Hi All,

The popular expression I see on this site and other has always bothered me, because I think it does a disservice to the truth, and to the credibility of those who use it.

There's no question that McCain stands for a continuation of many Bush policies - Taxes and the War being two biggies. But when I see McCain at a townhall, or speaking, there is a stark difference between him and this president.

McCain doesn't come off as aloof - I can't picture him flicking off the camera as Bush did. He is also much more accommodating of dissent, in a way I could never picture Bush being.

Today, during a townhall, he kept the crowd silent while a war protester spoke about Iraqi war crimes, fighting for oil, and the consensus for withdrawal. McCain thanked her, and then gave his position that our presence does not inflame the Middle East (which is flat wrong) as well as his reasons not to withdraw immediately. He then let her have the microphone back, and she said some more while he asked the crowd to let her speak. After his response, he let her speak a third time.

This protester, whoever she was, did not expect it. I could hear her voice, and how gratified she was that this man had let her have a real (if short) dialogue with him. George Bush would never have done that.

When we constantly make that comparison - that McCain is 4 more years of the same sort of leadership we've had from Bush, we are being intellectually dishonest. This is not an endorsement of a McCain presidency; it is a recognition that the "McSame" label is one that allows McCain an honest opening to defeat the case against him.

If our case against McCain is based on his utter sameness to Bush, then he can defeat that case by being who he is.

It's the wrong tact, and the voters will see through the McSame label. Again, we still need to push how his positions match Bush, but we don't need to say that they are the same person. McSame is a personal attack, and I don't think its accurate or good tactics.