Obama lays the smack down on McCain over taxes

Yesterday, as most of you know, the Senate narrowly voted to let the majority of the Bush tax cuts, particularly those aimed at the wealthy, expire in a close vote in the Senate, 52-47.  All three remaining presidential candidates took time off from the presidential campaign to cast votes on the tax cuts.  Senator Obama and Senator Clinton both voted against the tax cuts, but our favorite McMaverick, John McCain, voted to reauthorize all of the Bush tax cuts.  As many of you remember, back when McCain was not a completely carbon copy of President Bush, he voted against the tax cuts.  Now that he's running for president, he hypocritically votes for them.  This type of hypocrisy is standard practice for McCain, and he needs to be called on it.  Luckily for the Democrats, Barack Obama has stood up and called him on it.

More after the jump....

Obama tore into John McCain yesterday over the hypocrisy of his votes and the damage that the Bush tax cuts have done to our economy and our country.

Obama Slams McCain for Reverse on Tax Cuts

"That was how, I guess, you got your ticket punched to be the Republican nominee," he said. "But he was right then, and he's wrong now."

McCain has said he supports the tax cuts now because of the economic slowdown and the stimulus potential they offer.

Obama also said he is against the tax cuts because they are an example of a "flawed fiscal policy."

"The notion that we would pile up more mounds of debt, literally borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for tax breaks for people who don't need them and weren't even asking for them I think is unfortunate," he said. "And I think it's an example of the kinds of flawed fiscal policies that have gotten us in such a hole under this administration and a republican congress."

Obama is doing what a Democratic candidate should do, which is to go after the Republican nominee for president.  Because let us not forget, that as much as we may participate in infighting and as far apart as the Clinton and Obama camps seem (at least on this site), John McCain is the real enemy of the Democrats and the American people.  After all:

John McCain is the candidate that embraces President Bush's flawed tax cuts that give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans while pushing our country further into debt.  

John McCain is the candidate who wants to put permanent bases in Iraq and is fine with our troops staying there for a hundred years.  

John McCain is the candidate who thinks it is funny to sing a song with the lyrics "Bomb Iran".  

John McCain is the candidate who will do nothing to address the healthcare crisis or the problems that affect everyday Americans.  

John McCain is our real enemy of progress and change, and we need to remember that.

Barack Obama remembers that, and he will continue to keep treating John McCain as his opponent.  We can only hope that Hillary Clinton will start to do the same.  To the best of my knowledge, she has been completely silent in response to McCain's vote for the Bush tax cuts.  In fact, as has been highlighted many times on this site, her only comments lately about John McCain have been about how qualified his is to be commander in chief.  

Hillary Cinton, John McCain is not your friend.  He has not passed the commander and chief threshold.  This is your opponent, and you need the remember that.  There are a good number of us on this site that need to remember that as well.