McCain manager admits his campaign "is not about issues"

The Republicans have been running away from the issues whenever possible; changing the subject to manufactured issues of "character", better described as "character assassination". I've been saying that this would be the Republican game plan, largely because its all they've got. Republicans have repeatedly argued to me that this was not the case; that the issues are what count. They should read the following.

from washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog The Fix: McCain Manager: 'This Election is Not About Issues' by Chris Cillizza

Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain's presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning.

"This election is not about issues," said Davis. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

The campaign isn't about issues for the Republicans, it's about testosterone. That's why they're retooling Sarah Palin's speech.

As for (Palin's) speech ... Davis said a generic, "masculine" speech was being prepared before the pick was made and, now that Palin is the choice, she is adapting the speech to her own needs and personality.

The Republicans are extremely proud of their Vice Presidential candidate and confident in her abilities. They've just decided that they'll play fair and keep her hidden from the public as much as possible to give the Democrats a fighting chance.

Davis demurred when asked when Palin will sit for interviews with major news organizations, pointing out that now would not be the right time given the "combative" attitude the media has seemingly adopted toward Palin. Pressed on the issue, Davis insisted that "we allot a lot more access in our campaign than any campaign in modern political history....we'll get around to it."