South Carolina PingAdd me to the list. / Remove me from the list.
Posted on 01/05/2008 8:29:07 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
Eight years ago, Fred Thompson came for an editorial board visit after we had already endorsed George Bush, to tell us how wrong we were. We should have backed John McCain, he told us. I knew that, of course, but I sat still for his gruff advice as a sort of penance for my failure. I had tried hard (more about that in my Sunday column), but the consensus on our board had gone against me.
As futile as his gesture was at that point, I still appreciated Sen. Thompson's position, as bad as it made me feel. McCain had been the man, and it was the nation's loss that he was not elected in 2000.
Since he knew that then, and Sen. McCain is the same man he was, I've wondered all year why in the world Mr. Thompson even thought of running. As I said back in this column, he forgot to do one thing when he jumped in late: Tell us what it was he brought to the campaign that the candidates already running did not already offer.
Now, it's my turn to return the favor and tell Fred Thompson something that he should already know: It's time for him to do the principled thing again, and assert what he knew to be true back then: He should bow out, and support McCain. And he should do it now; now is when he can make a difference.
Sen. McCain is tied for first place in New Hampshire polls with a damaged Mitt Romney; Mr. Thompson is in single digits. By the time he comes South, all he will be able to do is be a spoiler, to pull just enough voters away from another candidate (and I suspect that candidate would most likely be his longtime ally McCain) to throw the victory to the surging Huckabee.
Nothing against Huckabee on my part; I just don't see him as the alternative Mr. Thompson himself would prefer. Meanwhile, he has continued to express his continuing respect for Sen. McCain; this would be a chance to show he means it.
Speaking of Gov. Huckabee, his victory is his own. But he was not in a position to begin that rise, he was not in striking distance, until Sam Brownback gracefully departed from the race. They had both been drinking from the same well of voters, and Sen. Brownback clarified matters for them.
Quitting when he did was Sen. Brownback's greatest contribution to this campaign, and was the best thing he could have done to serve the values and ideas he espouses. If Sen. Thompson wants to advance his own values, if he wants to make a difference and serve the country -- or if he simply wants the gratification of being a player at all -- he should get behind McCain now.
I was under the impression that, Ahnuld aside, the California GOP is actually pretty conservative (think Tom McClintock). The problem with CA is that the GOP is tiny compared to the preponderance of Dims and Dim influence from LA and SF? NY GOP is liberal, but what about the Illinois state party? IL gave us Henry Hyde and a host of good Reps, IIRC. Some RINOs, but not as many as we'd expect from a Northeastern State, right? What's important in these primaries is not the political leaning of the State as a whole, but of the State GOP organisation. Like in IA - the State as a whole is moderate(which is why it usually goes slightly Dim, and Bush on slightly won it in 2004), but the State GOP is heavily tilted towards the SoCon Right, hence Huckabee was handed a victory which, if the whole State were voting, he would not have come anywhere receiving.
Damn right they are. You don’t get it?
Same reason they treated Harris like dirt.
Same reason they pushed Gonzales so hard.
*A*M*N*E*S*T*Y*
The brothers Bush are 100% pro amnesty and support all who are of like mind and none that are not.
And I voted for them both, both times.
I twoo height the cooments. Thay tink dey r zoe damed schmart. Won cooment sez sometin, an dey awl yump n. Nawl dey wanz de McBain. Fuz de Praulies! Fuz de Mcbainiakz. Geaux de Frets. Hee iz de won troo got.
Could care less what his two readers think! I operate off of what I think, no one leads me around with a ring in my noise.
McCain will not win SC. Especially after tonight’s debate, he looked spiteful and angry.
Not the headline itself- what you had in parenthesis!
No biggie:)
Anywhere NEAR receiving, I mean.
My error.
South Carolina seems to bear the signs of being a GOP campaigning hell hole again, this season.
The State is a pretty moderate to lib paper. This doesn’t surprise me.
I'm with you on that one!
See youse com in her witch yur fancy spelcheck and wat not. We true beleevers dun been knowed better. Dudes got like an awsum blimp man...
Wishful thinking on the authors part.kick mcnutts to the curb.
Seems Fred has made inroads in SC.
Theres a few nutters there, but a lot of support for Fred, and if Fred does well in SC I think there will be a strong shift in momentum.
Go Fred!
The State is for big government, more taxes, and hates Gov. Sanford with a passion.
I just watched that crazy McCain at the ABC debate lying through his teeth, one more time, about the fact that he supports amnesty.
The first thing he would do as president is legalize every illegal alien in the country and then he’d get on TV and swear it wasn’t amnesty.
'nough said. :)
...John "Keating Five" McCain, you should quit (for the sake of the Republic...not your vanity)
....b/c that's what the 'Rats'/MSM/Marxist-Socialists will call you....and don't say they're corrupt, too.....LMSM, will never report their "ethical" problems...shortcomings.
“Tell us what it was he brought to the campaign that the candidates already running did not already offer.”
Other than his MSM purported negatives of no fire in the belly,
A consistant Conservative who does not waffle?
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