Today's story in the nytimes is mostly about Obama saying he'll consider a bipartisan agreement on energy, but the most important part of the article to me is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/us/pol itics/03OBAMA.html?hp=&adxnnl=1& adxnnlx=1217704810-h6JSHfN8AXwv5vhwWIcpq g

Mr. Obama also addressed and rejected Mr. McCain's charge in recent days that he had injected race into the campaign.

"Let me make this point: Most of the people here were in Union, Mo.," he said, referring to his appearance there last week. "Almost none of you, maybe none of you, thought I was making a racially incendiary remark."

He added: "In no way do I think John McCain's campaign was racist. I think they are cynical."

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This past week has not been kind to Obama, and this article explains why:

The article seemingly puts Obama on defense in "reluctantly agreeing to some drilling".  This as opposed to a bold - clear agenda that he will fight for.  It is part of the peril of being a sitting Senator who thinks he is ahead in a Presidential race.  When you are behind, you actually have more flexibility because you have less to lose.

But the second part about "none of you thought i was making a  racially incendiary remark" is also bad because for the 3rd or 4th day, the Obama campaign is on defense.

You can't win the POTUS on defense.  You have to get and stay on offense.

This is true whether the topic is energy, race relations, or silly campaign ads.

This season has the potential to be 2004 redux.  The Bush/Republican team put Kerry on defense. He then felt the need to "set the record straight", and never got on offense. He kept saying they weren't going to "do to him what they did to Dukaksis" but then he wound up getting done to him what was done to Dukaksis.  One of Kerry's worst moments was saying, "he won't have his patriotism questioned by people who didn't serve when they had a chance to".  He talked about responding.  His campaigned complained, but they never got a good shot on bush and kept hitting him.  I think Kerry felt the election should be about the "issues" and he lost.

Now we have obama who might be made in the same mold except

Obama has never faced an all-out Republican attack.

People who think the Democratic Primary was rough were/are fooling themselves.

In the Primary, Obama received so, so many free passes because:

- democrats had a desire to "come together" in November

• democrats wanted to respect the 1st serious A.A. candidate
  
• democratic voters are generally way to the left, so many arguments against Obama wouldn't make sense in the primary

But now, Obama is beginning to come out into the open with less camoflouge.  

There won't be friendly forces to appeal to McCain to "tone it down" like there was towards Bill and Hillary Clinton.

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To say, "none of you" understood his words to be incendiary is a straw man.  The fact was Obama was saying the Mccain team would attack him because among other things he is a black candidate with a muslim sounding name and new to Washington. This includes race, and it was done on purpose.

obama and his campaign have done this type of thing repeatedly in the past:

-Oprah and Obama in S.C. making racial appeals about "the right to vote" and "don't let them stop you from voting", "don't be bamboozled", that were totally absent in New Hampshire and Iowa.

-twisting bill clinton's words are the story that obama was always against the war was the "biggest fairytale" into an assault on the obama candidacy that Clyburn (closet obama supporter) and other on the record supporters claimed harbored racial codes.

Well now obama doesn't have the cover of people in the opponents camp like a charlie rangel or john lewis being sympathetic towards him.

The media will try, but republicans hate the media already so they expect a raw deal.

I suggest the obama team get a solid plan such as the following:

1.
- in his acceptance speech make it clear--overtly say-- he and his wife will love america whether they win/lose and that racism is not at issue in this election.

"I will love america as the greatest country on earth, whether I win in a blowout, win a close election, lose a close election or lose in a blowout.  We are a great country and have proven that we are dedicated to goodness.  No one election will prove/disprove that.  America is on the right path, and I intend to be a part of this great journey"

2.
-have a 527 group (not coordinated of course) take a cheap shot in an ad at McCain either about his mental fitness to serve  or the Keating five scandal.  Something that Obama can condemn.

3.
-use these days between now and the election to set the stage for a groundswell in the last week of the election.  

Simply register new voters, build up the democratic base, and do all the basic and necessary things a candidate should do.

Don't respond in the back-and-forth political games of McCain.
YOU CAN ONLY LOSE.  Right now you are scheduled to win and win big.  Why play a game where you either stay the same or lose?

4.
-find ways to bring the word "change" to life.  The same way your campaign ran a different Primary strategy with the Caucus states and the small donors.

I think Obama can win this election by being 100% honest about what he believes, and doesn't think of himself as a candidate trying to do the "political thing".  Actually make decisions now that he would as President, and not play the email/ad/back-forth political games. That is the old politics.  That is McCain's best chance.

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All of the above is risky, just as the current strategy, is risky, but it would establish and advance principles and garner respect from the people.

This is obama's race to win/lose right now.

Right now, he's on the verge of giving mccain a shot.

There is still plenty of time.
The election really doesn't start until after both conventions anyway.

Craig Farmer