Maverick McCain will give a boost to Kerry's campaign

[T_i_B]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=504108

Just possibly, John Kerry's most potent card in his quest for the White House is not the support of his fellow Democrats, nor his party's seething rage at President Bush, but his close friendship with a Republican, his Senate colleague John McCain of Arizona.

Mr McCain, 66, is not just the underdog challenger who gave Mr Bush a serious fright in the 2000 primaries. He is one of the most popular - some would say the most popular - politicians in the country, a maverick with a powerful appeal to independent voters.

Right now, he is also an all-important defender of Mr Kerry's national security record, which is under savage assault by the Bush-Cheney re-election machine.

Last week, the personal bond between the two men proved priceless for Mr Kerry, as Bush-Cheney attack advertisements zeroed in on the Massachusetts senator's alleged propensity to "flip-flop" on key defence issues, thus making him unfit to be commander-in-chief. Not so, according to Mr McCain. His old friend had put together a "strong record" on national security during his 20 years in the Senate, Mr McCain said on 18 March. Republican strategists watched in frustration as he partly neutralised a blistering attack on Mr Kerry, which had been delivered just 24 hours earlier by Dick Cheney, the vice-president.

[elperromagico]

1. McCain is of great service to Kerry as a friend and defender,

just not as a running mate.

[Blayde Starrfyre]

2. Not Buying It

Eh . . . I'd like to think that the hatred McCain feels for Bush (I mean Bush claimed he went insane in the POW camp) would be enough to move him to the Kerry camp. I mean I like and respect McCain as well. He's a war hero like Kerry, and they should both feel contempt for the cowardly hawk Bush. As a man who suffered for years for a pointless war, he should empathize with those in Iraq and should want to stop the similar wars that will certainly follow if Bush is elected. However, I knew that McCain would not show that much guts as soon as he became head of the whitewashing Iraq intelligence committee and said he did not believe Bush would manipulate intelligence. I know it, he knows it, the American people know it. They wouldn't appoint him if they didn't know they could beat him into submission.

Sadly, McCain is no Jeffords.

[Leilani]

10. As you post

McCain is arguing with Bush about subpoena power for the Iraq Intelligence Committee. Get Kerry elected, & then we'll have a REAL investigation into Iraq war intelligence.

And to state that McCain could be beaten into submission by Repubs is a LAUGH! 5 & 1/2 years of torture did not beat him into submission.

[The Traveler]

3. McCain is a great American and a good man

Not that I agree with all his positions or anything ... but he acts from his beliefs and a place of great integrity. You can have intelligent and useful debate with a man like McCain ... what a contrast to Bush or Lott or any of that crowd.

There are conservatives who are honest and legitimate ... their views simply differ from ours. Many of them are dismayed by the course their party has taken since Bush acquired power in 2000. If we can simply restore legitimate debate and honest, civil discourse on the issues to public life we will have won a major victory over the forces of darkness that threaten to engulf our land. Therefore, as a liberal, I think we should seek coalition with them. A Kerry/McCain ticket could symbolize a coalition of political factions determined to achieve that goal. It'll never happen, but that is part of the problem, methinks.

The neo-cons are NOT conservatives. There are reasons why they squawk so hard when the Nazi analogy is suggested ... and none of them are related to their innocence.

[Blayde Starrfyre]

5. Indeed

That's why, when you look at men like McCain, Bob Dole, even Pat Buchanan, you have to respect them even if you don't like their ideologies . . . because they HAVE ideologies.

[Fitzovich]

7. I must agree

Absolutely! The Neo Cons are off on some bizarre self serving mission and have taken the Republican Party for a ride with their lies and misdeeds. While I would prefer to see someone else in the VP slot, I would think McCain could serve in a variety of positions (including the one his is in currently). I think we should all have respect for everyone's opinions and should all respect those that have had bullets zinging past their heads in the service of this country.

[NJCher]

4. an interesting comment McCain made

When the Dem primaries were being held in NH, McCain was up there campaigning for bush. When asked why he was doing it, he responded, "Because they asked me to."

I just thought it was interesting that he said that instead of affirming his belief in bush.


Cher

[JI7]

6. i saw him say it

i saw it on tv, and you could tell the guy hated being there and "having" to support the idiot just because he is a republican.

[Hav]

9. .

When Jon Stewart asked him whether McCain attented the SOTU he replied :"I had no choice.", and he repeatedly mocked Bush quite to the surprise of the audience.
He was really funny and honest in that interview.

[maxanne]

11. horse hockey

he didn't have to do any such thing.

He also didn't have to endorse millionaire Craig Benson for NH governor - a man who was convicted of discriminating against women in his business - but he did.

The man is a Republican, and that's the bottom line. If he had an iota of principle, he'd have left the party after what Rove did to him. Instead, he stays, and toadies up. As an earlier poster said, "he's no Jim Jeffords."

I really wonder about all the McCain romantacism that occurs in a place called "DEMOCRATIC Underground."

[Hav]

14. I only talked about a funny interview with Jon Stewart , Ma'am.

No need to crap your pants.

He said that it was mandatory and chuckled when he said "I had no choice" .
He is clearly a Republican and he will never consider changing party because he believes in his conservative ideas. Yet many in his party aren't the kind of conservative that he is. And he won't hold back criticising them.
He might be a Republican, nethertheless one can respect him even if one doesn't share his beliefs.

