As for the public “knowing McCain,” what a laugh. Your average American knows little about McCain other than his status as a POW, and that he is purportedly a “maverick.” God knows they have heard enough about Wright, Rezko, and have even discussed Michelle Obama’s Senior Thesis written over 20 years ago. What the public doesn’t know about McCain ain’t pretty. I’m not saying that all of the following SHOULD be known about McCain, but if Obama and Wife had the same History you can be sure that it would be out there:

*McCain’s dumping of his first wife, to the displeasure of Republican Icons Nancy and Ronald Reagan no less who had befriended the McCains, and had come to love Carol McCain, when he came home from Vietnam and found her “disfigured” from a car accident that almost killed her, he almost immediately began cheating on her, and ultimately, to her complete surprize apparently dumped her for 24 year old Cindy when he was 42. The story has had some play in the English press, but hasn’t been widely mentioned here. The Right certainly harp on character enough (see the scouraging of Bill Clinton, and the current rumbling about John Edwards), I should think that McCain’s treatment of his first wife tells us something about McCain.

*The coverup of Cindy McCain’s drug addiction; she stole drugs from her own charity and got a Doctor who worked with her to prescribe her narcotics. When she was outed by an employee, who reported her to the DEA, he was fired, the Doctor surrendered his license, and Cindy McCain went into rehab with no other penalty…some say due to John McCain’s Political influence. Oddly enough, even though Cindy had a 15 vicodin per day habit, John McCain apparently didn’t notice (15 a day, is heavy duty by anyone’s standard, BTW.)

*The Keating 5 which cost the American tax payer millions upon millions has gotten little replay in the press…yes McCain got a slap on the hand, but no malfeasance has been found between Obama and Rezko either, yet Rezko’s name comes up frequently. The Keating 5 established a trend of dubious influence peddling that McCain has maintained to this day (see next paragraph.)

*The questionable Land Deal that McCain finessed for a big time Land developer donor of his named Diamond, I believe. McCain arranged for a land swap of remote Arizona land for valuable developable land owned by the people of Arizona…with a huge net loss in value for the State of Arizona.

*McCain calls Obama “Dr NO,” but most of the public have little knowledge of McCain’s voting record, many, I think would be appalled: NO on extending medical insurance for poor children, NO on susidies to help the poor and elderly cover energy bills, NO on several funding Bills for the Veteran’s administration, NO to the Webb GI Bill 4 times before he was shamed into supporting it, NO on Federal funding for family planning that just might help reduce the need for the abortions that McCain opposes. In addition, shockingly, a large percentage of Rpublicans who are pro-choice have no idea that McCain stridently opposes legal abortion.

The problem is that the MSM is lazy and look upon John McCain as old news, and haven’t bothered to further vet him while they pick apart Obama’s every word looking for him to screw up. The Right of course desperately seizes on every gaffe of Obama’s whether real or imagined, and then claims whatever it is is a sign of Obama’s lack of character, or laughingly proves that Obama is stupid (the 57 States mistake got tons of play on the hard right blogs.)

I honestly believe that the right initally thought that Obama would be another push over like Kerry or Gore, and could be easily painted as a far left loony, but have been unpleasantly surprized at his toughness, not to mention his savvy. Nevertheless, the press needs to stop insisting that “we know” John McCain when most of us know squat….