Good for John McCain

If Sarah Palin's speeches are any indicator, the McCain campaign has decided to go all-out with the "Obama is a scary outsider" thing right up to election day. But John McCain himself, to his great credit, has refused to personally endorse that message, even to his own bloodthirsty crowds:

John McCain was booed by his own supporters during a rally on Friday after he described Barack Obama as a "decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

McCain was responding to a town hall attendee who claimed he was concerned about raising a child under a president who "cohorts with domestic terrorists such as [Bill] Ayers." Despite the fact that McCain and his campaign have repeatedly used Ayers to hammer Obama in recent days, the Arizona Senator tried to calm the man.

"[Senator Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States," he said, before adding: "If I didn't think I would be one heck of a better president I wouldn't be running."

The crowd groaned with disapproval.

Later, McCain was again pressed about Obama's "other-ness" and again he refused to play ball. "I don't trust Obama," a woman said. "I have read about him. He's an Arab."

"No, ma'am," McCain said several times, shaking his head in disagreement. "He's a decent, family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."

At another point, McCain declared, "If you want a fight, we will fight. But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments." Supporters booed then also. "I don't mean that has to reduce your ferocity," McCain responded. "I just mean to say you have to be respectful."

That is exactly what McCain should be saying. It is the honorable thing to say. Reading this, my esteem for McCain rose a lot.

But I have to ask: is McCain in control of his own campaign? If McCain really believes that Obama is a "decent family man," if he really believes people don't have to be scared of an Obama presidency, why doesn't he tell his staff and his running mate to knock it off? I can't completely think McCain is a good guy until I'm sure that he's not using his surrogates to spread a message that he himself disavows.