Why they were focusing on Palin's inexperience being a heartbeat from the Presidency? Obama's use of the terms "angry" and "confused" in describing McCain? "The old boys network? In the McCain campaign, that's a staff meeting..."

Obama not raising issues with McCain's health? Are we playing word games here whether he or his surrogates/supporters were using it? In a mid-September ABC-TV This Week with George Stephanopoulis, Carly Fiorina and Senator Claire McCaskill were discussing Sarah Palin, when McCaskill justified her adverse scrutiny of Palin on the grounds that John McCain had battled skin cancer (4 times). In fact, some pro-Obama 527 groups (Brave New PAC and Democracy for America) put together a relevant spot, running it on MSNBC. (McCain supporters wryly renamed MSNBC the "Obama TV Network",  with pro-Obama Chris Matthews and Keith Oberman finally dropped from election anchor coverage.)

Obama never went after Sarah Palin? Oh, come on, Bob! You don't remember Anderson Cooper 360, when Barack Obama tried to compare running his campaign with Palin's administrative experience running the city of Wasilla and the state of Alaska? Obama's Midwest stump speeches blasting Palin's record on earmarks as a mayor and governor shortly before the "pigs wearing lipstick" kerfuffle? Or this late October Obama quote referencing to Palin's poorly worded statement on Obama's TV spots and his own use of robocalls: "It's getting so bad that even Senator McCain's running mate has denounced his tactics. As you know, you really have to work hard to violate Governor Palin's standards on negative campaigning." Bob, that statement seems fairly judgmental to me.