Posted on 10/24/2006 7:59:19 AM PDT by freespirited
Election 2006 will be over in two weeks with the election results likely to provide the catalyst for ... the next 12 months in positioning for who will be the next President of the United States.
...the Republican side has settled around the "Big 3" of McCain, Giuliani and Romney. ...McCain has had the best several weeks of any candidate, in either party. The North Korean nuke provided McCain with an opportunity to burnish his national security pedigree... McCain's less partisan style may win him points with the beltway media and Independents but it is a big-time negative with the conservative base he is going to need to win the GOP nomination. His recent attacks on the Clintons over North Korea warmed conservative attitudes toward McCain measurably.
But even better for McCain than Kim Jong-il's nuke, the Foley scandal destroyed Republican momentum at a critical time and completely threw the GOP back on its heels heading into the midterm homestretch. With the possibility of a Democratic takeover of Congress having risen considerably McCain is well positioned to pick up the pieces from a dispirited and angry Republican party if they indeed lose two weeks from today.
...McCain's biggest appeal to Republicans...will be his claim (credibly) that he can win in 2008. And a Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid could be all John McCain needs to convince enough nervous conservatives to get behind him to ensure blowing the Democrats out of the water in 2008....
This may all be a little Machiavellian for some, but the chess pieces are moving on the 2008 presidential board. With the odds of McCain winning the GOP nomination greatly improved by a Republican rout in '06, the possibility that Hillary Clinton may indeed take a pass on 2008 has to be more seriously considered.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
I'm not worried about McCain. His Own Mouth will stop him.
Well..this article would NOT qualify for your "stop McCain" website...what a bunch of garbage this was...ugh
"McCains biggest appeal to Repblicans..."McCain does not appeal to this Republican.I'm sick and tired of hearing McCain refered to as a "moderate" or a "maverick" Republican.I'll be polite and label him a rino.
I'm worried he'll pull a Perot third-party candidacy out of vindictiveness when he doesn't get the GOP nomination and split the conservative vote, which is the only way Hillary, like Bill before her, could win.
If these are our "big three" by the time the dust settles, I believe we are in serious trouble.
I have the same fear. Probably the only way to stop His Ego from doing that would be to offer him the VP slot.
Of course my bigger fear is that he will get the nomination.
The only state that has McCain in front is New Hampshire so far. That's not much to go by. Giuiliani and Romeny are beating him in all the other states. If McCain goes third party what will happen to his Senate seat? I don't think he would give it up if he runs. That would be a dumb move.
This article of course is all speculation. However I can state with absolute certainty that the 44th president of the United States will come from one of the following:
McCain, Romney, Giuliani, Hillary, Gore, Biden, Dodd, Bayh or Edwards. My vote is for Giuliani/Huckabee ticket.
Both Gore and Edwards MUST knock off Hillary after this election or they can forget forever being president and they want it in the worst way. The real bloodletting is to come two weeks after this election. If Hillary is knocked out then I think the Dem ticket will be Edwards and Bayh.
But one can go to the bank on the nine above. Pick your poison.
I see Obama as the new "Jimma Carter". The Clintons are trying to get him out of the way early.
Let's hope the American people have more sense than to elect either one.
Can't argue much with that list, although I don't think the Dems will run another New England senator (Dodd or Biden) for awhile... Their best candidate was Warner, now they're stuck between Hillary/Gore/Edwards, with Feingold as a dark horse.
If Giuliani runs, the nomination and presidency are his to lose...
No it won't. It will be "I am the less of the two evils"
The only way to stop a Republican shift to the Left is to keep the Senate and the House.
The Republicans, if they lose, will scramble to the Left/middle desperate to regain power.
a 3-way race with a win for Hillary
history repeating itself
it could happen........how ironic
It would suck to have a pro abrion/anti-gun president. Not quite as bad as a Hillary presidency, though.
John McIntyre doesn't have a CLUE!! What Republicans have settled around those losers??? SURELY NO CONSERVATIVES!
"McCain has had the best several weeks of any candidate"
If so, its only because Republican chances to hold COngress are jeopardized.
Whatr does THAT indicate.
McCain can go to hell and take Giuliani with him.
1) There sn't a dime's worth of difference between them
and Hillery.
2) The 2006 race isn't over until election day
3) 2008 is two years away.
It is curious that of the "Big Three", none can be considered idealogical conservatives. Mit Romney has the best chance of presenting himself as a Reaganite.
The New York media, by the way, would LOVE to see two New Yorkers (one being a carpetbagger) face off in November 2008
The author of this bull , John McIntyre , is clearly a huge John McCain fan and can't see pass his own bias.
McCain no sure bet on the nomination and it is way to early to be saying anything is settled. Even if McCain is the nominee , he's not a sure bet to win a general election.
McCain has the same problem he had in 2000. He is the darling on the leftist media and gets lots of great press but rank and file republicans don't support him. He doesn't have the support with the base to win the nomination.
If the gop takes a beaten in themid terms in Nov , I say the party goes right andf not left of middle which is where mcCain fits. Bush is going to get the blame and the party will belooking for the anti Bush canidate in 08 , someone who doesn't look like another Nixon liberal neocons republican like Bush and co.
The democrats who like vote for him in open primaries inflates his numbers and are a big partofhis supporters. But they won't vote for him in the general election. This holds truer if a Clinton is the nominee on the other side.
Democrats hero worship the clinton's.
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