The Speech That McCain Should Give

My advice for McCain is to throw caution to the wind, and throw another Hail Mary Pass. Be the Maverick you claim to be. What do you have to lose? The worst thing that can happen is that you lose the election with your reputation intact.

Here's the speech he should give on Monday:

My friends, I want to talk to you today about the negative tone of the campaign over the last few days and the atmosphere of hate and prejudice that it has created.

(Pause. Look directly into the camera with a firm and steady gaze.)

I was wrong to believe my campaign consultants when they told me that we couldn't win this election on the issues. I, and my running mate, were wrong to carry out the strategy of character attacks on my opponent over the last week. You may have seen me defend my opponent against these attacks on Friday when the hatred and misinformation reached a dangerous tipping point. Our country is better than this, and I would rather lose an election than win it by losing my soul and dividing the country to a point where I couldn't put it back together again.

I believe you want a president who has the wisdom and maturity to admit his mistakes. We haven't had that for the last eight years, and we've seen the results. I don't want to give you four more years of that.

Make no mistake - I am still running against Senator Obama and the Democratic party. But, I am also running against those elements of both parties who would spread hatred, prejudice, misinformation and fear.

So, my friends, I am suspending my negative campaigning and will only discuss the issues going forward so you will know exactly what a McCain administration will mean to you and your family. I invite Senator Obama to join me in this commitment and join me in two Town Hall Meetings between now and election day to discuss the issues. I propose that we both focus only on the issues going forward with no personal attacks or references to anything Senator Obama or me has said in the past. You will hear my proposals and Senator Obama's proposals laid out side by side, and you will be able to make an informed decision about your vote.

This country confronted the darkest side of its nature in the 60s, and we rejected it. Remnants of it still exist. We will not allow ourselves to be pulled into that darkness again. If I am fortunate enough to be your president, I want to be the president who helps this country find the best part of itself again. Win or lose, that's the way I'm going to conduct my campaign from this point.