Posted on 01/28/2008 12:20:51 AM PST by Checkers
As I've said before, McCain deserves a large part of the credit for the surge—he pushed to have it implemented both in his public advocacy and his behind-the-scenes lobbying of the Bush administration, and he has been its foremost defender. Romney wasn't as enthusiastic about it and in his body language, if nothing else seemed ready to distance himself from it if it failed. This is a perfectly legitimate issue for McCain to raise, and he has, by saying things like Romney was "looking at his shoes" while he was putting it all on the line for the surge.
But that doesn't justify the rank dishonesty of his attack on Romney over the weekend. It's so shamelessly unfair, it's the kind of thing you'd expect of Bill Clinton attacking Barack Obama. Clearly, McCain wants to change the topic from the economy. And since he's suffering from his "straight-talk" about his relative lack of knowledge of and interest in the economy, he's trying to compensate with the opposite of straight talk—blatant distortions—about Romney's record.
(Excerpt) Read more at corner.nationalreview.com ...
How will this play? If there's one thing we know about late-breaking events in this primary season, it's that it's impossible to know how they'll play. But I wouldn't be surprised if it back-fires on McCain. The attack succeeded in the sense that it tipped the conversation back toward Iraq, but at a potential cost to McCain. His most important political asset is his political character, his reputation for truth-telling and honorable politics. This dishonest low-blow—if it continues to get attention in the closing hours—could chip away at that asset.
PING
“We’re screwed either way. I’d vote for the candidate the media will have the most trouble attacking and labeling, and the candidate who has lied to us the least, and that is McCain.”
Rush read this on his radio program:
(Indeed, I checked a computer database and discovered that, in the national media, Romney is at least six times more likely to be described as a flip-flopper than McCain.) This does not merely ignore but actually inverts the truth.
The fact is that no presidential candidate in either party has flip-flopped as egregiously as McCain on such a wide range of issues. Here’s just a small sample of Sen. Straight Talk’s recent series of remarkable conversions to politically convenient stances:
On abortion rights, McCain has done a 180-degree turn, from favoring only the most minor restrictions and opposing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to supporting an almost total ban, while advocating that the Supreme Court reverse Roe immediately.
McCain has transformed himself from a deficit hawk who mocked supply-side economics into someone who sounds like he’s drunk deeply from the wackiest vats of supply-side Kool-Aid, to the point where he now claims raising taxes decreases revenues (a claim so wildly in conflict with the facts — for example, federal tax revenues almost doubled in real terms after the Clinton tax increases
— that it’s either a shameless lie or a product of astounding ignorance).” Raising taxes does decrease revenue, it certainly can.
But anyway,
“In regard to ethanol subsidies, McCain has gone from treating them as the worst sort of pork to becoming a strong supporter of a program despised by economists, but beloved of Iowa farmers and the good people at Archer Daniels Midland. Six years ago, McCain sternly condemned Jerry Falwell as
‘an agent of intolerance.’
Eighteen months ago, he gave the commencement address at Falwell’s university, while openly embracing one of the most noxious figures of the religious right.”
Now, this is a guy from the Scripps Howard News Service, Paul Campos, from whose piece I’m reading here.
“These are just a few examples from a far longer list. On topics ranging from immigration, to campaign finance reform, to gay marriage, to accepting support from various sleazy characters he previously shunned, McCain has either completely reversed his views or seriously equivocated regarding what they are this week. Yet the media continue to lavish him with worshipful paeans to his supposedly uncompromising commitment to principled leadership no matter what the political cost etc., etc.
Part of this is accounted for by lazy autopilot journalism ...
But part of it is something worse. When it comes to McCain, many of the sophisticates at the top of the media pyramid are like a masochistic spouse who treats open infidelity as a twisted sort of faithfulness. They love McCain because when he lies to their face he doesn’t even pretend to be doing otherwise. According to the pretzel logic of a certain kind of journalism, that counts as candor.”
