The McCain campaign mocks Gordon Brown

Benjamin

Actually, Obama still does advocate for it. It was deleted from the website because the bill Congress passed in July covered most of the same measures so there was no need to feature it as a campaign measure anymore.
But Bill Burton, Obama's spokesman, confirmed to journalists they still stick by the plan and would provide more funding for it were Obama to become President.

Verity

Brown is the unelected> British prime minister, you wee daftie. Why on earth should he be treated with respect? He has no remit from the electorate for his occupying the office. He's a squatter.

I like Big Mac's line in irony, but obviously, he doesn't give a toss either way.

Ross

So Gordon Brown is now an international figure of fun rather than just a national one. How deloghful.

Craig Strachan

James: "Brown, for all his faults, is still the British Prime Minister and should be treated with a certain amount of consideration by the campaigns of those who wish to become president."

Maybe they figure Brown won't be PM by the time the new President takes office Jan 20th.

Austin Barry

The McCain camp is evidently unaware that an endorsement from Jonah McBrown is the kiss of death.

steve

McCain has won if Brown has endorsed Obama, just ask Andy Murray and all the other lost causes Brown has backed in the last year.

Steve

What on Earth possesed Brown? To even look like he is interfering in the electoral processes of another Democracy, is just stupid. Has it not occurred to him that if McCain wins, things could get decidedly frosty after this sort of comment. Surely he must remember the cold shoulder Clinton gave Major after it looked like the Conservatives had done a dirt digging exercise on his time at Cambridge

Fergus Pickering

I don't see why this is disrespectful. If Brown wants respect for his office then he should keep his mouth shut about the American electoral candidates. If he insists on shooting his mouth off he is doing this as Gordon Brown, not the PM, and Goron Brown is worthy of no-one's respect.

Ken

Why be respectful to Broon, a loon. As an incapable, inept servant of the people, he should go, yesterday. (Broon endorsed Murray in the tennis and boom, Obama must be quaking).

GS London

The McCain campaign can be as disrespectful as it likes, for two reasons: 1. Britain can take a bit or a joke, and is internationally know for it; 2. Grodon Brown shouldn't have made any comment in favour of one candidate without being balanced to the other, no matter how insignificant.

It's no surprise that Brown is behind Obama - they're both broadly Left wing - but he should expect his actions in international diplomacy to be carefully scrutinised.

Guido

Why should we be respectful to politicians?

The Laughing Cavalier

Brown is backpedallng furiously, blaming it on a junior Labour Party official writing in his name. Ho Ho! Does anyone believe that? I don't believe it for one moment. Brown said it, he's a damned fool to have done so. Politicians of one country should not interfere in the electoral processes of another

The Laughing Cavalier

PS. Bearing in mind Brown's record as a jonah he might just have condemned Obama to defeat

Robert Firth

The McCain campaign may indeed be somewhat disrespectful. But in Gordon Brown they have a great deal to disrespect. As does England.

Mike, Brighton

Brown endorses Obama. Obama is doomed, get you money on McCain. Brown is a proven Jonah. See Guido for the evidence

Austin Barry

James, the age of deference to corrupt, inept politicians died with Anthony Eden.

Ian C

The McCain r4esponse is entirely 'proportionate' to the stupid gaffe Brown has allowed one of his writers to get past him. Wait for the apology from chez Broon.

Verity - your 'unelected' observation is entirely relevant in this.

Keith

If the McCain/Palin team should be respectful to Snotty McBroon, then perhaps he should be respectful to them and keep his dripping nose out of the campaign.
He may be the British Prime Minister but I don't know anyone who elected him to that office. He is a charlatan.

David C

If Brown is now blaming a junior official it means he understands he has made a mistake.

At this point, two things coincide;
one is Brown's refusal to accept responsibility for his failings;
the second (fortunately for Brown) is the need to minimise the damage of his Obama endorsement on bilateral relations. So Brown's own words become a piece written by an inexperienced hireling.

That Brown is in this position in the first place is yet another demonstration of his lack of talent in diplomacy, to be counted among his many other inadequacies.
Over a year in his job and Brown shows no signs whatever of learning new skills, or possessing the willingness to learn, or even the willingness to recognise his own deficiencies and delegate to his Cabinet accordingly.
That such an individual is in the unique position of power in this government is nothing short of a disaster.
That his own Party does not rectify the situation is a crime.

Ian C

Agreed Mike, Brighton; it is the equivalent of the Guardian phoning voters in Ohio in 2004 to tell them to vote for Kerry.

Faceless Bureaucrat

“Personally, I think the McCain campaign is being rather disrespectful. Brown, for all his faults, is still the British Prime Minister and should be treated with a certain amount of consideration by the campaigns of those who wish to become president.”

No, I think it encapsulates the mocking distain that even other countries now have for our present PM. Under his brief leadership, our country has become an international laughing stock and will remain so until the present incumbent is removed from office.

