On August 7, the Honorable Carlos Gutierrez—Cuban refugee, former CEO of Kellogg, current U.S. Secretary of Commerce—sat in a private back room at Piecora's Pizza on Capitol Hill, stumping for John McCain to a group of Hispanic Republicans.
Before that, he stood in the front room at Piecora's, stumping for John McCain to a group of small-business owners, many of them immigrants from Asia and Latin America, most of them in suits, some of them with their children. While they waited for Gutierrez to start talking, one man growled something about Obama. His friend responded in a falsetto, damsel- in-distress voice: "Oh Barack! He'll save us all!"
Danny Piecora—a Republican who runs Piecora's with his Democrat brother—took the microphone and introduced Gutierrez as a Horatio Alger character, who yanked himself up by his loafers by selling cereal from the back of a truck. (Gutierrez did, in fact, drive a delivery truck as a sales rep—his first job after studying business administration. He never earned a degree.)
Gutierrez reheated some heartfelt boilerplate—McCain is for immigration reform, free trade, an "all-of-the-above" energy policy, a balance of environmental stewardship and business support, he's got a long and distinguished résumé, and "since his days as a POW, has always made decisions based on what's right for the country."
(I confess, I still can't get over the story about POW-era McCain refusing to be released as a Viet Cong publicity stunt, insisting he wouldn't go unless every man captured before him was released first. You cannot deny it: That is hardcore. But you know who else was a war hero turned head of state? Macbeth.)
The second-most-interesting thing that happened at this not-very-interesting meeting: A little white-haired man, who looked like a short General Lee, said he'd driven hundreds of miles from Eastern Washington, where he owns an apple and pear orchard. He'd heard Gutierrez speak two years ago at the Discovery Institute—which promotes intelligent design, among other idiocies—calling for immigration reform.
"And two years later, nothing's happened!" short General Lee piped. "When can we expect some reform?!" He was mollified with a few more spoonfuls of boilerplate.
The most interesting thing that happened at this not-very-interesting meeting: Obama's presence in the room. Gutierrez was careful not to say "Senator Obama," only "Senator McCain's opponent," and was using Obama's rhetoric, talking about "change" and how the candidate who's really for "change" is Senator McCain, etc.
It's campaigning on the defensive, just like McCain's "Is he ready to lead?" ads. Of course he's ready to lead. He's already leading McCain around by the nose, dictating the terms of the debate, forcing the Republicans back on their heels. The latest McCain ad, released on Tuesday, features mocking interviews with voters who like Obama and ends with the line: "Hot chicks dig Obama."
Keep it up, John. You're doing Obama's work for him. 
