|
Quite frankly, I'm sick to death of John McVain. He had his chance in 2000 and he blew it. Worse still he'd be well past 70 if he is actually elected and would be a one term president at best. Age is a factor not to be ignored He feels entitled to the nomination--IT'S HIS TURN AT LAST. |
|
It takes a lot more guts to walk down a street in Bagdad with 100 soldiers and attack helicopters than it takes to attack McCain from the comfort of your computer chair.
All it takes is one suicide sniper, mortar shell or RPG and the soldiers and attack copters do you little good.
McCain has earned the respect of Americans by fighting for Americans. You lefty would not be able to bash him from the comfort of your chair if people like him had not protected you sorry butts. |
|
The Dems claim the military is "broken" and that we have reached our "limits of power" and that we should pull back in retreat.
Americans are frustrated but they see (the world also) an armed services (that has 1.4+ million active duty people and 1.5 million reserves) that can not even maintain a 150,000 fighting force (with a lot of support roles outsourced).
What if America actually had to deal with Iran or China? Where do those troups come from? The Dems want to invade Dufar. Where do those troups come from?
Americans see a war that is not working well and the natural tendency is to drawback into "Fortress America". The world sees the only super power who can't even deal with a third world country.
Republican have always taken a position of peace through strength but there will be no peace since there seems to be no strenght. Republicans have always run on National Security. However, most voters do not sense security. The are baffled but they sense weakness and want to draw back to a more secure position.
It is not just a matter of trying to salvage Iraq, it is a matter of fixing our national security so that we really can protect ourselves and our interests.
I would like to see someone address an overhaul of the military. If this is all of the power we can generate with a 2.9 million armed services there is something deeply wrong, either in the civilian side or the military side or both.
|
|
|
You've got be kidding me! This is simply another desperate gambit for Senator Last Chance John McVain to stir up interest in his imploding presidential campaign. Does John McVain think we're all stupid or something? You'd feel safe too guarded by 100 heavily armed soldiers with Apache helicopters buzzing overhead. Talk about wasting the taxpayers money--we shelled out a fortune so that Senator McVain could stroll around a Baghdad market to pick up a few trinkets. I want my money back. His finest hour? PUL-EZE!!!!! |
|
A review of the RealClearPolitics polls indicates that McCain is losing strength in the primary polls because Thompson has been entered as a candidate and has been rising in the polls, also Romney has come up a little.
This is a very tentative assessment but you can go look for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
McCain's head to head numbers are about the same. He continues to run well against the Dems. The War does not seem to be hurting him at this point in the general election.
At this point Thompson seems to be his biggest problem. How does he differentiate from Thompson who shares many of his positions? |
|
McCain still runs well against the Dems (maybe a little better) as he very vocally supports the War. His position does not seem to hurt him in the head to head contests and may help.
His slide in the primary polls has to be caused by something other than support for the War. He has always been a pro war candidate. 70 % or more of Republicans support the war. There is no real anti war candidate in the primary.
The Media are blaming McCain's war position for his slide in the primary polls but that is wrong! His war position should help him in the primary and hurt him in the head to head with Dems. It is the other way around. |
|
in bagdad, my wife who is not really into politics was laughing at him.
now that the green zone has been penetrated he even looks more foolish.
he seems to have acquired "cheney's disease"
a inability to see reality and respond with reason and logic. |
|
I thought McCain's "finest hour" was during last week's botched photo-op when he proved Baghdad is safe for a nice walk - as long as one wears body armor and is accompanied by 100 heavily armed combat troops, two Apache gunships and three Blackhawk helicopters in the air, two Abrams tanks nearby, and of course a squadron of F-16s prowling overhead.
|
|
McQueeg has had so many ignoble moments over the last few years that being right on one issue, like a blind squirrel finding the occasional acorn, can't possibly wash away the stain of all the times he's pandered shamelessly to the MSM and the Left.
He will never be the GOP nominee, and a commentator would have to be pretty darned silly to think otherwise. |
|
I love to see our GOP stand up for what is right. I believe that we have a pretty decent group of candidates here and if we continue to press forward doing the right thing, we will maintain our self-respect, regardless of the outcome of the election.
And/but/so: "Of course, by election day, Romney may have changed his position a few times, so why bother worrying about what he says now, right?"
You are speculating. If he does change his position, call me. You can't congratulate your man without taking a dig at Romney, can you. |
|
Your first post here nailed it. Kudos to Dean for not toeing the Hugh line. A kudos to McCain for tackling the issue head on...
