Sanctimonious Joe Klein Rebukes McCain for 'Sleaziest' Anti-Obama Ad

You gotta love Joe Klein if only for the entertainment value.

When last I blogged about Joe Klein, I scoffed at him not recognizing a single journalist that argued that Bristol Palin's teenage pregnancy was "anything other than a private matter."

Now Mr. Anonymous is huffing and puffing about how he can't forgive John McCain for his latest negative ad addressing a vote Obama cast for "age appropriate" sex education in Illinois public schools.

From Klein's September 10 Swampland blog post, "Apology Not Accepted":

Back in 2000, after John McCain lost his mostly honorable campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, he went about apologizing to journalists--including me--for his most obvious mis-step: his support for keeping the confederate flag on the state house.

Now he is responsible for one of the sleaziest ads I've ever seen in presidential politics, so sleazy that I won't abet its spread by linking to it, but here's the McClatchy fact check.

I just can't wait for the moment when John McCain--contrite and suddenly honorable again in victory or defeat--talks about how things got a little out of control in the passion of the moment. Talk about putting lipstick on a pig.

That there, ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of why coddling and courting the media never works in the long run for Republicans or conservatives.

But beyond that, Klein is just plain wrong. There is some merit to McCain's ad because the legislation Obama voted for would have authorized kindergarteners to be taught about STDs, as NRO's Jim Geraghty has noted (emphasis mine):

On the sex ed bill, it's possible that Obama had the best of intentions, but the bill text did include, "Each class or course in comprehensive sex education offered in any of grades K through 12 shall include instruction on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention, transmission and spread of HIV." Do kids really need to know about STDs starting at age 5? Isn't it a strong argument that the "good touch-bad touch" stuff could start that early, but the nitty-gritty about exchanging bodily fluids could wait until the kids are at least a little closer to double digits?

Klein caricature by socialmedia.biz