So what's John McCain up to tonight?

[jobycom]

I can just picture him, on the phones, calling his under-the-board people, feeling out the Republican reaction.

Say this memo has the effect it should have. The Republicans will have not only a lame duck, they will have a sitting duck on their hands, and on their ballots. There might still be time to change the ballots, to get another candidate on, but the candidate would have to come with a presidential-grade image already. That's McCain.

Can't you see him calling, planting the seeds? "I know it's unlikely, but we need a contingency, and we don't have a lot of time to decide. Keep it in mind. Be ready to act." IF McCain could sell that, the Republicans might start talking impeachment. They wouldn't actually do it, mainly because there's not much point this close to an election. But they would talk about it, to save the party's image. And to push Bush out. THEY could be the ones to bring Bush down, to get McCain on the ticket before it's too late.

This memo, like everything else Bush has faced, may blow over, too. Rove or Cheney may yet save the little guy. But they are thinking about it, and talking about it, all over DC right now. Just in case.

[Hamlette]

1. isn't the title the most dramatic part of the PDB?

[jobycom]

8. It's existence is the most dramatic part

This will sink in to people. It means Bush had warnings. People will start asking why he didn't respond, at all. The warnings are specific enough to warrant at least an advisory to the airlines. He did nothing. People will ask why.

And there are only two answers. One, he's stupid. Or two, he wanted something to happen. See, after O'Neal, after Clarke, after Rice, people are starting to ask who's lying. Before, they didn't question Bush at all. Now they are questioning. They haven't decided yet that he's lying, but they are having to answer the question. And now, this memo makes it look like Bush was lying. Which means Clarke and O'Neal weren't. Which brings up the specter that Bush wanted the war against Iraq so badly he allowed 9-11 to happen. Probably not knowing how bad it would be, but still allowing something to happen.

The memo doesn't have to prove everything at once. It is a key, or a wedge, that opens the door to people doubting him. It proves that there may be something to what Bush's critics have been saying all along. And that means questions, and Bush can't answer those.

Rove's strategy now will be to push Bush's critics to the extreme, make them appear to be wild-eyed conspiracy theorists. He may even use DU for that. He'll got his 1000+ posters here to post the wildest imagineable scenarios so he can have his talk show buddies expose how crazy the accusations are, and thus undermine the whole memo issue. It might even work. But it won't completely mend the damage.

[Renew Deal]

2. McCain would have a 50-50 shot against Kerry

McCain is widely loved outside the christian wrong. I would love Kerry vs. McCain. This country would get the high quality race it deserves.

[gulliver]

3. McCain is on MTP tomorrow.

This should be very interesting.

[Renew Deal]

5. McCain will not shill for those assholes.

It wouldn't surprise me if he slammed them.

[blm]

7. Quite possibly. Didn't the 9-11 families ask that McCain and Rudman

be on the 9-11 commission and the WH said "Nyet!"

[DemLikr]

9. I used to think that, Bleachers. But every time McCain comes close to

calling a spade a spade where Bushco is concerned, he backs off and parrots the Republican line.

I have zero respect for him as a statesman.

[bushwakker]

11. Agreed. He'll shill for AWOL tomorrow

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. He HAS been shilling for them.

For the disagreements McCain has had w. Bush, hes been pretty solid pro Iraq war. So I doubt he'd turn on the Admin now.

[radiclib]

12. How can you be so sure of that

after the way Bush smeared him with shit in the 2000 SC primary and he still supported him?

[Renew Deal]

4. BTW, The pukes don't have to nominate Bush.

They can nominate whoever they want.

[0007]

6. That would be so sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!

I can hear McCain now, "I don't want to sound ugly, but......"

McCain is kind of like a Doctor Strangelove