With the presidential race boiling over, some say it's time Obama throw a few punches himself—and that seems to be exactly what he is doing. His recent TV ad—in which he spoke directly to the viewer, without music or graphics, for a full two minutes about the economy—is calm and admonishes both the left and right for mud-slinging politics. But his recent remarks in Nevada are evidence of a growing toughness in his talking points. Will that be seen as a dilution of the "politics of hope"? Probably not, but some are crying wolf.
"Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he's president he'll take on — and I quote — 'the old boys network in Washington.' I'm not making this up," Obama said. "This is somebody who's been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign.
"And now he tells us that he's the one who's going to take on the old boys network," Obama said. "The old boys network. In the McCain campaign that's called a staff meeting. Come on."