I'm guessing his handlers are having fits. "Stop talking about Iraq! All the focus groups show that... etc, etc." This is why I liked McCain in 2000, and why I like him still. I don't Hugh's beloved offering anything but the most tepid support for the war. Of course, by election day, Romney may have changed his position a few times, so why bother worrying about what he says now, right? |
|
"To the extent that the Shia now see Iraq as their own country, their tolerance for mayhem and chaos has receded. Sadr may damn the American occupiers, but ordinary Shia men and women know that the liberty that came their way had been a gift of the Americans." http://opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009926
|
|
"doing what the majority of the American people want"
Aside from the difference between democratic republic and democracy, does the reporter know that McCain is a senator from Arizona, not the whole country?
|
|
An undisclosed casuality by MSM--though remarked by others--is that today's MSM learned how to cover a War by means of Vietnam. Alas, they learned their lessons too well. And combined with complaceny the template is stuck.
I say complacency because they don't ever even seem to notice what they express--so they just go blah blah blah blah Vietnam, blah blah blah blah Vietnam (okay so they insert the word Iraq--big deal). Just one big loop, which expresses nothing so much as loopy.
Now back to my study.
|
|
|
I second Athingortwo. I'd be proud to have any of the declared GOP candidates as my commander-in-chief. I wouldn't trust the declared Dem candidates with a tank platoon. |
|
The media which is so full of itself has the temerity to say, "not me."
Or, they muse that the American people are fatigued by the war. What hooey. The American People are fatigued by the non stop nagging and hand wringing of the media--and their in inane enablers--the Democrats.
Senator McCain--a true hero--has provided both what a cure looks like and is, but I'll leave the words to him seeing as how he said it so much better than I could.
As for me, the media is just a little pin prick that only annoys when I notice. Still, this fatigue thing bears more study, maybe there is some kind of inoculation that could be made available to everyone. I think it bears some study, and as soon as I come up with anything I'll share it |
|
|
For pete's sake, I left out Rudy G. Sorry Rudy. He too wants to win unlike any Dem. It will be the same story on whether primary voters will select his way to win or no. BTW, wil was right as I avered two weeks ago: McCain will make a great Secdef. Thanks for noticing wil. |
|
|
A great American and patriot. A lousy Pub Senator. The primary voters will not just look at this solid defense of a righteous victory over Islamofascism in Iraq et al but at his whole Pub record. All 4 of the Pub candidates still around, Mitt, John, Fred and Newt will want to win the war against Islamofascism and somehow they must convince a wussy public that that is the correct policy. With the socialist pacifist defeatist Dems all on one side, it will be hard to do so but McCain made an effort and for that he should be commended. |
|
"And so we have a major anomaly in the Republican presidential campaign: The candidate with the most conservative record of the top contenders is the least liked by conservatives."
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/487toqos.asp
I do not like McCain-Feingold and I agree we need a sane immigration policy (which should start with enforcing current laws against employers using illegal immigrants as labor)--but the war on terror matters a lot.
And as for that big thing in the room--the Democrats are by far worse in dealing with that rouge elephant. Which is why I want a GOP candidate who will win. |
|
Quoting Thomas Moore in the screenplay:
"I think that when statesmen forsake
their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties they lead their country
by a short route to chaos."
Bravo McMain on this point.
Too bad he doesn't have the same wisdom to understand that we can just as easily lose civilization by permitting generations of children to be raised in the transient and imbalanced relationships labeled 'gay marriage'
|
|
Fantastic post.
Isn't it amazing how Dean and Hugh (both ardent Romney supporters--even though Hugh disingenously and ridiculously denies it) can watch the same interview and see two very different things. Dean sees nobility. Hugh make dead parrot allusions.
Through his tireless--and tiresome--shilling for Romney--Hugh has blown his most important asset--his credibility.
The only reason to left to read this website is to read Dean's--not Hugh's posts. I don't listen to Hugh's "All Mitt,all the time" radio show any longer either.
Bruce Sherman
Oakland, Oregon |
|
The WSJ and Dean are right - this is McCain's finest hour (in politics, anyway).
It's likely that John McCain's finest hour in life was when he refused early release by the North Vietnamese from his "suite" at the Hanoi Hilton, when he realized that the NV hoped to score propaganda points by "reaffirming" that "fortunate sons" of famous and powerful Americans (McCain's father was a senior USN Admiral) get special dispensation in America. McCain refused, and kept his suite for some time thereafter ... kind of a stark contrast with the recent behavior of 15 Brit sailors and marines who wet their pants over spending two weeks blabbing and signing traitorous confessions while wearing designer Iranian sweatsuits, then promptly sold the rights to stories of their "ordeal" barely after their feet hit British soil ... I can't wait for the miniseries ... sigh).
