John McCain and his surrogates have been trying to paint rival Barack Obama as a "socialist" because he wants to "redistribute the wealth," an attack so outdated and outlandish that some are dismissing it as just plane silly. And Obama's no exception.

So said the Senator in North Carolina today:

Because [McCain] knows that his economic theories don’t work, he’s spending these last few days calling me every name in the book. I don’t know what’s next. By the end of the week, he’ll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my, uh, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

McCain's camp responded by implying Obama's rubber and they are, in fact, glue.

John McCain's political attacks are getting more subtle.

While the Republican's campaign previously shouted out against Barack Obama, especially with regard to "domestic terrorist" William Ayers," those negative attacks eroded some of the Senator's support.

Now, in an effort to undercut Obama and maintain some resemblance of respectability, McCain's taking a less heavy-handed angle with two key words "socialism" and "welfare."

The s-word came up a number of times this weekend as McCain derided his opponent's economic plans.

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Spain's Socialist Party successfully seduced moderate voters during 2004's election. The party has repeatedly clashed with Spain's establishment since taking power, particularly with regard to gay marriage. With the national parliament dissolved and elections set for March 9, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his comrades are steering toward the center:

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has developed an image as a firebrand ready to shake up Spain's conservative Catholic establishment. His Socialist party passed Europe's most progressive same-sex marriage legislation, introduced fast-track divorce and chipped away at religious education in public schools.

But ahead of a fiercely-contested national election scheduled for March 9, Zapatero is trying to polish his credentials as a moderate. His nemesis, conservative Popular Party (PP) leader Mariano Rajoy, is doing the same.

Despite his conservative leaning, Rajoy promised not to overturn Spain's same-sex marriage laws, which may alienate his voter base. We're happy to hear, however, that gay rights aren't being used as a wedge issue, as they are here in the United States.