Obama and Clinton: These fighters take the political prize.

One of the more fascinating and recurring aspects of the current Democrat primary contest is when Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton occasionally stop sucker-punching each other long enough to instead punch wildly at Sen. McCain. It reminds me of a punch-drunk prize fighter punching wildly into thin air attempting to fend-off an opponent who is clearly currently out of range.

Obama and Clinton have both said repeatedly–and incorrectly–that Sen. McCain favors 100 more years of war in Iraq. (Punch. Punch. Miss… Miss…) In fact Sen. McCain never said he wanted another 100 years of war, he simply said that he felt American troops should be a long-term presence they way they are in Japan and South Korea. A fact of life for more than 50 years since the end of World War II.

In his own words, McCain has said that he would be fine with an indefinite U.S. troop presence in Iraq for 100 years or more “as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed” — he has not said that he would be fine with a continued war for that long.

So when Barack Obama cinches up his baggy boxing shorts and continues to flail away at McCain on the statement, deliberately distorting what McCain actually said, it is not only a clearly calcuated political maneuver, it is a lie and a direct reflection of Obama’s true character–or more over, lack thereof. To beat a dead cliche, is this really the “change we can believe in” should Obama dance and distort his way into the Oval Office in 2009? Let’s hope not.

As reported earlier this week by ABC News, there have been at least three times recently when Obama has twisted what McCain said to portray McCain as advocating war in Iraq for 100 years or more: As recently as the end of March in Lancaster, Penn., Obama is quoted as saying, “you know, John McCain wants to continue a war in Iraq perhaps as long as 100 years.”  At the Cleveland, Ohio, presidential debate, Obama said the U.S. is “bogged down in a war that John McCain now suggests might go on for another 100 years.” And then in Houston, Texas, on February 19, Obama said that McCain “says that he is willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq.”

(Punch. Punch. Punch.)

As late as two days ago on NBC’s TODAY, Obama was asked by Meredith Vieira if he’s willing to admit that he has distorted McCain’s statements. Obama said: “No. That’s not accurate, Meredith. We can pull up the quotes on Youtube. What John McCain was saying was, that he was happy to have a potential long-term occupation in Iraq. Happy may be overstating it — he is willing to have a long-term occupation of Iraq, as long as 100 years, in fact he said 10,000 years, however long it took.”

(Punch.)

Keep swinging Sen. Obama, it’s certainly a pleasant breeze you’re creating. But not much more… In fact, it might even be backfiring on you. According to an Associated Press (AP)-Ipsos national poll released earlier today, Sen. McCain has erased Sen. Obama’s recent 10-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup, leaving him essentially tied with both Democratic candidates. Not exactly floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee for Senators Obama nor Clinton.

It appears Obama’s political “Rope-a-dope” boxing strategy may be only roping himself and not his intended target, Sen. McCain.

But don’t expect either Democrat fighter’s corner to throw in the towel anytime soon. This one is going for a full fifteen rounds and then one of them will be left to try and register the “K.O.” on Senator McCain come November.

The way it stands now, I have got to believe that come Fall, the Vegas odds-makers will be giving Sen. McCain pretty good odds of walking away from the ring as the victor. Obama and Clinton are looking more and more like “amateur hour” and political lightweights hell-bent on losing.