The Truth About McCain's Ads

David Gergen is a moderate conservative Republican from the South who has served four Presidents most ably. His almost nightly commentary on CNN is something I look for when I want to hear the story told straight and to the point. This is what he said Sunday on ABC about the real meaning of the ads calling Obama a "celebrity" not ready to lead:

"There has been a very intentional effort to paint him as somebody outside the mainstream, other, 'he's not one of us,'" said Gergen, who has worked with White Houses, both Republican and Democrat, from Nixon to Clinton. "I think the McCain campaign has been scrupulous about not directly saying it, but it's the subtext of this campaign. Everybody knows that. There are certain kinds of signals. As a native of the south, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Hestoreporting that cuts to the chase.

"The ad, 'The One,' that's code for, 'he's uppity, he ought to stay in his place.' Everybody gets that who is from a southern background. We all understand that. When McCain comes out and starts talking about affirmative action, 'I'm against quotas,' we get what that's about."

You can watch his important exchange with George Stephanopoulos, George Will and Donna Brazile on The Huffington Post. As one with Southern family origins who grew up in Oklahoma, I know whereof Gergen speaks.....and he speaks the truth.