We don't need no Department of Education

By Michael J.W. Stickings

See, this is what I'm talking about. Obama, like he should, is going after McCain on the issues -- not just on Iraq but on key domestic issues like health care, abortion, and, now, education:

Our kids and our country can't afford four more years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history, America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy,

Obama said at an event in Ohio.

The fact is, Obama and the Democrats are right, and Americans are right with them, on these issues. Presenting substantive policy proposals while aggressively differentiating himself from McCain and the Republicans allows Obama to define his opponent, repel smears, and influence the media-driven narrative that drives the campaign and dominates public sentiment.

So much of the talk of late has centered on Palin. To the extent that Palin is a liar, and continues to lie, that talk, and the ongoing media investigation of Palin's past, must continue. In other words, that, too, much be part of the narrative. But it is essential that the talk also focus sustantively on Obama and on what Obama would actually do as president. Contrasted with what McCain would do, that's a clear winner for Obama.

Not least because, with respect to education, McCain once supported abolishing the Department of Education.

(Note: Please pay attention to double negatives. I don't want anyone to misunderstand me.)