I don’t know that I ever said Cantor was “the greatest thing since sliced bread” but of the Virginia Republican Congressmen, he was far the more logical choice than Goode or Forbes.
Both are good men and excellent Congressmen. But not VP material. Goode especially. He brings his own controversies to the table (even if you agree with him, he’s a lightning rod)
And, while I’m disappointed, Cantor was far from alone. I suspect he was following Boehner’s lead.
Besides, McCain supported the bailout, or some version thereof (as did Cantor). You don’t seriously think that either Goode or Forbes would have disagreed with him had they been his VP pick.
Do you?
I suspect that Eric Cantor thought this was the best that we could come up with. He was mistaken. He has pushed for some good ideas, like accounting reforms that would make it harder to over-value assets on financial forms.
I didn't say you specifically called him the greatest thing since sliced bread, I was using an analogy. Many freepers were convinced the guy was the perfect conservative. He's not. He's very conservative and pretty solidly votes the Republican line, but that alone doesn't make you a great conservative leader.
>> Both are good men and excellent Congressmen. But not VP material. Goode especially. He brings his own controversies to the table (even if you agree with him, he’s a lightning rod) <<
My point is that Virgil Goode is more concerned about standing up for conservative principles than doing the bidding of the party leadership. He acted the same way when he was a Democrat, standing up for conservative principles and voting to impeach Slick Willie when 95% of Dems were defending Clinton tooth and nail. The guy has balls. Now, I'll admit Goode made a few stupid moves in his time (particularly when he said Keith Ellison should not be sworn until Congress unless he swears alligance to a Christian bible), but from a personal standpoint, I admire Goode more and I think he's a better conservative.
>> Cantor was far from alone. I suspect he was following Boehner’s lead. <<
As I noted in another post, Thad McCotter is in the House GOP leadership, and he voted NO.
>> You don’t seriously think that either Goode or Forbes would have disagreed with him had they been his VP pick. Do you? <<
I do. Sarah Palin is pretty adament in her support of ANWR drilling and she didn't flip-flop to McCain's position simply because she became his running mate. She stood her ground and said she "disagrees with John on that issue" and is "working to bring him around". I suspect Forbes or Goode would have said the same thing about the bailout. They wouldn't attack McCain's views or try to undermine the guy at the top of the ticket, but they're not going to cave and abandon their principles, either.