Posted on 12/21/2007 5:51:41 PM PST by Norman Bates
John McCain has been traveling around New Hampshire telling potential Republican primary voters that they might not always agree with him if he's elected president, but that they can at least be sure he will always do what he believes is right for the country. That's a reasonable summation of McCain's political appeal.
This newspaper does not agree with McCain on many issues.
We are concerned about his opposition to abortion rights, although we are somewhat reassured by his assurance that he does not advocate putting people in jail over the issue.
We were disappointed by his advocacy of the invasion of Iraq, but we understand his arguments that the state of U.S. intelligence in 2003 made the idea seem more appealing than it does in retrospect, and that the United States now has a national obligation to make the best of the mess we created.
As we have noted before in this space, McCain has never been the thoroughgoing Republican maverick that some people assume. Yet he is independent enough to impress.
Consider his efforts at campaign-finance reform - efforts that have not yet been successful, but that someday will be the key to putting the interests of the American people ahead of the special interests that grease the palms of shameless members of Congress. McCain's passion on that issue no doubt grew out of his involvement in the Keating Five influence-peddling scandal in the early 1990s. Although he was cleared of wrongdoing, he once noted: "We are all tainted by this system." That's not an admission you'll likely hear very many places on the campaign trail.
Recently, we have been impressed by McCain's attitude toward illegal immigration, expressed at considerable political cost in a bill that was defeated earlier in the year. He now notes that any improvement in the situation will have to begin by better policing of the borders, but he continues to speak with humane concern of the people, and the families of people, who have put down roots here.
We are also intrigued, although not fully persuaded by, McCain's recent venture into health-care reform. Like many other Republicans, he puts a lot of faith in private insurance companies, and he rejects the idea of health-insurance mandates. But he is proposing an end to restrictions on insurance availability from out of state providers, as well as significant tax relief for people who negotiate their own insurance arrangements. He has a quiver of proposals for reducing the cost of health care. And he wants to create a federal insurance fund to insure people who are turned down - or priced out of the market - by private insurers. "And it'll be expensive," he volunteers, with typical candor.
Where McCain most distinguishes himself from the rest of this year's Republican pack is in the areas of life experience and force of character. He is not a single-issue candidate off on a frantic ideological jag. Although his political ideology has evolved through experience over the years, he has not changed his previous political positions en masse to appeal to the presumed prejudices and preferences of voters. Nor has he tried to craft a candidacy around an artificial persona who promises to save us all from terrorists, or from the devil. And, perhaps most important, he campaigns with decency.
What we see in McCain is a grown-up; a known quantity with a 30-year record of public service; a conservative who is confident in his abilities and yet smart enough to seek counsel. If he becomes the Republican nominee in 2008, the country has a chance of enjoying a substantive presidential contest, unburdened by fear-mongering and irrelevancies. The major candidates will differ sharply in their approaches to the many challenges we face, but their passion is likely to be tempered by civility.
By selecting John McCain on January 8, New Hampshire Republicans and independents have an opportunity to put the presidential contest on a constructive path that's worthy of the nation and its finest aspirations, at a time when a sharp course correction is severely needed.
I hate to tell you this but they were not going to eliminate the fillibuster.
They were considering making it easier to break a fillibuster.
Wasnt he found to be InSane 4 years ago??? And he’s 1-7 on all the major conservative planks but we should still back him..??.....zzz
Welcome aboard.
Nope. It was to avoid the nuclear option and retain normal procedures.
The Keene Sentinel is edited by a notorious and bitter old lefty named Guy MacMillan.
The entire reporting, sales and production staff of the paper combined do not approach half of his age.
Go ask John Kenneth Galbraith who he's endorsing in the NH Republican primary.
I know nothing about this paper but Keene is one of the larger towns in NH. Clearly this endorsement has a liberal bent to its tone - no one is disputing that.
1)InSane Fengold-Free Speech Limits
2)Open borders-Late to the know
3)No on Bush tax cuts(or any for that matter)
4)Gun right ambivilance
5)Gang of 14- the cowards that they were
6)Kennedy/McCain education initiatives
7)Decrying torture
8)Reach across the isle Rinoism
9)Perennial “Maveric” thorn in the side of conservatism
10) Featherbedding
...geez Im sure I could go on for a while.
That would depend on Senator Thompson rousing himself enough to get out of bed at some point between now and election day in order to actually campaign in an aggressive, effective and forceful manner.
Nothing I've seen to date suggests that he is so inclined in the least.
Right!
Most (all) of McCain’s actions have been in the interest of a better-functioning, less-corrupt government. I believe that even his missteps were done with good intentions.
And he’s certainly head and shoulders above all the other candidates in the forefront.
You didn’t actually read his platform but thanks for playing.
I agree!
Sen. John McCain said Thursday that he has "never done any favors for anybody — lobbyist or special interest group," as his presidential campaign issued a statement denouncing allegations of legislative favoritism as "gutter politics." The Arizona Republican has hired a prominent Washington criminal attorney, Robert Bennett, to deal with the matter. CASE CLOSED.
It’s always somewhat amusing to read the McCain bashing posts on this site. He gets blasted for not being conservative enough, YET:
- He is more socially conservative than Romney or Giuliani
- And more fiscally conservative than Huckabee!
Looks like the most across-the-board conservative candidate we have!
He gets branded a “Maverick” which some people like & some don’t. Funny he gets that title in spite of the fact that he’s worked so hard to eliminate corrupt spending practices in Washington, Government “perks” and “Business-as-usual”. He’s probably one of the LEAST corrupt politicians out there! (How sad it is that the ones w/ integrity are the “mavericks”!).
So let me ask all you wise FReepers out there - how could one be a total hard-line conservative in Washington and actually get any work done?? Much as we might dislike it, there has to be a “meeting of the minds” in order to accomplish anything. That’s what “statesmanship” is all about!
Fortunately we have McCain as our candidate who can work with members of another party & still try to uphold the really important Conservative values (Pro-life, strong defense, 2nd amendment, etc.). McCain never surrenders on those issues! It’s BRILLIANT if he can protect those values and STILL get Independents & Democrats to vote for him!
After the Republican primaries, the Democrats will stop voting for him.
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