I could also ask what it is all about the trashing of Democrats in a place called Democratic Underground. Something like that would concern me more.

[T_i_B]

16. Well part of the reason...

why this thread is all "McCain romanticism" IMHO is that I didn't cut & paste the bits of the article that speculated on the possibility of McCain for VP on the dem ticket.

Republicans have just one consolation: it could have been worse. A week before springing to Mr Kerry's defence on national security, Mr McCain fleetingly left the door ajar to the even more tantalising possibility that he might run for vice-president on the Democratic ticket.

A few hours later, McCain aides slammed the door shut. But the notion, however short-lived, had a beguiling logic.

[libertad]

20. I don't find it beguiling AT ALL! He is a dyed in the wool repub and

we don't need him.

[Desertrose]

17. Thank you Maxanne...my sentiments exactly...horse hockey!

whats with all this warm & fuzzy shit about repubs....on a supposedly liberal Dem board??

As far as McCain...the man is not as sweet as those here make him out...he has repeatedly stuck it to the Navajo and others around the state, so don't talk sweet to me about McCain...


and yes...he IS a repub- please don't forget that.

thansk maxanne :hug:
DR

[libertad]

19. You mean like Roosevelt made the Japanese Americans "re-locate"

n/t

[Desertrose]

22. Did he force relocation to land contaminated with uranium?

Did he stop them from bulding or repairing their own homes?
From using thier own water? from gathering firewood on their own property?
All this on their own land given to them by the Treaty of 1868?

No ...NOT like Roosevelt at all....


Peace
DR

McCain was in on Bennet Freeze from the beginning....obviously people still don't care what the white people do to the Indians if there is something on their land...they simply take it...only now we do it across the big water in a place called Iraq.

[aldian159]

21. not all GOP party members are evil incarnate

don't paint with such a broad brush. 50 million+ voted for Bush in 2000, not all of them are evil.

[leyton]

25. Darn right!

I am sick of the "He's a Republican, thus he's no friend of ours" attitude around here. Don't any of you have Republican co-workers or relatives or friends? Geez. Get a grip.

McCain has no reason to switch parties today; it would do him no good. He would lose a little punch to his criticisms because it would no longer be criticism of Bush from the GOP, and he would be despised by all the Republicans who would still, despite McCain's defection, hold the Senate. He'd have no influence in there at all. Jeffords was able to switch because the Dems, now in power, would be ready to give him whatever he wanted.

Besides, how many people here are saying they won't vote for Kerry, or they can't stand Kerry? You don't see them fleeing the Democratic party, even though they don't support the national candidate. Let's not forget, the Democratic party (and the Republican party) is more than just the 2004 Presidential Election. There will be other elections for President in the future where McCain may want to support the Republican, and there are probably plenty of downballot races where McCain wants to support the Republican.

[patricia92243]

8. This will give credibility to McCains statements. Therefore when he slams

Kerry and the Democratic Party, e will be believed.

Beware of Republicans giving gifts. (misquote)

[Ficus]

12. Perhaps people like McCain here for a reason

besides his ideology. Sure, he a conservative, but he's at least one with integrity. I think that liberals can respect a man with integrity, even if he believes something different.

I for one, don't agree with Dick Lugar, but I think he has integrity. Many people on the other side may not have agreed with Paul Wellstone, or Joe Lieberman, but most will agree there was a certain amount of integrity there. It's rare and refreshing to have someone jump outside of party lines.

[DaveSZ]

13. I agree

"That's why, when you look at men like McCain, Bob Dole, even Pat Buchanan, you have to respect them even if you don't like their ideologies . . . because they HAVE ideologies."




I highly respect Barry Goldwater, Buchanan, and McCain (I don't know about Dole) even though I disagree with them, because they still hold to their beliefs. I'm very impressed to read that Barry Goldwater spoke out against the Fundies taking over his party.

[Desertrose]

18. BS...how can you force people to relocate if you have integrity?

do a google on McCain + Navajo + Bennet Freeze...

then tell me where his integrity is...
you do not force people to relocate to uranium contaminated land...well, unless it somehow benefits your corporate intersts.

Peace
DR

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. his support for Kerry is much more overt than I expected

I knew he'd support and defend Kerry but he has done so much more openly and earlier in the year than I ever thought.
He is a decent, honorable man if nothing else.

[no name no slogan]

23. This is just ducky

Why the hell do Democrats keep defining themselves by what REPUBLICANS think of them????

If some Rethug came out and supported ANY Democratic candidate, I sure as hell would NOT be bragging about it, much less supporting the candidate.

We already HAVE one Rethug to run against. Why the hell would we want another?

Cripes people, let's be DEMOCRATS for a change, huh????

[Hav]

24. .

You have a point but why should we feel bad when a Republican comes out to defend Kerry against smears from the Right? It totally ruins their propaganda when someone from their own camp thinks it's bullshit.

[Exgeneral]

26. How can a REPUBLICAN help the dem cause? He won't

After all ,McCain voted yes on No Child Left Behind, the Tax Cuts,the Patriot Act , and the Iraq War Initiative, and has a record of voting with Bush Nearly 80% of the time.

Oh wait. So did Kerry.
Nevermind.