Yesterday I mentioned how ineffective McCain's attacks on Obama were as they didn't reflect any real or perceived notion about who Barack Obama actually was (i.e. he's "touchy", "angry", "dangerous", really? Have you seen the guy?)

It seems to be running in the family. Check out this doozy from Cindy McCain today (h/t TPM):

Cindy McCain said today that she expects her husband to clear the record at tonight's debate and let America know where he truly stands.

McCain, who stopped to visit a half-dozen children at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt today, said the presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has "waged the dirtiest campaign in American history," and her husband Sen. John McCain will use tonight's debate to correct the distortions.

Umm, huh? Now, I won't sit here and pretend the Obama campaign has been 100% positive or even that they haven't engaged in some truth stretching. But even if we concede that McCain's campaign hasn't been sleazier than Obama's (which, of course, is laughable), is McCain REALLY suggesting that Obama's campaign has out-sleazed Bush's 2000 primary campaign during which Rove launched a whisper campaign against McCain suggesting he'd fathered a black child? Or the notoriously dirty 1988 Bush Sr. campaign against Michael Dukakis? How divorced from reality can this woman be? Of course, it's of a piece with the detachment from any sort of reality that has characterized the entire McCain campaign over the past few weeks, so in a way it actually makes perfect sense.

Update [2008-10-7 20:19:33 by Todd Beeton]:I'm sensing a pattern here. Call it "McCainian exceptionalism." Just like America, in their twisted worldview, John McCain can do nor ever has done any wrong. Chris Bowers points to this description of John McCain from his campaign website:

John McCain has always put his country's interests before any party, special interest and even his own self-interest. He has always and will always do what is right for our country.

Whoah, he must be awesome, I just can't see how awesome he is. Bowers:

He has always, and will always, do what is right for America? He has never been wrong, once, ever? That's pretty amazing. I wonder if his infinite wisdom on how to help America includes his latest decision to run such a poor campaign that he won't actually become President.

Well, come to think of it...

In my opinion, that has actually helped America.