When you openly lie to a journalist you’re being honest about your lie, then that’s candor.
“All this would be merely amusing if McCain were not a genuinely tragic figure. The young man who showed such exemplary courage in the face of his North Vietnamese tormentors has become an old man whose courage abandoned him when subjected to the more subtle tortures of worldly ambition.”
Paul Campos is a law professor at the University of Colorado and this appeared in the Scripps Howard News Service on January 22nd.
Great post, it’s becoming clearer to me now more than ever that McCain is not only a liberal but a dishonest one.
Ah yes, because the Democrats and the MSM will ignore all of McCain’s flip flops when he’s running against their Messiah Obama.
Either way, McCain leaves absolutely nothing for the conservative to be excited about. If we’re going to have a person in office who loves stabbing conservatives in the back it might as well be a Democrat. At least then it will be clear where each party stands.
What ever happened to all that “Straight Talk”?
McCain:
Keating 5 (lapse of ethical judgement)
Gang of 14 (made it difficult to get judges approved)
Amnesty for illegal invaders (70% voters are against)
No to two Bush taxcuts (lock step with democrats)
No to Oil drilling (helps Saudi’s fund the terrorists)
No to Guantanamo (means access to American courts to terrorists)
No to water boarding (even if the terrorist has knowledge of impending nuclear device)
McCain Feingold (hurts republicans more)
McCain Kennedy (education)
McCain Lieberman (global warming related taxes)
You seriously wan to vote for this man?
You don’t think Clintons know about this rap sheet?
McCain deserves credit fora whole lot of things. Many good, however he also should take credit for being against President Bush from the time of his South Carolina defeat of 2000.
He should also take credit for his role in the Keating 5 affair, taking campaign money to help a banker with his little problems.
He should also take credit for successfully taking away some of our free speech rights in regards to election campaigning. And then there is his support of higher taxes and his SUPPORT FOR THE TERRIBLE AMNESTY DEAL.
McCain is a RINO and a little crazy and should not get the Republican nod.
“But we now have Republicans (Myself included) who believe Romney is a flip flopper, and might just be a liberal infiltrator.”
Well, you are either a conspiracy theorist or you have an itty bitty problem with Mitt being a Mormon, IMO. Otherwise you could not possibly support for Prez a known liberal such as McCain over one who espouses a conservative agenda and has yet to be proven otherwise. It’s the devil you know vs. the devil you think you know but you don’t know. You choose the devil you know. So, because you support an overt and known liberal, the only difference between voting for McCain or voting for Romney is that Romney is a Mormon. I believe that is at the heart of your anti-Romney posts on just about every Romney thread on FR. Bigotry.
Are you seriously posting quotes from 1994 and telling us the Republican Party is screwed?
I’m sorry to report that Ace of Base no longer tops the music charts and that I don’t think we’re nearly as screwed as you say we are.
Geez, a bunch of Chicken Littles around here. You’ve got a candidate like Romney standing up to a traitor like McCain, and people can’t wait to tear him down.
We’re voting for McCain. Romney has admitted he’d allow gays to openly serve in the military. (BAD IDEA!) He doesn’t feel that the policy of “don’t ask don’t tell” works. He’s flip flopped on being pro choice vs pro life, and the list goes on and on.
Some Republicans don’t like McCain because he’d take away their BIG money lobbyist buddies abilities to BUY them! He’s been for Campaign reform, etc. Too bad! Another McCain fault,... he can work with Democrats and Independents! Imagine that?
They didn’t like his Immigration reform. Fine...
He listened to the people and admitted his and others plans weren’t going to be acceptable. Imagine that too? But unless you put plans forward, you’ll never eventually come up with a solution. We consider that a sign of a good leader.
We’re sick of watching Republicans eat their own! McCain can garner Republican, Independents and even Democratic votes.
