Posted on 02/11/2008 6:15:31 AM PST by Nextrush
John McCain is a "strong conservative."
That's the message that President Bush put out on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday.
How does one define "strong conservative?"
Is it defining waterboarding of terrorists as torture like John McCain has?
Is it when one wants to close down Gitmo like John McCain does and give suspected terrorists the rights of American citizens.
And speaking of the rights of American citizens, is a "strong conservative" one who wants amnesty and a path to citizenship for people who enter America illegally.
Well, that's one where President Bush and Senator McCain have been on the same side.
And then there's the McCain-Feingold anti-free speech legislation. Senator John McCain proposed it and President George W. Bush signed it after opposing it during the 2000 election.
I just don't see how a "strong conservative" could gang up with 13 other senators to prevent approval of President Bush's conservative nominees to federal courts.
That's John McCain who did that, by the way.
Does a "strong conservative" oppose President Bush's tax cut plan like John McCain did?
If we're going to accept the definition of John McCain as a "strong conservative," then we're going to have to change the definition of "conservative."
For instance if John McCain is a "strong conservative," does that make Hillary Clinton a "conservative" and Barrack Obama a "moderate?"
And on the other hand does that make President Bush an "extreme conservative" for disagreeing with McCain on some of these issues? Heck, does that mean Ronald Reagan was an "extreme right winger?"
While we've gone through September 11th and its aftermath seeing a strong leader defending our nation, we've also seen signs of a liberal attitude from this same leader about spending billions of dollars on everything from AIDS in Africa to the Medicare prescription plan.
President Bush's self-described "compassionate conservativsm" has included all that and when it came to court nominations, the infamous Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. Fourtunately, conservatives got John Roberts and Samuel Alito for raising our voices to demand strict constructionists on the court.
I suspect that a President John McCain would require us to raise the decibels quite a bit more often than we have to now.
But getting back to my point, considering all the wasteful spending proposals from Washington including elaborate fisacos like the trailers during Hurricane Katrina and now the current election year "stimulus package" that looks like vote buying by incumbent politicians, is it safe to say that President George W. Bush has lowered the standard of what one calls "conservative" in this country.
And now we're supposed to accept John McCain as a "strong conservative" successor to him.
I guess you'll all want to pick up the theme of national security and I think that's an important one.
Many think McCain should be elected on that alone.
But what is going on in regards to national security right now.
Have you heard any speeches about the "Axis of Evil" lately? No, you haven't.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker is involved in talking to the Iranians right now. You'll notice violence is down in Iraq. And then there's the National Intelligence Estimate saying Iran has suspended its nuclear weapons program. Is there a quid pro quo? What's going on with our foreign policy?
The United States has cut a deal with North Korea that will supposedly end their nuclear program. Does anyone believe that?
And what about the Middle East in general. There is a push to get Israel to cut a "peace agreement" with the Palestianian Authority as Hamas rains down missiles daily from Gaza. President Bush seems bent on getting some kind of agreement before he leaves office next January.
The conflict will not end until Israel's enemies are defeated. A "peace agreement" would be folly and only compromise Israel's security.
Will McCain carry on that initiative as a "strong conservative?"
Frankly the "strong conservative" thing to do would be to allow Israel to defeat its enemies. I admit the Olmert government is weak, but still let them defend themselves.
McCain called for more troops in Iraq and it looks like the President synched with his ideas by having the surge.
Will there be anymore synching on Gitmo later this year?
The stage for the "strong conservative" McCain has been set, but does that mean we have to attend the show. For now, I say no.
I'm still looking for a "strong conservative" frankly because there's no way John McCain fits that suit.
And if all the obviously not conservative policies described above are "conservative" it looks to me like "conservative" is now considered something a lot less than "conservative."
I will vote my conscience in the Pennsylvania Primary on April 22nd.
And I hope Mike Huckabee does well tomorrow as the alternative to John McCain in Virginia and Maryland.
I'm not sure the Viet Cong didn't have their way with him. The way he carries on, he often sounds more like a Saigon streetwalker than an American War Hero...."Hey, you big mist-ah Teddy Kennedy, you want numbah one good time? Me show you real good time! Only two dollah!"
I don’t believe anything Jorge says anymore after his famous “Three Stooges” move with the beached whale and McAmnesty himself on amnesty. Bush is all blah blah from now til he rides into the sunset.
