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.
Given that you likely never sent a penny to the GOP or volunteered to help get candidates who are less liberal than the alternative elected, loss of support costs what?
I have a problem with so called war heroes being shoed into office myself. This is why Kerry and the Democrat bunch put so much effort to get these medals. Then you can't criticize them, etc.
I agree, a medal does not a president make.
I also agree with him on his opposition to abortion and his opposition to gay marriage.
I can't say I care for him on anything, and while I like what he says about out of control spending, I hate the fact that he wastes tax payer money doing stupid special committees to investigate whatever will get him press.
All politics aside, McCain is just plain weird. He is as weird as Gore or Kerry. Weird doesn't win elections. He would not be viewed as "Presidential" - much like Dean.
That's a great campaign hope - "I hope that there is more and more scandal and corruption. That way I have a better chance of winning."
It was in effect in 2004.
Ditto.
He can't run against Hillary for the Presidency. Two Democrats can't face off. One has to be a Republican.
Would you consider Condi?
In the "War Hero" department, McCain is certainly no Audie Murphy or Sgt. York!
Eisenhower was not a combat hero -- he was a hero, but as a staff officer who forged himself into a great five star General and a good President, IMHO.
OTOH, Joe Foss was a fine governor and may have made a good or even great President, had he sought the office. Pappy Boyington was a hellofa fighter pilot, and a genuine war hero, but he would have been a lousy politician.
All of them have something in common -- they earned their "Hero" status the hard way -- they worked for it.
Kerry and Murtha did not, and are scumbags for even suggesting they did.
Where am I leading with these remarks? That is a fair question.
I hope that the "Peter Principle" is at work with respect to McCain: I believe he has been promoted one (or more) pay grade(s) above his abilities.
We the People will discover this simple fact and refuse to promote him again.
He should, in fact, retire FRom the US Senate, move back to Arizona and leave us alone.
Me, too.
Incidentally, I am the political cartoonist for iowapresidentialwatch.com , which is in Iowa and run by the '527' PAC IowaPresidentialWatch. Our PAC watches and reports on the comings and goings of the 2008 presidential wannabes. Romney, Tancredo, Brownback, Huckabee have all been making the trek to Iowa to build support here. Below is Mitt Romney and his wife at an event in Ames, Iowa, pictured with Iowa Presidential Watch PAC's chairman, Roger Hughes (who just happens to also by my husband!):
Condi....you bet.Just no McCain.
Michael Medved fell all over himself today on his show begging McCainiac to run. He couldn't have been more glowing about McCain if he tried. It was disgusting.
I predict you are correct.
McCain thinks he can win without "us" - the right wing Christian base. That alone makes his too stupid to be our condidate.
I'm still very intereted in George Allen - but we'll see how he does in his senate race in 06.
Aw, isn't it cute how the MSM lauds their buddy? Maybe they want him to be the nominee, but I think he's as dangerous as Hitlary, and I'd never vote for him.
Geeze, I hope not because I would never vote for McCain. I do not like him at all and in fact no one I know does.
I think that'd be exactly the response that such a ticket (McCain vs. Hillary) would rely upon.
'Cause, the fanatic left is going to vote for Hillary, regardless, same as they did for Dean, regardless, in the past, and Nader, same methodology as to ardent supporters (fixed, not expanding but dedicated in their fixed numbers).
Then there'd be McCain who conservatives would not vote for (I wouldn't) and an election that conservatives would be depressed about. A lot would refuse to vote.
Presto, Hillary would win. It's too horrible a scenario to imagine.
We like George Allen. Lived in Virginia when he was Governor.
Yeah, agreed...I think the "McCain for GOP President" thing is entirely media created. It's what they NEED to happen. Moreorless like Deaniacs writing "resistance is futile" all over the internet in 2004. When I first read that, I KNEW they would lose, if not also that they were aware they were losing.
Same thing with McCain, I'm thinking. It's media madness manipulation o' the masses...more of that Massachusetts propoganda machine, no doubt.
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