McCain and Bush are NOT the same.

Another pithy reporting job by an Associated Press writer (Liz Sidoti). You can read her article over at news:news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_el_pr/obama_contrast. In the middle of her article she states

"These days, Obama assails McCain's position on the issues every chance he
gets. He levels his charges with a commonsense tone and lighthearted touch that
couches the criticism while making his core argument: McCain and President Bush
are the same."

Of course the above quote is political rhetoric and nothing more. It's an appeal to emotion. Obama does not believe McCain and President Bush are the same. I highly doubt this is one of Obama's "core arguments". Why not you ask? Because the argument is a fallacious one and if Obama is everything he claims to be (a new kind of politician) I'd like to believe he would not stoop to such common practices as "guilt by association", "Poisoning the Well", Et cetera.

Of course, I have no problem laying my bias out in plain view... Obama is not a new kind of politician; he's the same kind just carefully packaged and more carefully unwrapped. The paper is from one store, the box is from another, the gift has had its price tag removed, and the gift receipt was accidently misplaced.