I swear...those RINO supporters would vote for Hillary/Obama if they switched parties. For some reason, that 'R' by the candidate's name makes every liberal policy somehow "acceptable." (*snark*)
I know I shouldn't have laughed at that mental visual, but I sure as heck did! ;-)
Bush has done more than anyone to get either Hillary or Obama elected. He’s been a disaster for the conservative base in the republican party. The left can’t stand him. The right conservative base has been kicked in the teeth by him. Why should he care? The support of special interest and big business allows him to do whatever he wants.
I watched a sound bite of Chris Wallace’s interview with the President where he ( Bush ) just went on and on how McCain was a true conservative and he would stand for conservative principles and blah blah...
One moderate defining another moderate as a conservative. I usually listen to the President but walked out on these words.
If he is the example of a “strong conservative” give me ARNOLD!!
I like Bush ... but I don’t agree with every position he has. Been saying that for years. Tack this onto the growing list of disagreements. Conservatism is a three-legged stool. McCain’s looks more like a pogo stick.
GOP on Super Tuesday(Those who know them best)
Arizona: John McCain 47%
Arkansas: Mike Huckabee 60%
I like Mike!
I guess I need to drink more kool aid, cause none of this stuff is believeable anymore.
Our “Downgrade Controversy” begins....
LLS
Your points are spot on.
Reagan could never be nominated by GOP conservatives in 2008 (especially on FR) due to their dogmatic intolerance and demand for perfection.
If Reagan could come back to life, he would be aghast at the intolerant bigotry of many "conservatives" who not only resent (some) candidates for having wealth, they also hate (some) candidates for belonging to a Judeo-Christian denomination to which they don't approve.
Intolerance seems to have infected a portion of the conservative Republican base as it has the entire Democratic party.
“Only a liberal would attack Reagan”
Nice try LLS, but you know full well OnRiver wasn’t attacking Reagan.
No one is perfect. I will give you that. But McCain is no conservative and I will not vote for him. You espouse fear monger tactics by claiming that Hildebeast or Obama would be so much worse. If this country is going to go to hell let the liberal left be at the helm.... they have the map and know the way intimately.
I will not vote for McCain if he were the last person on earth... in fact he is the first person I actively wish to catch a bullet. I pray for that to happen daily. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t care at this point.
Even with Reagan’s faults, he is lightyears ahead of McCain on every issue. He was president during a different time, he was also created a new coalition that never existed. McCain knows of this coalition but gives the finger to each one.
I don't understand this. Where were you looking? There were "strong conservatives" (whatever you mean by that) running in the primaries. Weu had Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo. They didn't win. For whatever reason, they didn't garner enough support to stay in the race.
Many on FR (not you necessarily, but many) seem to be of the mindset of "my guy didn't win so I'm going to quit and stay home." IMO this election is still worth fighting if for no other reason than to keep Hillary Clinton, an Alinsky-Marxist socialist, and/or Hussein Obama, an Alinsky-Fabian socialist, out of the White House. I don't know what your specific definition of "strong conservative" is, but being a quitter is neither "strong" nor "conservative".
It seems to me many of the primaries are winner-take-all. Ironically this is because of Rudy’s folks.
Fall in line like a good little drone and swallow the crap they are feeding you.... go ahead.... its how you catch pigs anyway...
There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange
students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab, the prof
noticed one young man, an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and
stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told
him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting
communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his
country’s government and install a new communist regime.
In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange
question. He asked: “Do you know how to catch wild pigs?” The professor thought it was a joke
and asked for the punch line. The young man said that it was no joke.
“You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting
corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the
free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down
one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the
fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the
fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until
you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The
pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat
that free corn again. You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around
inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the
free ;corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the
woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.”
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees
happening in America . The government keeps pushing us toward
Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of
programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tax
exemptions, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant
crops, welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.
One should always remember two truths: There is no such thing as a free
lunch and you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper
than you can do it yourself.
If you see that all of this wonderful government ‘help’ is a problem
confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send
this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your
way of life, then you will probably delete this email. But God help you
when the gate slams shut!
McCain Constantly and consistently voted with liberal Democrats. He is in all but name a Liberal Democrat.
Data from the ACU does not support your assertion:
McCain lifetime ACU rating: 82.3
Billary lifetime ACU rating: 9.0
Obamalama lifetime ACU rating: 9.0
I'm not a McCain booster, but my guess is that a liberal 'Rat would have a somewhat lower ACU score.
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