Posted on 06/02/2005 10:51:12 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
A leader of the modern conservative movement says the bipartisan deal to end the filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees was all about the presidential election of 2008.
Arizona Senator John McCain was one of the seven Republicans involved in brokering the recent controversial "compromise" that suspended a Democratic-led filibuster and allowed judicial nominee Priscilla Owen to finally get an up-or-down vote before the full Senate. The deal called for allowing two other nominees to go before the Senate for a confirmation vote, but permitted Democrats to continue their filibustering tactics on future nominees.
Paul Weyrich, the founder and director of the Free Congress Foundation, has been on the Washington scene for decades. Weyrich is convinced "pure politics" were behind McCain's efforts to broker the judicial compromise that ended the filibusters before Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist could lead a change of Senate rules ending the unprecedented blocking tactics.
"I think John McCain could not stand to see Bill Frist [become] a hero to the conservative movement, which he would have been had he been able to deliver," says Weyrich. He feels the Arizona senator's hopes of someday moving into the Oval Office took over.
"To try to derail Frist's possible campaign for the presidency, McCain was willing to undercut his president, undercut his majority leader, undercut Republicans in the Senate, and undercut the country," Weyrich says matter-of-factly. "It is the kind of raw, nasty politics that most of us abhor [and] the kind of issue that is not going to be forgotten. In my opinion, this absolutely seals his fate in Republican primaries and conventions."
Weyrich is not alone in that assessment. Grover G. Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, told FreeRepublic.com that by his actions, McCain has essentially written himself off as a potential nominee.
(Excerpt) Read more at headlines.agapepress.org ...
"What McCain did was too raw to be easily forgotten. I don't give him a spitting chance in any election outside AZ."
He is my senator (not by choice) here in AZ, he can rest assured of one thing so far as I am concerned. Hell also hath no fury like this voter scorned.
Probably about the same time Hillary offers him the VP slot.
Guys, that is going to be one hell of a difficult ticket to beat. I sure as hell hope that people, who are a lot smarter then I am, also see this and are working towards a solution.
The only silver lining to this 'deal' McCain brokered, as far as I can tell, is that he is now broadly seen as the personna I had judged him to be years ago.
I predict McCain's 'fix' will expire in several months and Frist will be right back where he was, having to take the inevitable action Democrats have forced upon him.
John has now been outed for the miscreant he has been for years. The Democrats will allow a vote or three, and before it's all over McCain will be left with egg on his sour puss, and all the judicial nominees will be approved.
It's important to remember than John's politcal hero is Teddy "Moose Party" Roosevelt.
If John runs for POTUS, he will either run as an Independent (the straight talk express) or find a suitable venue wherein he can proclaim in an act of glorified statesmanship that "the GOP has left him, and that he feels the democrat party now best represents his views," and they will welcome him with an open DNC checkbook and Hillary will be his VP running mate. John is old and she can almost be guaranteed the presidency by his death or his promise to not seek a second term.
There you have it, so says I, onyx. :)
Remember how FReepers used to start a welcome thread when FR was mentioned in the news? Wow. Now FR is being treated as a news source itself. Pretty darn cool :-)
Lynn
You have it backwards. John will make Hillary his VP.
Besides being across the river from each other... ;-)
That says it all, however, McCain was never on my approved list anyway.
What would that accomplish (besides neutralizing 100% of Hillary!s political support base)
I'd vote for McCain in a heart beat. I'd vote for a democrat (or not vote) before pulling the lever for Frist or any other faith filled socialist.
It will accomplish a democrat win.
IF John jumps parties. He may very well run as an Independent.
Wasn't he a Dim that switched in the first place?
NO.
From his lips to God's ears. I neither like or trust McCain.
Dollars to donuts says I am right. ;)
Hillary has already played the back up roll and she holds all the cards for the Dem ticket. Why would she accept second chair?
All of it depends on John switching parties.
Hillary! spent 8 years in the White House as second banana already. If that memory doesn't stick with you, it certainly is seared into the consciousnesses of her core supporters.
They won't tolerate Hillary! running for a position which requires a microsecond more of the WH second-banana position.
It's more than political to them, it's assuredly personal.
They also consciously recognize McCain for what he is, a political turncoat opportunist with no core belief system.
If McCain can betray the Republicans so frequently and so publicly, what could ever be perceived as restraining him from betraying his "friends" on the other side of the aisle later on, as President-- or reneging on any presidential campaign pre-nup agreement with Hillary!, for that matter?
Besides, he is a white male, which is to say, he is considered equivalent to subhuman among Hillary!s core supporters-- no matter what he professes to support or not support politically at any given time.
He may be through in Arizona too - just as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, McCain turns his back as Arizona is invaded...not a word about his state from this coward.
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