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Pointlets on McCain’s Speech [Jay Nordlinger] 1. I’ll start by repeating what I said earlier, in my “instant react”: He was himself and he said what he believes. And that’s probably the most you can ask for in a candidate. 2. The introductory video was effective in its use of humor — “Some called him a hothead. Some called him things that can’t be repeated.” (I paraphrase.) Nicely done. 3. Seeing pictures of McCain’s dad reminded me that WFB knew him — stayed with him out in Hawaii. 4. “John McCain’s life was spared — perhaps he had more to...

The real candidate of change accepts the nomination and promises to shake up Washington. There were a few code pink moments that the crowd shouted down with USA chants.

Here is the outstanding biographical video shown at the Republican National Convention, September 4, 2008. . . . (see video at link)

Here is video of Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech tonight at the Republican National Convention. McCain gave many details regarding his plans for the future. He finished his speech with a rousing challenge to "Stand Up and Fight for America." . . . (see video at link)

"I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming." "The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you. Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That's how I will...

Everyone knew it was coming but I thought they’d wait longer to do it. Presumably they decided to take advantage of the raging river of information and push it out now rather than wait until things quiet down, when the media can focus all of its attention on it. Here’s the PDF. The recitation of facts is only around 10 pages; pay special attention to the short section on the Bailey phone call, which is where she’s most likely to have problems. This is, ostensibly, a legal document written for ethics investigators, but the true aim of course is to...

Staunch Allies, Tested by Adversity McCain Relies on a Cadre of Fellow POWs to Help Get Message Across By John Wagner and Anita Kumar Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, September 3, 2008; Page A24 ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 -- When the roll call reaches Maryland on Wednesday night, a convention delegate with a special bond with John McCain is scheduled to step forward to announce the state's 37 votes. Everett Alvarez Jr. of Potomac was a prisoner of war with McCain in the same camp in North Vietnam, where they came to know each other during their final year...

As a graduate of one of the military's war college command and staff courses, it's been amazing to watch the McCain campaign in action to date. During the period between the primaries and the conventions, they've been running a classic, pre-emptive guerrilla war against the Obama camp. During this time, McCain maintained a relatively low profile and husbanded his resources, only acting when the Obama camp made a move that could substantially widen the race. And, McCain always attacked Obama's strengths, or "centers of gravity" in military parlance, and did so very effectively. Here are some examples: Argument: Obama's very...

John McCain is not a normal conservative. He has instincts, but few abstract convictions about the proper size of government. He’s a traditionalist, but is not energized by the social conservative agenda. As Rush Limbaugh understands, but the Democrats apparently do not, a McCain administration would not be like a Bush administration. The main axis in McCain’s worldview is not left-right. It’s public service versus narrow self-interest. Throughout his career, he has been drawn to those crusades that enabled him to launch frontal attacks on the concentrated powers of selfishness — whether it was the big money donors who exploited...

By Tony Thornton Staff Writer MUSKOGEE — The John McCain biographies are replete with information about his paternal grandfather, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. His maternal grandfather, Archibald Wright? Not so much. Nancy Calhoun thinks she knows why. "This is one skeleton that the McCains probably wish would stay in the closet,” said Calhoun, who is director of genealogy and local history at the Muskogee Public Library. Wright spent more than two decades in Muskogee. His twin daughters, including McCain's mother, Roberta Wright McCain, grew up in a three-story home that still stands at 1027 W Martin Luther...

Worth The Fighting For Author: John McCain Upcoming Schedule Sunday, August 31, at 10:00 PM About the Program Join Book TV as we follow Sen. John McCain for two days in Chicago, while he promotes his memoir, "Worth the Fighting For." It's a follow-up to his earlier book, "Faith of My Fathers," and describes his experiences after his release from Vietnam as a prisoner of war to the U.S. Senate, and his recent campaign for President. The book also includes portraits of men who inspired him: Theodore Roosevelt, aviation maverick Billy Mitchell, Emiliano Zapata, and The Yankee's Ted Williams.

-- snip --Mr. Obama is doomed to defeat. His best efforts to camouflage his left-wing associations will not work. He can flip-flop on issue after issue in the vain hope he will deceive Americans. Yet he is clearly a liar and a phony, a false messiah. He will not lead the Democrats - or the country - to the Promised Land: He has no credibility. Mr. McCain will win - and win big - in November.

For the record I voted for Sarah Palin in the FR poll, but was disapointed that only 40% of FReepers agreed with me.. I would like to see a new FR poll asking how many FReepers are happy with Sarah Palin.. I bet it would be 90% ---- the same as her approval rating in Alaska.... and soon to be her approval in the USA !! On another note I wonder if anyone is making bumber stickers that say Vote for Sarah PALIN for VP... because come November that is what I will be doing... John McCain is tha “baggage”...

