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McCain in Troubled Waters

I could have predicted McCain's eventual fall from the top-runners, and I all but gaurenteed that he wouldn't get the Republican nomination, but I never would have guessed that Liberal Republican Moonbat Ron Paul would be ahead of McCain in the fundraising department:
Ron Paul says he has more cash on hand than McCain


And then there's this:

Is McCain Falling Through the Cracks?

And this:
McCain's Prospects Look Pretty Grim

Can't say I am sad to see these developments.

Update: 7/10/07
When it rains it pours on John McCain. Just today two of McCain's aids, aware of the sinking ship, quit and left McCain's campaign team:
Top two aides quit McCain's 2008 campaign

McCain HAD One Rght

Five days ago, McCain shocked me by stating,

"I believe that we have a new strategy that is making progress and it’s not to say that things are well everywhere in Iraq; far from it,” McCain said. “We have a long way to go.”

“We read everyday about suicide bombings, kidnappings, rocket attacks and other terrible attacks,” McCain said. “What we don’t read about everyday and what is news since the surge began is a lot of the good news.”

“These and other indicators are reasons for very cautious optimism about the effects of the new strategy,” McCain said. “I believe just as we read about all the negative events in Iraq, the American people must be aware of the positive development under this new plan.”

I was floored by McCain's statements. At the time I said:
It is kind of hard to not to like the guy when you see that he is capable of telling the truth, if only for political points with the Republican base. If McCain acted like this all of the time, I might even like him.

Well I was wrong about McCain. It is easy to not like him.

In what appears to be perfectly implemented "Clintonian-Triangulation" McCain has backed away from his previous statements. According to Drudge:

In two interviews before the Army took McCain and 60 MINUTES on the heavily guarded visit to the al-Shorja market last Sunday, the senator said security had improved in Iraq. Upon his return, he also told a news conference he had just come back from a neighborhood one could walk around in freely. The remarks made headlines and he now regrets saying them. "Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," says McCain. "I regret that when I divert attention to something I said from my message, but you know, that's just life," he tells Pelley, adding, "I'm happy, frankly, with the way I operate, otherwise it would be a lot less fun."

McCain is a snake... no, he is a worm.

This is a calculated move. First he tells the Republicans something they have been longing to hear - that things aren't as bad as being reported in the press. Then in an effort to appeal to the middle he says he misspoke, but still thinks we can win in Iraq. Finally to appeal to the left, he lashes out against the President, claiming Iraq is all his fault.

He is trying to be everything to everyman, but at what cost to the truth? Truth is not subjective. Either things are getting better in Iraq or they aren't. The press is either being honest, or they aren't.

You can't take each position and try to appeal to everyone.

I take back any nice thoughts I had about McCain. He is scum.

McCain Gets One Right

I am not a fan of McCain, and I suspect that his recent comments are stongly influenced by his bid to receive the Republican nomination, but on the following issue, McCain gets it right.

Today Senator McCain visited Baghdad and said some things I have been saying for several months:

“I believe that we have a new strategy that is making progress and it’s not to say that things are well everywhere in Iraq; far from it,” McCain said. “We have a long way to go.”

“We read everyday about suicide bombings, kidnappings, rocket attacks and other terrible attacks,” McCain said. “What we don’t read about everyday and what is news since the surge began is a lot of the good news.”

The good news the senator spoke of included the drop in murders in Baghdad, the establishment of joint security stations throughout the city, the deal among al-Anbar province sheiks to fight back against al-Qaeda, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades to Baghdad from across Iraq and the increase in locals providing tips to U.S. and Iraqi forces.

“These and other indicators are reasons for very cautious optimism about the effects of the new strategy,” McCain said. “I believe just as we read about all the negative events in Iraq, the American people must be aware of the positive development under this new plan.”
Read the Full Story

McCain is 100% correct on this... and it is kind of hard to not to like the guy when you see that he is capable of telling the truth, if only for political points with the Republican base. If McCain acted like this all of the time, I might even like him.

