The Wild Blue Yonder

As a former Air Force officer, trying to comprehend John McCain’s tactics in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, and their recent diversionary campaign tactics, I turned not to Machiavelli’s The Prince but to an aircraft combat website for insight. Where does this fellow get his ideas? Sure enough, I found some tactics used by fighter pilots that Sen. McCain may have been influenced by.

In one maneuver, The Offensive Split, a pair of fighters sucker their adversary, just like McCain did last week. The pilot in combat spread draws the attention of the adversary while his partner sneaks around the back, high or low — low, in our case — and attacks. So it was when Gov. Palin distracted the campaign and while folks dwelled on her political “trajectory,” McCain blasted Barack Obama with his cheap rat-a-tat shots about lipstick and pigs.

Another tactic, The Off-Set Head-on-Pass, is used by a maneuverable fighter. Faced with a head-on attack, he offsets to a side using his “superior turning ability.” That’s what the old soldier did on his ideological switches from experience to change, and politico-aeronautic flip-flops on substantive issues.

Right on point is The Sandwich. Here — the oldest trick in the book, according to combat aircraft tactics — a fighter breaks formation, is followed by the enemy, while his wingman (or -woman) “slots into place … for a rear quarter shot.” Sexism, bang! Elitism, bang! Inexperience, bang!

Of course, Sen. Obama is too young to have seen all those World War II war movies where John Wayne and his fictional military buddies perform all this tricky stuff. The Obama staff should check Turner Classic Movies for some tactical insights. They’re at war.

Visit www.RonaldGoldfarb.com.