Posted on 11/28/2005 10:15:28 AM PST by areafiftyone
Senator McCain of Arizona is emerging as an early favorite for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 as a result of a shift in the issues dominating the American political landscape, according to political analysts.
Intensifying public concern about the war in Iraq, the prospect of protracted corruption trials in Washington, and renewed qualms among Republicans about federal spending are all putting wind into Mr. McCain's sails while setting back most of the senator's rivals for the nomination.
"If Iraq and foreign policy and national security and deficit spending are important issues, that will benefit people like McCain," the publisher of a leading political newsletter, Stuart Rothenberg, said.
A Republican political consultant with national campaign experience said looming decisions about when and how to withdraw American troops from Iraq should boost the prospects of Mr. McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The senator has vocally opposed calls for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, but he has also clashed with the White House over a measure he sponsored to prohibit Americans from engaging in torture.
A former aide to the senator, Marshall Wittmann, also said he believes the stars are aligning for a McCain candidacy.
"My sense is there's a significant amount of momentum shifting to Mc-Cain within the Republican Party over the past few months," said Mr. Wittmann, who served as the senator's communications director for two years before quitting last year to join the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
"Thats what we say but its not what the American people are saying which is why Giuliani and McCain are leading the pack and Allen and the rest of the conservatives are polling in the single digits. They are tired of conservatives and liberals squabbling back and forth - the moderates and independents are speaking up right now and if we don't listen to them and find out what they want we will lose to the Dems because we seem to be stuck in our little world. This is not 2004 anymore. We may have the majority in Congress but that can change in 2006 or if it doesn't change - it doesn't guarantee the presidency in 2008."
Sacre bleu! By any chance are you of French heritage?
LOL No actually I'm a realist. We seem to live in bubble here on Free Republic (although its a very nice one) - but I've been gaging what is going on the conservative blog sites and many conservatives are wide open to McCain and Giuliani running for president. They don't think people like Allen can beat anyone because they just don't have it in them. I tend to go by what I sense outside of Free Republic because we are just a tiny group compared to the rest of the country.
These leftie propagandists show such a deep contempt for our intelligence. I wonder if they understand how much it's reciprocated.
GHWB also selected Clarence Thomas, so he was 1 for 2. There haven't been any Republican Presidents in recent decades who had a better ratio (Reagan was 2 for 4, but at least his two weak picks weren't as bad as Souter).
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