Liz Brown

Why should anyone treat Gordo Jonah Heathcliffe Brown with consideration - he doesn't treat anyone else with anything other than contempt........A british prime Minister, unelected or otherwise has NO BUSINESS interfering in the political system of another and I doubt that anyone will believe that these were the remarks of a junior official - always the scapegoats for this appalling man's blunders

Eddy

At least it gives Brown the chance to clarify his position.

He can state publically, on the box, that he refuses to endorse either McCain or Obama because they are both excellent candidates. Or some such rubbish.

cuffleyburgers

Verity. I am sure I despise and loath Gordon Brown and all his works (or rather doesn't work) as much as, if not more than, you.

However, to call him unelected is silly. At the last GE all the misguided idiots who voted labour did so in the full knowledge that Brown was pencilled in as next leader, and it is entirely legitimate that with Mr Blair's withdrawal, HM should invite GB, as leader of the majority, to take over.

We all expected him to be bad, probably not quite as bad as he has been.

This incident is so sadly typical of his extraordinary lack of the slightest instinct or talent for diplomacy.

His lack of financial nous (other than finding ways to hide spending off balance sheet) has done untold damage to the country's economy.

His bungling on the (fortunately rare) occasions he has ventured onto a wider stage are doing the same to our standing and prestige, which will have the same effect in the long run.

He has been and is an unparalleled disaster as PM, and will undoubtedly go down as the most incompetent and dishonest PM in History.

But unelected? that would be to imply illegitimate, which he isn't (in the strict sense of the word).

Augustus

Gordon Brown's jumping on the Obama platform strikes one as a somewhat feeble attempt to show that the Democrats might actually be campaigning on policies that stand up to scrutiny. However, if it is also an attempt to sway the floating voter in the US, I fear that he might well be underestimating the political shrewdness of voters faced with the brand of populist self-interest of the candidate himself.

Robert Phillips

Oh, please, Mr. Forsyth. Gordon Brown has been trying to ride the Obama mania for all its worth, as you know perfectly well. In that process he has slammed President Bush (who still happens to be President), which is politically stupid even if it's popular. Now that McCain looks like he might be winning, Brown is suddenly turning crafty and hunkering down. John McCain is just letting him know there's a price to pay --- and there will be, next year. Pity Gordon Brown, but for heaven's sake don't treat him like a victim of his own machinations.

Verity

Fergus Pickering - Exactly.

Also, many of them don't really know who Brown is and refer to "some British politician". McCain couldn't care less. Brown has no place in America's destiny.

And given his absolutely insane pronouncements yesterday - I mean, absolutely mad, Obama doesn't need any help in losing the election. I will look them up and post them on The Wall.

I agree with Liz, above. He has absolutely no remit in getting involved in the election of a foreign head of state, even if his word carries no more weight than a flea.

OTOH, it's good to see Brown being true to himself and continue to back the loser.

Augustus writes, in a vacuum of provincial self-importance: "However, if it is also an attempt to sway the floating voter in the US." The floating voter knows who Gordon Brown is, does he? Really? Are you sure? All I have seen is variations on "Who is Gordon Brown? Is he some Brit?" Those in politics in DC will obviously know who he is, in the same way they know who Angela Merkel is, but the average voter has never heard of Gordon Brown. I'd put it at over 90 per cent.

Brown's comments are irrelevant, except when the Big Mac gets in, Britain won't be First Friend any more. In any event, I believe the US will slowly, over the next decade, turn to Oz as best friend. There's a consanguinity of spirit.

Verity

Tangentially on the US campaign, re the CERN project, I heard they are going to take both pages of Obama's cv and bombard them with neutrons at the speed of light to try to detect any substance.

Ted

Their criticism seems very decent when you consider that many Americans I know (rightly) see Britain as awash with woolly liberals. What has happened to our capacity to think and reason? We used to be good at it.

Lance Grundy

And, for another example of well deserved disrespect - this time for the Foreign Secretary, see Andrew Porter’s post David Miliband four letter abuse from Russian foreign minister on his telegraph blog.

Between them, Brown and Miliband are doing untold damage to Britain’s global standing. We know that both of these clowns deserve to be treated with utter contempt. We can hardly be surprised when the rest of the world treats the country that voted them in with the same derision.

mitch

would this be the "universal junior" who gets the blame for everything from lost disks to the 10p tax all the way to this article,he sure does get about.

Max Kaye

"Personally, I think the McCain campaign is being rather disrespectful."

Disrespectful? Respect has to be earned. The only 'consideration' Brown should be treated to is that shown to a moose by Sarah Palin: a clean shot. (metaphorically speaking, of course. I'm not in favour of assassination in British politics).

Joe Camel

Quote of the day: “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.” (Joe Biden speaking in New Hampshire on Wednesday.)

A sign, perhaps, that Barry is about to put poor old Biden out of his misery and ask Hillary to kindly step forward instead. Or perhaps not. Verity, you had something to say about this prospect on another thread, to the effect that Hillary would say Thanks but no thanks, was that it?

