Trailhead

Small-Town Mayors, Community Organizers Make Peace

Both campaigns promised a truce yesterday for theanniversary of 9/11. But they went a step further, backpedaling from previous attacks—oncommunity organizers, in John McCain’s case, and on small-town mayors, in Barack Obama’s.

At last night’s forum on service at Columbia University,McCain praised community organizers after Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mocked them in theirconvention speeches last week. “Of course I respect community organizers,”McCain said .”Of course I respect people who serve their communities. Senator Obama’sservice in that area is outstanding.”

Meanwhile, Obama went out of his way to praise small-townmayors, after dinging the town of Wasillafor having “I think, 50 employees.” “We had an awful lot of small-town mayorsat the Democratic convention, I assure you,” Obama said on Thursday. “The mayors have some of the toughest jobs in the country becausethat’s where the rubber hits the road. We yak-yak-yak in the Senate. Theyactually have to fill potholes and trim trees and make sure the garbage istaken away.”

To some, that might sound like damning with faint praise. Tough job, there, taking out the trash. Butpresumably Obama meant well. At least this time he didn’t call her home town ” Wasilly .”