Even I Could Write Zingers for The Daily Show With This Stuff

I thought I was reading a comedy spoof when I read this WaPo article. The article focuses on Sen. McCain's increasing attacks on Sen Obama's foreign policy credentials, mostly on Sen Obama's stated willingness to talk to America's enemmies. For instance:

Sen. John McCain stepped up his assault on Sen. Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials at a rally in Miami yesterday, criticizing Obama's willingness to talk to Cuban President Ra¿l Castro and other hostile foreign leaders without preconditions

Imagine Jon Stewart's contorted face as he then looks into the camera and asks, was Ronald Regan's Secretary of State an appeaser? As a video of Sec. Baker appears:

But McCain's argument was undercut when a 2006 video emerged of former secretary of state James A. Baker III, a prominent McCain supporter, saying that "talking to an enemy is not in my view appeasement."

Remember McCain was the one who confused the players in the Middle East and needed Sen Leiberman whispering in his ear all the time. Imagine those videos with McCain saying this:

...Obama fails to understand "basic realities of international relations." McCain said Obama's willingness to talk with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions during his first year as president would only embolden "an implacable foe of the United States."

Sen McCain's senior strategist Steve Schmidt said

"

John McCain is ready to be commander in chief. Barack Obama is not, because of his inexperience and poor judgment," Schmidt said. "Inexperience and poor judgment in the president of the United States makes the world a more dangerous place."

Imagine a perplexed Jon Stewart rubbing his chin and saying: Yeah, inexperience (Texas governor who couldn't find several foreign countries on a map) and poor judgement (invade Iraq) in the president make the world a more dangerous place. Slowly nodding, nodding, nodding. Then asking, why then would we want to continue the same policies? As a dumb picture of Sen McCain looms on the background.

To be far, we have to skewer Sen Obama, too.

Obama, meanwhile, has stuck to his position that the president should be willing to talk with enemies of the United States as part of a return to a more open and ambitious use of diplomacy, though last week he clarified that there would be lower-level contacts and "preparation" before any presidential meeting. On the campaign trail, Obama cites President Richard M. Nixon's opening of U.S. relations with China and President Ronald Reagan's negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as examples he would emulate.

Jon Stewart vigorously nodding, saying, Nixon's stupid foreign policy brought us cheap goods from China and has devastated our manufacturing base and negotiating with Gorby brought down communism and the newly capitalist Russia are outcompeting us on the capitalist market, too.

But Obama doesn't just cite Republican foreign policy success, he also quotes that foreign policy magician, John Kennedy:

Obama also frequently quotes President John F. Kennedy's position during the escalating nuclear arms race that the United States should be willing to meet with its adversaries: "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate," Kennedy said in his 1961 inaugural address.

Can you say "Bay of Pigs?"

It is just too easy.