Republicans butchered our President, lets not repeat history. (Time will prove, given the information the President had, and the enemy we are fighting, he did the right things.) We are a nation of cowards who can’t stay strong when we need to. It’s been sickening to watch. Our troops have been brave and true. The problem has been our media and people encouraging our enemy. We’d be much further along in promoting democracy in the middle east, if we had been more united behind our own country!
If there had been a Democrat as President, the media would have been much more positive about the progress that HAS been made in Afghanistan and Iraq. We ALL know that is true. And, it would have discouraged the enemy.
As it stands today, we have enemies that we watch on tv every day... it is sometimes the ememy from within that we must fear the most it would seem.
God protect us all.
Senator McCain, is our best bet at winning the war, and also at being a uniter. We need that. He has experience and the fact that some Republicans don’t like him, doesn’t bother me at all. Their have been some real weinies in the party. Tom Delay? Time perhaps time for HIM to go.. especially if he is speaking out this negatively against a Presidential candidate.
Like I said, Republicans are idiots. They EAT their own.
Democrats at least have enough sense to want to WIN!
I would probably vote for a McCain Lieberman ticket!
Are you kidding me!
Lieberman did the smartest move of his life when he left the Democratic ticket!
Read my lips... McCain WILL win the nomination. The voters will assure it. Vets are going to assure it~
We are extremely disappointed to see Rush trying so hard to get Muhammad Obamma or Hillbilly elected.
Republicans eating their own. They NEVER learn.
Rush has lost it.
He’s also lost us as listeners. You can debate issues, but you need to take lessons, it seems, from the democrats. DO NOT EAT YOUR OWN. WIN SOME ELECTIONS!
We have lost too much for this kind of insanity!
We have lost too much for this kind of insanity!
Actually, I think your reply here borders on insanity. What in heavens name do you think Rush does for a living? He talks all politics all the time. And it is the primary season, so of course he’s going to talk about the philosophy of one Pub candidate over another. Geez....
A candidate like Romney? You call him conservative? Was anyone posting in this thread watching all the debates?
Did anyone hear him say he would be for allowing Gays to serve openly in the military?
How don’t ask don’t tell hasn’t worked all that well?
Is that truly a conservative value?
Oh... wait a minute.. you get to pick and choose.
And how about abortion? Shall we go there too?
Lets not start there either!
Sen. McCain has a strong record on a lot of issues. Have you ever pulled up his record, or are you just listening to Rush lately?
There are a TON of well respected Republicans, with stellar reputations that are supporting his candidacy. How do you explain that?
That Rush, or Tom Delay don’t support him isn’t going to sway us.
That Independents, or Democrats will work with his Presidency isn’t a BAD thing!
You have a big problem telling US how to treat people if you are going to project McCain as above the fray and presidential. He bashes Rummy as some sort of battlefield conquest.
Won’t fly, McCain is the BACK side of Hillary.... she bashes President Bush and McCain bashes Rummy. Two peas in a pod which is why he gets democrat and supposed independent votes.
Rush is a conservative first and a Republican second.
If Rush criticizes Hussien Obama and Billary for their liberal positions, McCain shouldn’t be excluded when he takes those same positions just because he has an R by his name.
This logic would suggest it would be okay to vote for Hillary if she switched parties tomorrow...
Rush is on a McCain BASHING mission. NOT GOOD for our possible next Presidential Candidate. It will make for great fodder for the next Democratic Presidential Candidate. And, the stuff Rush has been saying isn’t just conjecture!
It has bordered on HATE!
Have YOU been listening to Rush lately? His rhetoric has been making the news!
Like I said, Conservatives/Republicans once again, eating their own!
It’s become a NASTY habit!
But then again, they SEEM to like losing of late too. (Like the Senate and the House. So, why not the Presidency too?)
Good grief people! Wake up!
The public wants rational, intelligent, CALM thinking people running this country. I’d like to see our party acting like adults. Listening to Tom Delay and Rush, you would think they were Democrats.
Sen. McCain would make a fine President.
People need to stop with the hysterics!
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