Republicans in Congress this June united to defeat a proposed windfall tax on oil companies, deriding it as a bad idea that would discourage investment in U.S. oil exploration. Things worked out far differently in the GOP stronghold of Alaska, a state whose economic fate is closely tied to the oil industry. Over the opposition of oil companies, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska's Legislature last year approved a major increase in taxes on the oil industry — a step that has generated stunning new wealth for the state as oil prices soared.

McCain's admirers, and they are legion, think of him as a man of valor... whose evident obsession with the virtues of honor, courage, faith and duty make him an ideal soldier of freedom to keep the watches of the night against terrorist enemies, and to stand fast in Iraq. His foes, and they, too, are legion, would like to cast him as a relic of a long-ago era whose... time has passed. [snip] Neither caricature, however, has the man who will accept the Republican nomination...exactly right.

Return to the Article August 30, 2008McCain and the OODA LoopBy Charlie Martin Man, is this guy a fighter pilot, or what? There are two military concepts here that explain the (absolutely spectacular) choice of Governor Sarah Palin.  Both of them are important to the training of a fighter pilot, and while one of them wasn't formulated until after McCain's flying career was over, it was an observation based on what fighter pilots had to know. One of them is the "envelope" -- which is to say the parameters within which a fighter airplane must operate.  The envelope can...

What: Road to the Convention Rally: Washington, PA - August 30 When: August 30, 2008 3:00 PM Where: Consol Energy Park 1 Washington Federal Way Washington, PA15301

Here is video of Gov. Sarah Palin's remarks today after the announcement that John McCain has chosen her to be his Vice-Presidential running mate. Outstanding speech!!!!! . . . (see video at link)

August is rolling over into September and, before we know it, election day will be upon us. Perhaps it is merely my impression, but most here on FR seem to have settled down with the idea of John McCain both as the Republican nominee (which he is certain to be, regardless) and, even, as President of the United States. The initial candidate debate has all but faded and virtually all here have gelled back into the Republican camp instead of the "Republicans for Romney", "Republicans for Giuliani", "Republicans for Hunter", etc. ad nauseum, ad infinitum. No doubt, this is precisely...

The mainstream media and democratic party will be paying close attention to the reaction the conservative blogosphere has for McCain's Vice-Presidential pick. So, please, regardless of whom he picks, let's not give them any fodder. The last thing we need to hear from Chris Matthews is "Conservatives are outraged over this pick. Here's just a sampling of posts on the conservative blog Freerepublic..."

(snip) A Republican National Committee rules committee in April gave initial backing to a plan to spread out the primaries to avoid the creation of a de facto national primary. But the plan approved by the RNC's full rules committee Wednesday in Minneapolis rejected the so-called Ohio Plan in favor of a system allowing most states to hold primaries in March. Bennett has been critical of such a system, which he says creates a national primary that focuses attention on a few big media markets. It also encourages early campaigning, more spending and less contact with the average voter, Bennett...

(CNN) – A health care policy adviser for the McCain campaign told a newspaper reporter that nobody in the United States is technically uninsured, because everyone has access to hospital emergency rooms. "So I have a solution [to the health care crisis]. And it will cost not one thin dime," John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, told the Dallas Morning News in an interview published Thursday.

John McCain's Imprisonment in Vietnam: A True Tale of Heroism James Ray Have you ever heard the whole account of John McCain's imprisonment during the Vietnam War? Until recently, I was only aware of the general story; I didn't know the details. But I recently read a couple of pieces on McCain's capture, imprisonment and torture by the North Vietnamese, and it blew me away. Not since Ernest Shackleton's cursed journey to the South Pole have I heard a tale of such courage, mental toughness and physical endurance. The Young John McCain The Crash and Capture In October of 1967,...

SAN FRANCISCO -- If John McCain is elected president, wounded veterans could be in for a world of hurt. On the campaign trail, the Republican's presumptive nominee has talked of a new mission for the Department of Veterans Affairs, suggesting that veterans with noncombat medical problems be given vouchers to receive care at private, for-profit hospitals. In other words, McCain is seeking to cut off the kind of universal health care that the government has guaranteed to veterans for generations. "We need to relieve the burden on the VA from routine health care," McCain told the National Forum on Disability...

John McCain went to the vault from the Democratic primaries and found a treasure trove of comments from Democrats on the unreadiness of Barack Obama to lead the nation. It includes the comments we’ve seen before from Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, but adds Chris Dodd and others — including perhaps the most effective spokesman:

It better be good. The GOP has a lot of making up to do and it NEEDS to present a strong conservative message especially in the areas of limited government and drilling. And McCain had better pick a good VP. I don't know what emotion I'd call it, but I'm definitely ready to watch this convention.

