I Have a Bracelet Too...

Here's the clip:



So, to analyze, we know what Obama was trying to do here. McCain has been using the bracelet line many times over the campaign, it's a standard part of his stump, and an effective one too. The Obama camp clearly wanted a response to that, and so they crafted one here.

So there's two parts to the gaffe; one was the immediate response, "I have a bracelet too..." which made it sound lame and childish. The line would have come off much better if he had first talked about something, anything for a minute, and then bring it up at the end of his response.

But the reason I thought it was a huge gaffe on Obama's part was that he totally muffed the name. Cynics will say that McCain's soldiers bracelet is just an election gimmick, one that McCain doesn't think much about off the stump. But by looking down for the actual name, Obama proved the gimmickyness of his bracelet.

Or was that the point? To show up McCain as in "I have a gimmick too." Which would be an attempt to bring McCain down to Obama's level as just an ordinary cynical politician. I really don't think that's what Obama intended to do.

On the substance, it reflects a major cultural divide between Obama and McCain. McCain comes from a culture which deeply values the sacrifices of soldiers and making sure those sacrifices are meaningful. Obama seems to be saying that soldiers should never have to sacrifice in the first place, which is a nice thought... maybe he can banish evil while he's at it.

Anyway, gaffe, blown opportunity, or effective response: sound off in the comments.