February 20, 2007
McCain On The Upswing?
Being a "maverick" in some sense of the word (once synonymous with the AZ Senator), John McCain traded 2/17's Senate debate on the non-binding Iraq resolution for a long weekend of campaigning - with stops throughout IL, OH, IA, FL and SC. A more conservatively charged straight-talk express was in full motion, aiming to tout McCain's most conservative credentials at each turn, from his unending support for the Iraq war and a significant troop increase (going so far as to say that 20,000 troops might not be enough), to an uninhibited call for overturning Roe vs. Wade, to a "private," yet well publicized meeting with evangelical leaders at the National Religious Broadcaster's Convention in Orlando, FL. His harsh critique of ex-Sec/Def Donald Rumsfeld, saying "he will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history," was also well received in SC.
Judging from coverage, both local and nat'l, McCain's decision to skip the "political stunt" in DC paid off, gaining key conservative support in competitive states. New York Times's Nagourney: "After hearing Mr. McCain speak, some said his support for Mr. Bush had gone some distance in mitigating reservations they had about him, including his record of being critical of Mr. Bush." Others likened his campaign presence to the McCain of '99 with the free flowing and informal nature of this weekend’s lineup. Washington Post's Balz: "There were flashes of the old McCain," as he "decried" the GOP that has "lost its way" and "punctuated question-and-answer sessions with his particular brand of humor." In a reference to his supposedly ethanol-position rooted reasoning for skipping the IA caucuses in ’00, McCain quipped in Des Moines, "I had my glass of ethanol this morning, and I'm feeling good."
Top it off with two endorsements at the SC rally from ex-Sen. Phil Gramm and ex-Gov. Frank Keating as well as the news of ex-Sen. Mike DeWine and Sen. John Thune's support, McCain certainly knew how to spend his long President's Day Weekend: fine tuning his well oiled campaign machine and doing everything he can to celebrate the holiday as a president himself in '08. The straight-talk express is shining even brighter these days in light of the media mindset forming around a certain other top WH ’08 GOPer labeled as a conservative flip-flopper. [AMY DUDLEY]
Posted at 04:05 PM
Comments
wouldn't the first time he celebrated Presidents' Day as president be in 2009?
c | 02.20.07 05:01 PM
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Whats up with McCain criticizing Cheney in public and then apologizing for those remarks in private to Cheney? McCain is sounding more like a DOUBLE TALK Express.
Here is what Cheney said in ABC News' interview:
Jonathan Karl: And I wanted to ask you. You probably heard John McCain again come out and say that your friend Donald Rumsfeld is perhaps the worst secretary of defense ever. What do you make of that?
Cheney:I just fundamentally disagree with John. John said some nasty things about me the other day, and then next time he saw me, ran over to me and apologized. Maybe he'll apologize to Rumsfeld.
Karl: So what's your take on where Secretary Rumsfeld fits in?
Cheney: I think Don's a great secretary [sic]. I know a little bit about the job. I've watched what he's done over there for six years. I think he did a superb job in terms of managing the Pentagon under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. He and John McCain had a number of dust-ups over policy, didn't have anything to do with Iraq -- other issues that were involved. John's entitled to his opinion. I just think he's wrong.
Karl: And I know we're just about out of time, but I wanted to clarify, Sen. McCain had said that the problem with President Bush is he listened to you too much. So this is what he was apologizing to you for?
Cheney: Yes, yes.
Karl: What did he say?
Cheney: Well, he came up to me on the floor a couple of days later, the next time I was on the floor of the Senate, said he'd been quoted out of context, and then basically offered an apology, which I was happy to accept.
Kelly | 02.21.07 01:06 PM
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