Weekly Radio Address For the week of August 23, 2008. No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection. Upholding these principles, and bringing Americans together on the side of life, is the work of leadership. And I can assure you that if I am elected president, advancing the cause of life will not be above my pay grade.

Beverly Hills - IT'S NOT OFTEN that you feel sorry for a guy driving a brand new, silver Porsche 911 Turbo convertible. But that was exactly my thought as I sat outside of the Beverly Hilton last night watching Hollywood Republicans arrive at a fundraiser for John McCain. The luxury cars parked around the front valet circle of the famous hotel must have been worth $3 million. Among many others, there were matching red and white Bentley convertibles, several styles of oversized Mercedes that I'd never seen before and a powder blue Rolls Royce with "We Will Never Forget" license...

Received on 27 August 2008 by U.S. Mail. My personal comments are in red. August 18, 2008 [name/address] Dear Friend, (I'm not your friend) In the past you have served as a valued and trusted member of our Party. (only when we need your vote and your donation) Yet today — only 12 weeks from the most critical elections our nation has faced in decades — the RNC's records indicate that you still remain on the sidelines (who said I was on the sidelines?) and have yet to respond to appeals to stand with us in our fight to prevail...

McCain plans 3-state VP rollout By JONATHAN MARTIN | 8/26/08 10:45 PM EST Text Size: DENVER — John McCain is planning to rollout his vice-presidential nominee in three battleground states this weekend, with large-scale rallies planned for Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri, according to aides and advisers. The GOP nominee-in-waiting will move to immediately change the campaign conversation from Barack Obama’s football stadium acceptance speech Thursday to the new Republican ticket, to be revealed at a noontime Friday rally in a Dayton, Ohio, basketball arena. McCain and his running mate will then travel by bus to Pennsylvania, where they’ll hold an...

Reports of strong support within John McCain's presidential campaign for Independent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the Republican candidate for vice president are not a fairy tale. Influential McCain backers, plus McCain himself, would pick the pro-choice liberal from Connecticut if they thought they could get away with it. But they can't get away with it -- and this has been made clear to McCain by none other than Joe Lieberman himself. Lieberman surely doesn't know that much about Republican politics, but he has close Republican friends. One of them prevailed on Lieberman to tell McCain that a McCain-Lieberman ticket...

DENVER -- John McCain is planning to rollout his vice-presidential nominee in three battleground states this weekend, with large-scale rallies planned for Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri, according to aides and advisers. The GOP nominee-in-waiting will move to immediately change the campaign conversation from Barack Obama’s football stadium acceptance speech Thursday to the new Republican ticket, to be revealed at a noontime Friday rally in a Dayton, Ohio, basketball arena. McCain and his running mate will then travel by bus to Pennsylvania, where they’ll hold an outdoor event at a minor league baseball stadium in Washington County, just southwest of Pittsburgh....

As many of us already know, McCain did a good job last night (8/25). So far, however, I haven't seen any link to the video. So, here they are if you missed the interview yesterday. McCain on Leno Part 1 tags. McCain on Leno Part 2 tags.

LOS ANGELES — Now it’s John McCain’s turn to make age jokes about himself. Walking onto the set of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Monday afternoon, McCain had the funnies cued up: “You forgot to mention that I warned the people about the British coming,” McCain said after Leno introduced the senator as a hero. McCain added that he’s so old that “my Social Security number is eight.” Leno wished McCain a happy birthday in advance of his 72nd birthday on Friday, and this time Leno had one in the holster: “We were gonna have a cake, but the...

John McCain was on Jay Leno last night, and he proves once again that he’s a down to earth guy. His self-deprecating humor and comfort help him come across as natural and not forced. Plus, he’s funny...

Sen. John McCain will be a guest on the 'Tonight Show' with Jay Leno tonight on NBC at 11:30 PM EDT.

Karl Rove is passing the torch and his weather machine onto Steve Schmidt. McCain's campaign is now running like a well oiled machine. Thanks to Steve Schmidt.. also known as the Bullet. McCain ad stirs tensions among Hillary/Obama supporters. McCain responds rapidly to Obama's economic claims. McCain uses Dem Delegate to hit Obama. New McCain Ad: Why was Hillary passed over? McCain takes on Obama's "Above my pay grade" remark. McCain takes advantage of Obama slip up. McCain attacks Obama on pro-abortion stance. McCain rolls out new ads with Biden's words. McCain's 'housing' ad strikes back at Obama. New McCain...

