One of the key tactics of the Bush White House after 9/11 was to try to delegitimize any criticism of President Bush. Media Matters reports that McCain spokesperson Nicole Wallace took a similar approach on MSNBC, telling David Gregory that Barack Obama is “fillet[ing] an American hero, a former POW” when he criticizes McCain on the stump:

GREGORY: Let’s talk about this campaign —

WALLACE: Sure.

GREGORY: — and talk about McCain campaign strategy. You have tried, the campaign has recently, to tarnish Obama’s credibility and his image in a couple of ways. On the one hand, it is to describe him as a celebrity, to use Britney Spears, Paris Hilton to suggest he’s sort of famous for being famous, that he’s a lightweight. That’s on the one hand.

On the other hand, it is to reduce his energy plan to the idea of the tire gauge, to suggest that his whole energy plan is really about whether there’s enough air in the tires.

So the question is, are these ambush political tactics? And is that consistent with the original maverick that you [unintelligible] John McCain is?

WALLACE: You know, two quick things here, David. One, I never hear anyone put it to the Obama campaign, the internal deliberations that they may have gone to when they made the strategic decision to essentially fillet an American hero, a former POW, on the stump every day, which is what comes out of their candidate’s mouth every day on the stump.

In other words, McCain shouldn’t be criticized because of his experience as a prisoner of war. It’s a profoundly anti-democratic statement. Here’s the video: