Posted on 01/24/2006 3:36:29 PM PST by Libloather
White House race: GoP banks on McCain to beat Hillary
Sarah Baxter
[Tuesday, January 24, 2006 11:57:52 pm THE SUNDAY TIMES]
WASHINGTON: Republicans are warming up to John McCain as the politician most likely to beat Hillary Clinton to the White House in 2008 and to clear the party of the taint of sleaze.
A poll last week showed McCain could trounce Clinton, the Democrat favourite, by 52 to 36. The 16-point lead reveals that he has a decisive advantage among independents and swing voters.
"The more scandal and corruption in Washington, the better it is for McCain. He is at a high point right now," said Chuck Todd, editor-in-chief of National Journal's Hotline news service, which commissioned the poll.
The Arizona senator's standing among Republican activists nosedived after he was beaten by George W Bush to the presidential nomination in a bitter race in 2000.
However, McCain went on to stake out an independent position on the war in Iraq, which he considers to have been botched, and he led a successful campaign in Congress to ban the use of torture and the cruel and degrading treatment of detainees.
Republicans have found the maverick senator indispensable in their struggle against the blues that have afflicted Bush's second term.
McCain is at the centre of every debate, where his hawkish views on the war on terror, Iraq's future and a nuclear Iran have won him respect.
In Congress he is leading his party's efforts to get out of a mire over lobbying and corruption after Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, was indicted for attempting to bribe politicians.
I predict the maverick will not be the GOP nominee for 2008.
I predict I will not vote for McSh8tbrain
The only way this GOPer would want McCain over Hillary is if he agrees to switch parties and challenge her for the Democratic nomination. At least he would be able to be honest about his positions.
I really wish the overseas media could understand american primaries.
Then again, I wish alot of Americans understood primaries.
On social issues alone, they would slam him.
McCain is just Hillary in a dress.
And yes, I did mean that the way I said it.
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So says the Times of India. Whatever.
I will not vote for McCain under ANY circumstance. Period, end of statement.
This sounds like wishful thinking on the part of the Democrats. They know all sorts of dirt on McCain that they could use to tear him apart in the election campaign.
Plus, they know how many Republicans dislike him to begin with and would never vote for him. It ain't going to happen, but they can keep dreaming.
again . .barf.
They have their crystal Balls out.
He's going to "clean the taint"? I guess he's already trying to wrap up the gay vote.
Neither will I.
Yep. I hope McVain doesn't take the bait and waste a bunch of our time and $$$ in the primaries...
The only issue that I agree with McCain on is his disdain of earmarks and out-of-control spending.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO.
Hillary would, I hate to admit this, beat McCain. Because the rest of us would be too busy throwing up to even get to vote for either one and the feminist and homosexual activists and Gore and Dean fanatics would all be lining up to get her in.
I realize that Gore fanatics aren't Clinton fanatics but they sure as heck are not McCain fans.
I'm not, either.
It's not so much that he's objectionable so much as he has nothing to offer. Hillary has less but the idea that I'd have McCain to vote for is meager as water soup.
I would not expend one penny, or one ounce of effort to elect John McCain. I would rather let Hillary get in, and then work as hard as I could to bring her down.
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