McCain and the "Look at Me Express"

One of the themes of those who disdain the Obama campaign is the idea that Barack Obama is "self-centered." That's especially the case in relation to the various patriotism slips by Barack and Michelle Obama. Here's an item from Blogs for Bush:

Even if he "forgot" to show the proper respect, his "forgetfulness" is illustrative of his priorities; and is likewise illustrative of his contempt toward those who before him have made the ultimate sacrifice so that he and other ungrateful, smug, self-centered adolescent rubes can ramble on about how love of and respect for one's country mean nothing. After all--he didn't have to pay for his freedoms.

Of course, it takes a lot of self-centeredness for anybody to launch a major campaign for the presidency--including Barack Obama. But self-centeredness is not nearly as important to Obama's campaign as it's going to be to John McCain's. Here's Stephen Hayes discussing how McCain's going to campaign after he takes a trip overseas to "look presidential" and gives a "significant national security address."

After that, McCain will begin a cross-country tour emphasizing his life story. His advisers believe that while most Americans have a vague sense that McCain served his country in the military and in political life, they don't actually know his story. This trip--the "Service to America" tour--is intended to fill out that narrative. It will feature stops in cities and towns that have somehow shaped his life. Among them: McCain Field in Mississippi; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class; Pensacola, Florida, where he trained at the Pensacola Naval Air Station; and Jacksonville, Florida, where he lived upon returning from his time as a POW in Vietnam. At each stop, the campaign will emphasize one aspect of McCain's character and talk about why it will be important in the White House.

In other words, the main justification for electing John McCain president is going to be his "character" and McCain is going to go from place to place displaying "one aspect" of his character after another. Issues like the war, foreign policy, the economy, and the environment are going to get short shrift as McCain focuses attention on himself, his character, and what it means to be as great as John McCain. Obama and Clinton use personal anecdotes to bring attention to their policy prescriptions. Stuck with unpopular policy prescriptions, John McCain is going to focus on himself. He might as well call his campaign plane the "Look at Me Express."