Posted by Jed Lewison on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 1:45 PM Pacific

Moving forward

Yesterday, Chuck Hagel urges John McCain to stop squabbling over the surge. "Get out of that. We're done with that. How are we going to project forward?"

Today, in a newly released statement, Bob Kerrey echoes Hagel's message: "Let's not re-fight the past."

In addition to having both served in the U.S. Senate from the state of Nebraska, Hagel and Kerrey are also both veterans of the Vietnam war. On the merits alone, their words are clear and pointed. But the symbolism of having two decorated vets suggest to John McCain that he not dwell in the past is a powerful image.

It's a subtle hit, but a tough one, and its entirely clean, especially given McCain's week of nasty attacks.

One other thing to note: this is a very effective deployment of surrogates, and that's not always been the Obama campaign's strong suit. Meanwhile, McCain has been forced to carry his own water all week long.