Anyway, McCain is a Stud on the War. Good for him and good for us. He's still not my first choice for President, but he's also far from "done" and I am glad to see that at least the junior half of the Hugh'n Dean Show has enough humility to offer credit where it's due.
It's also a reminder to all of us that every single one of the likely Republican candidates is vastly preferable to the Dems and their "Surrendor at All Cost" crowd, cheerleaded by Pulosi Galore and Harry "'Never Say Never' Defund the Troops" Reid. We may have our favored horse in this race, but let's never lose sight of the fact that the more we denigrate and attempt to delegitimize your guy's competitor, it's just making it that much easier to end up with the Bad Guys running the whole show come January '09.
A big salute to Senator McCain, a Great American and now a Great American Leader ... and the same salute will go to every other Republican candidate who'll stand with him!
|
|
It's nice to come here and see a McCain-related post not filled with caveats about how terrible he is.
I appreciate your honest assessment, and as stated in previous threads, agree with it wholeheartedly. I hope this is a turning point in the right direction for McCain, as Guiliani (who I rather like) has begun to slip.
Also, no post on Romney's remarks about the GWOT? I just saw a story about it. Good for Romney. |
|
|
who is more palatable on the supreme court, social issues, and the border consider McCain for secdef? That is where his clarity and rightness on this issue might be perfectly suited. I wonder if McCain has the willingness to set his ego aside and accept that job. I wonder if any Republican candidate has the guts to place a "maverick" who understands leadership and the stakes of the war in a position where his maverickness might cause friction later? |
|
...you agree that Hugh's "Dead Parrot" post was his worst of the year so far, a small but undeniable betrayal of everything he claims to stand for, putting petty politics far above principle, and also dead wrong.
Sorry - obviously that one really stuck in my craw. Another rule of this election cycle may be that every observer needs to make at least one totally premature declaration of at least one candidate's done-ness.
"No one knows nothing."
What McCain's been doing and saying, specifically on 60 MINS and more generally, does matter, and those of us who support victory in Iraq and the GWOT should be urging him on and getting behind him, not snarking dismissively - regardless of our perceptions about the horse race or are final preferences about nominees. Congratulations to you, the POWERLINE guys, and the National Review guys for getting it. Any chance you might get the word to the Jack Bauer of the Blogosphere? |
|
Gives McCain a 65/100 rating on his voting record
How about a McCain-Specter GOP ticket?
Is it big-tent enough? |
|
I agree with your post except that the elephant is isolated to the GOP.
"this war in Iraq is the elephant in the room that the GOP has to deal with"
The war in Iraq is something that both sides need to deal with and the side who sells their strategy to WIN better will win.
For the Democrats, withdrawal is definitely a strategy but I don't think that's what the American will vote for. Americans like/want to win and that's how they'll vote.
By the way, I too would support a McCain/Thompson ticket!!!! |
|
For being so stout in his position -- it is a rare quality indeed for a politician to forthrightly say "the public is wrong."
If only the public were wrong! I defer to the "wisdom of crowds" on this topic -- America, collectively, has looked at the costs and benefits of continuing the war and think its better to shore up our strength for another conflict than to waste time, money, and lives on a profoundly broken country.
How very noble of McCain. How also very foolish.
http://www.themechanicaleye.com
DU
|
|
twice perr day...
Who gives a flying leap if we win the GWoT overseas ? We all do.
Who cares whether our southern border is secure? Apparently most of us; but not Senator McCain...
Or the President, the Attorney General, other RINOs , or Dhimmicrats... |
|
|
|
Great job, Dean. I associate myself with your remarks.
Vive the man of principle. Henry Clay said it, although I don't think he meant it, but it is the perfect statement of real American statesmanship:
"I would rather be right than president."
Amen. |
|
|
A few years back, Scott Pelley somehow found his way to an interview with insurgents/terrorists in Iraq. When he showed footage of it to a general he was interviewing, the general asked him why he hadn't told anyone where the terrorists were. His reply: "We report." What a piece of work. |
|
I thought the 60 Minute exchange remarkable (unfortunately Hugh made dead parrot jokes about it and missed the real point).
As you all know--I like McCain very much. I would like to see him President (a dream ticket for me would be McCain-Thompson). But whether John McCain is the nominee or not--this war in Iraq is the elephant in the room that the GOP has to deal with. Giuliani, Romney, Gingrich and Thompson of course support "victory" but everyone is worried how the war will play out in 2008. I like the fact McCain is taking the issue head on because it is the main issue in this election. |
|