RMH

As verity says......... "Tangentially on the US campaign, re the CERN project, I heard they are going to take both pages of Obama's cv and bombard them with neutrons at the speed of light to try to detect any substance."

I wonder what being a Head of a Parish Council (equivilant size) and on the PTA will do for the Veep test they will do as well.

Ruaridh

Is it hypocritical to be Conservative in the UK and yet be pro-Obama? I'd like to think not, the lines we draw as conservatives and liberals here are, I believe, very different from the US which essentially has a spectrum shift about a mile to the right. I thought about these things whilst on the verge of criticizing myself for cashing in my conservative ideals in favor of just liking Obama A LOT more then McCain. His taxes will still be so much lower then the highest brackets here, and shouldn't a national health service just be the norm in any developed country? Honestly, the Republicans just baffle me.

Verity

RMH - Wasilla's a suburb of Fairbanks. Fairbanks is rich and, by Alaska standards, a big city. You know, airports, international 5-star hotels, freeways and so on. She turned the fortunes of Wasilla around. She reduced property tax, which I believe everyone but a communist would argue is a good thing. She attracted new business which increased city revenues, despite cutting taxes. I believe this, too, is a good thing.

And she's on the PTA? When did she have the time? She was Governor of the richest state in resources in the United States and probably the most strategically important. The Alaskan National Guard reports to her. Her husband owns a large successful fish processing plant on Bristol Bay and during the season, she helps out at weekends.

And she was on the PTA? Next you'll be telling us she also had a shoeshine stand at the corner of 4th and Main.

Joe Camel - Yes, I intuited that once the Sarah missile was launched, Joe Biden was going to look like a creaky yesterday's man, tied to the past way of doing things. Part of the stale old DC elite committee-dwellers. Obviously, in the face of the bracing fresh air from Alaska, this was now a non-starter. (It was always a ridiculous choice, but a nice endorsement of Obama's appalling political judgement.)

I believe Joe Biden may suddenly discover a health problem that has occurred since he made his health records public a few weeks ago - as have all the candidates except Obama. A fast-moving health problem that may require him to resile for a small consideration paid into numbered bank account somewhere offshore. This is speculation on my part.

I think, Joe Camel, that Hillary will not be interested in the role of party saviour because frankly, the tide's running in the other direction and if she loses, she won't be nominated in 2012. She's a shrewd politician and I think she will keep her powder dry and sit this one out. This will mean Obama has to go scraping around for someone else. How about Nancy Pelosi? Otherwise, a clumsy, panick pick of an obscure woman who doesn't have the charisma or experience of a state governor. (And he is trite enough to think he has to pick a woman.) What a lot of British haven't grasped yet is, Palin is the chief executive of an entire state. One of only 50 in the country. This is one hell of an achiever.

If Hillary says no, I don't know what you think, Joe Camel, and I would like to read your opinion, but I think he'll stick with Biden because at this stage, yet another prospect would be rightly seen as panic.

As to Hillary in 2012, I don't see it. I think her day has gone. She'll be four years older - 68. Bill will look four years' more sleazy and sly. Younger stars will have been moving up. She will look stale - I don't mean agewise, but she'll look like a white elephant that's been around since their childhood to the younger adult voters now with children of their own.

kw

Unfortunately, no one seems to care that the McCain campaign would rather spend these precious last days of the election taking digs at ANYONE who does not support their campaign instead of talking about the REAL issues. As Obama has said himself "Enough is enough!" Let's talk about the real issues here! Stop picking apart everything said! It's a campaign. Let's go.

Joe Camel

Thank you Verity, your argument is carefully and convincingly presented and I see no reason at all to doubt any of your conclusions. I would only add, if I may, that however much he may now be regretting his choice of Biden, surely he is stuck with him. To ditch him now and take up with a Palin lookalike floozy or trophy veep would surely do even more harm to the campaign than keeping Biden on the ticket. The reaction wouldn’t be so much “poor old Joe got the heave-ho” but rather “poor Barry, he seriously lost his cool.”

By the way, Verity, ABC is now listing the times for airing the Gibson-Palin interviews, today and tomorrow in dribs and drabs:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5778796&page=1

Verity

Thanks so much, Joe Camel for the abcnews info although they are lefties.

No. I thought about a week ago, Joe Biden might suddenly realise he had a previously undetected heart problem or something and might regretfully resign in return for large sums of money. I was thinking around $35 would probably be enough.

But a week's gone by and we're too close to the Debate, so no, I think you're right. He'll stick with Biden. Wow! Biden was a terrible choice even before Governor wafted down from Alaska and frightened the horses. Although actually, I don't think he'll do any harm at this point. I saw the Governor on Fox last night on her return to Alaska, and I posted on this site over on The Wall.

I cannot wait for the VP debate! She can think on her feet!

Craig Strachan

Verity: "Wasilla's a suburb of Fairbanks."

Wasilla is 300+ miles away from Fairbanks. Not a suburb, even by AK standards.