Here is the full context from the Eagle Forum Report We must also repudiate any Republicans who are backing up Clinton. Tell your Senators not to go along with Sen. John McCain's idea authorizing "whatever force necessary" for victory. McCain is trying to give us one-party government. On Meet the Press on April 11, he said, "We need Joe Biden for Secretary of State." When an astonished Tim Russert asked, "Is that an offer by President McCain?". McCain replied, "Absolutely!"

John McCain's campaign hit back at Madonna on Sunday after the pop diva kicked off her world tour with a concert that bracketed the US presidential candidate with Adolf Hitler. McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds angrily condemned the segment of Madonna's concert in Cardiff on Saturday that appeared to draw a comparison between McCain, Hitler and Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe. "The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time," Bounds said in a statement reported by Fox News. "It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider...

Please join John McCain and Cindy McCain at a Road to the Convention Rally on August 29th in Dayton, OH or August 30th in Washington, PA. As the Senator and Mrs. McCain make their way across the country, they would be delighted to have you join them at the rallies leading up to accepting the Republican Nomination in Minnesota on September 4th. Please come and show your support for John McCain. Please pick up a free ticket to join us. You can reserve a ticket to pick up at one of our ticket distribution centers by following this link or...

Here is video of an interview Wolf Blitzer did this morning with Nancy Pfotenhauer from the McCain Campaign. He was asking her for reaction to news that Joe Biden would be Obama's Vice-Presidential running mate. She absolutely hit a grand slam in her remarks! In her statements, you see the outline of how the McCain Campaign may intend to attack the Obama-Biden ticket. She made a point of mentioning that Biden was rated the "3rd most liberal senator" and that Obama is rated the "#1 most liberal senator." The 2:42-3:35 section of the video finds her taking both Obama and...

Good morning, this is John McCain, speaking to you at the end of an eventful week in the presidential campaign. All the talk today is about my opponent's selection of his running mate. To his new running mate, my congratulations and I'll get back to you real soon on your debating opponent. The week began with a debate of sorts between Senator Obama and me at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. In case you missed it, the discussion yielded the line of the week, and maybe even of the campaign, when Pastor Rick Warren asked my opponent a very...

When it comes to John McCain’s running mate, several political observers are saying U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham shouldn’t be counted out. “I don’t think (his selection is) out of the realm of possibility,” said state Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson. He added that “it’s very exciting and a compliment to Lindsey Graham to be on the short list for vice president.”

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in an important shift, said on Friday he backs a plan for the federal government to provide low- interest loans to struggling U.S. auto makers. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said the loans are needed to help auto makers build the next generation of cars and become financially stable. "Our auto companies are rising to the challenge of building the next generation of American cars, but are doing so in times when credit conditions cripple the funding for the facilities and technologies to take the steps to the future," McCain said in a...

One of the presidential nominating season's most unusual ideas was proposed again Tuesday, this time by one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, when Sen. Joseph Biden advocated a "unity" ticket of Democratic Sen. John Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain.

As we prepare for the Republican National Convention week after next, remember that John McCain has spoken before at the GOP big meeting. Here is video of the speech John McCain gave four years ago at the Republican National Convention in New York City. "So it is, whether we wished it or not, that we have come to the test of our generation, to our rendezvous with destiny. Much is expected of us. We are engaged in a hard struggle against a cruel and determined adversary. Our enemies have made clear the danger they pose to our security and the...

Friday, August 22, 2008 Hollywood conservatives to rally for McCain Stephen Dinan and Ralph Z. Hallow As Democrats celebrate in Denver next week, Republican presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain will be trying to fire up some star power of his own by collecting checks and support from conservatives in Hollywood. Mr. McCain will attend a fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton on Monday, the day the Democrats' convention opens,bringing together top leaders from the Los Angeles business and entertainment communities, according to an invitation for the event obtained by The Washington Times. Show business publication Variety reported that Angie Harmon,...

At a town-hall event in New Mexico today, John McCain was asked about veterans' care, but the questioner added a provocative point at the end of her question. Take a look: (YouTube link) For those of you who can't watch clips online, a woman in the audience told the presumptive Republican nominee, "Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disabled veterans, especially in this state, have horrible conditions... I think it is...

St. Paul from Sept. 1-4. The overall convention theme is “Country First” with each day of the convention intended to “center on a touchstone theme that has defined John McCain’s life and will be central to his vision for leading our nation forward as president” with themes of service, reform, prosperity, and peace. Monday evening • Joe Lieberman • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger • Vice President Cheney • First Lady Laura Bush • President Bush. Tuesday• Rudy Giuliani • Mike Huckabee • Fred Thompson • Sarah Palin • Jon Huntsman • Linda Lingle • Tom Ridge • Rosario Marin • Michael...

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will give the keynote address at the Republican National Convention next month and Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman also will take center stage at the GOP gathering.