Posted on 05/21/2008 11:44:10 PM PDT by Red Steel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) - A senior adviser to Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Tuesday that he was stepping down to keep a commitment he made not to campaign against Democrat Barack Obama.
Mark McKinnon, who was in charge of the McCain campaign's advertising message, said he was still backing the Arizona senator, but that he was simply moving from active campaign participant to cheerleader.
"I'll still be around occasionally in my lucky hat," said McKinnon, who often wears a distinctive hat.
McKinnon, who was a key aide in President George W. Bush's two election victories, has expressed admiration for Obama and pledged not to campaign against the Democratic front-runner if he became the party's presidential nominee.
A McCain campaign official said McKinnon had notified the campaign of his decision to leave but declined further comment. The McCain campaign had been expecting McKinnon's move for some months and was not surprised at his decision.
Obama, an Illinois senator, remains locked in a battle with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination and the right to face McCain in the November general election.
Projections showed him losing the Kentucky primary to Clinton on Tuesday, but he was favored to win the later Oregon contest. His showing on Tuesday was expected to give him a majority of the elected delegates to the party's nominating convention in August.
Neither of the Democratic candidates have enough elected delegates to win the nomination, leaving the race to be decided by so-called superdelegates -- party leaders and elected officials who can vote for the candidate of their choosing.
The Cox News Service reported that McKinnon told McCain last summer that he would not work for him in the general election if Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee, saying
"I just don't want to work against an Obama candidacy."
At the time, Obama and McCain each looked like long shots for nomination.
On Sunday, McKinnon told the news service that he will continue to support McCain.
"I will still show up from time to time (and) talk to the candidate still, but not about Obama."
(Writing by JoAnne Allen; editing by David Alexander)
In my experience (watching elections since 1976 and participating since 1984), no Republican candidate (and, tell the truth and shame the devil, not many Democrats) has been “evil”.
The “lesser of two evils” meme (and its brother “...is still evil”) has always struck me as being over the top.
I believe it was Reagan who said something like “just because I only agree with someone 3/4 of the time does not make him 1/4 my enemy.”
Someone else said “the perfect is the enemy of the acceptable.”
I voted for my first choice, FDT, in my state’s primary (before he quit...all to soon, to my mind). He was imperfect; he was acceptable. Others then running, and a couple still out there, are likewise imperfect but acceptable.
I cannot vote in another primary; so, as in about half the presidential elections I have voted in, I will now have to vote not for the lesser of evils, but for the least imperfect.
No matter who it is, that one will be identified by the letter “R”.
Good-bye to another phony.
Apparently, the MSM, including the LA Times and ABC news, et al are taking it seriously. Here’s a link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/05/mccain.html
Awesome video:
The same kind of terrorists who support Obama did this:
http://www.frugalsites.net/911/attack/
Never apologize for them.
Never appease them.
Never forget.
Fred couldn't, Duncan couldn't, Romney couldn't!
McQueeg was DOA when the TV people decided he was the Republican nom.
They've picked our candidates for US! I am NOT buying what they're selling!
Vote your conscience, not the "choice" the TV people give you!
Wait until he has to select SCOTUS nominees.....I predict a lot of unhappy campers.....
My conscience says vote “R”.
YMMV.
Is this article fake? Do you have any proof that Mark McKinnon has refuted ANY of these statements?
Your personal attacks on folks who believe McKinnon’s own words reinforces the fact that you have no coherent argument to make your point.
From the Fox article
***The campaign let it be known about a month ago that a top notch team of about half dozen people had been assembled to steer McCain’s media message.
McKinnon’s a Democrat, and will remain loyal to McCain from the sidelines…but will not work against Obama. It’s just that simple.***
‘Nuff said.
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