GOP hopefuls for '08 breaking from Bush

The Washington Times ^ | 26 August 2005 | Bill Sammon

[Aussie Dasher]

Republican senators with White House ambitions have begun to break with President Bush on a variety of issues to prove their independence from the second-term president.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee staked out his own ground on the issue of stem-cell research. Sen. George Allen of Virginia publicly disagreed with Mr. Bush's refusal to meet a second time with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska compared the war in Iraq to the Vietnam War, an analogy that is anathema to Mr. Bush. Sen. John McCain of Arizona has long disagreed with the president's tax cuts and confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

"As the incumbent president gets into his second term, a lot of people who lust after his job are trying to differentiate themselves -- not so much from him as from each other," said David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union.

[Aussie Dasher]

Only a rock solid conservative GOP nominee will save the world from a Hitlery presidency.

[Moral Hazard]

"Republican senators with White House ambitions have begun to break with President Bush on a variety of issues to prove their independence from the second-term president."

That sounds like a great way to win the Democratic primary.

[Terpfen]

Sen. George Allen of Virginia publicly disagreed with Mr. Bush's refusal to meet a second time with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

He did this before it had been revealed Bush already met with her. I'm pretty sure he would revise his position in light of the fact that they've already met.

[Jaysun]

Frist, Hagel, and McCain can eff off.

Allen is still my man, though I hated it when he bowed to Cindy's moth-eaten ass.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee staked out his own ground on the issue of stem-cell research. Sen. George Allen of Virginia publicly disagreed with Mr. Bush's refusal to meet a second time with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska compared the war in Iraq to the Vietnam War, an analogy that is anathema to Mr. Bush. Sen. John McCain of Arizona has long disagreed with the president's tax cuts and confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

They travel in herds, apparently.

[txhurl]

Only a breakaway -R will save us from Hillary! thru 'centrism'.

Mark me words. There has to be an apparent move kinda to the left, to get us 52-48 in '08, regardless of the candidates.

[dc-zoo]

Bunch of democrat pleasing gutless wonders.

[Kryptonite]

The Times shouldn't phrase it so it appears that Allen knew she wanted a second meeting.

[MJY1288]

I agree, Our next President will be George Allen, my only concern is if McCain and Hagel team up on an Independent Ticket. You can best believe that, while Globe Trotting with McCain, Hillary is doing her best to convince McCain to run as an Independent. McCain and Hagel running as Independents would be Hillary's perfect storm

[Troublemaker]

Sen. George Allen of Virginia publicly disagreed with Mr. Bush's refusal to meet a second time with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

Why doesn't George Allen go down to Texas and meet w/ her? The fact that no "major" Democrat (has any politician?) has gone down to meet her speaks volumes.

[Reagan Man]

>>>> ... lax immigration laws and excessive federal spending.

My two biggest beefs with PresBush.

[Jaysun]

I agree, Our next President will be George Allen, my only concern is if McCain and Hagel team up on an Independent Ticket. You can best believe that, while Globe Trotting with McCain, Hillary is doing her best to convince McCain to run as an Independent. McCain and Hagel running as Independents would be Hillary's perfect storm

It would be just like that bastard to do something like that too.

[trubluolyguy]

Give me someone tough on Illegals and willing to veto an overly bloated spending bill and he/she has my vote. And this person DOES NOT have to be a Republocrat.

[Kryptonite]

McCain would never do it - he knows he'd just be seen as a fly in the ointment, and whatever legacy he envisions having built for himself will be gone, forever.

[eddiemunster]

So what the article is saying is that we have a bunch of Republican p*ssies running for President in '08. God, do I miss Ronald Reagan...

[JohnnyZ]

This is news? Hagel and McCain have been splitting from Bush for 7 years. The only thing they could find on Allen was the Sheehan thing. And then of course Frist, who has been astoundingly politically inept for someone with such a skilled political track record. Talk about Jekyll & Hyde.

[HitmanLV]

Worked for Al Gore.

[Terpfen]

Agreed. Bill Sammon is usually okay, which is why I'm completely mystified by this. Maybe he glossed the situation over in order to make his point.

[MJY1288]

McCain took his ass whipping in 2000 pretty well, and he did support and even campaign for President Bush in 2004, but I believe Chuck Hagel would run over his own Mother while racing to the nearest live camera, so he could compare Iraq to Vietnam, despite the fact that the two conflicts share no similarities

[Aussie Dasher]

I'm sure we ALL miss The Great Ronald Reagan!!!! God Bless him.