Br'er McCain and the Tar Baby

Looks like Br'er McCain has got himself into a sticky situation:

McCain regrets use of term 'tar baby'
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer



CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Republican presidential contender John McCain on Friday used the term "tar baby," considered by some a racial epithet, and later said he regretted it.
Read the article.

No word on whether Jessie Jackson has been reached to schedule an apology:



I just don't like McCain.

To his credit, at least he didn't say something stupid like, Obama is the first clean, intelligent, articulate black man. Let's hope that the Biden effect takes hold and McCain disappears from the polls.

I have already decided that I am backing Giuliani for the Republican nod. I have also decided that the only possible running mate that I think Giuliani should consider is Newt Gingrich. He would balance out the ticket and make winning the White House a cake walk.

More McCain Bashing

McCain says overturn the law that legalized abortion
(AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to improve his standing with the party's conservative voters, said the law that legalized abortion should be overturned.

"I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned," the Arizona senator on Sunday told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states.

This conservative is not going to vote for McCain... not if he were the only name on the ballot.

In related news:

McCain defends Christian outreach effort
BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is defending his outreach to conservative Christians, arguing that his effort is not political pandering to win the GOP nomination.

McCain's reaching out to conservatives - sprinting towards the right from his slightly left of center position - is NOT political pandering? Riiiiight.

Here is on for you Rummy Supporters

I love Donald Rumsfeld. A lot of people give me really strange looks when I say that, but I really wish more people were like him. I truly believe the reason he is so hated on the left is because the left fears him. He is incredibly intelligent, well-spoken, and can cut through liberal BS with a tenacity even Limbaugh could only hope to aspire to.

As much as I love Donald Rumsfeld, I dislike McCain; so this story really riles me up:

McCain: Rumsfeld was one of the worst
BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history.

"We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement — that's the kindest word I can give you — of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona senator told an overflow crowd of more than 800 at a retirement community near Hilton Head Island, S.C. "The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously."

McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, complained that Rumsfeld never put enough troops on the ground to succeed in Iraq.

"I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history," McCain said to applause.

The comments were in sharp contrast to McCain's statement when Rumsfeld resigned in November, and failed to address the reality that President Bush is the commander in chief.

"While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service," McCain said last year when Rumsfeld stepped down.

McCain is such a phony. Good luck running to the right you RINO. You won't get the nod, so just save your money and get behind someone who can win. Who knows, maybe you will get a shot at a VP seat. (Not likely).

Pajama's Media Straw Poll

If you look to the left you will see I have added the Pajama's Media Straw Poll widget to my blog. I think it is a neat idea to allow any website to add this widget in order to let as many people participate as possible.

If you are visiting A Perfect Contradiction for the first time, or if you are a regular visitor, I ask you to please take part in the poll. Come back each week vote as this vote is counted not only for the "A Perfect Contradiction" precinct but your vote counts towards the overall count as well. So please, vote once each week at this precinct!

This weeks options:
Dems: Bill Richardson, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Wesley Clark, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Christopher Dodd

Reps: Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Chuck Hagel, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Tommy Thompson, George Pataki

(the choices are picked by "those national candidates of both parties that score at least one percent on the previous month’s Gallup Poll."

McCain Trying to Have His Cake and Eat it Too

You can't have your cake and it it too. If you eat your cake, you no longer have it. A person who tries to have their cake and eat it too is trying to have something both ways in a situation in which you can only have it one way.

Politicians often try to have their cake and eat it too. Kerry was branded as a waffler and a flip flopper in 2004 because of his constant efforts to maintain strong, principled positions on both sides of an issue. The idea is appeal to as many people as possible by always expressing the people's position. Effective leadership, however, requires one to realize that they are in a position in which they can only have it one way. The tough job a leader has is choosing the right path.

Politicians who try to walk down opposing paths tear their credibility apart.

McCain has recently issued strong criticism of his fellow senators' "nonbinding resolution" in opposition to the President's war plan.

McCain said, "I don't think it's appropriate to say that you disapprove of a mission and you don't want to fund it and you don't want it to go, but yet you don't take the action necessary to prevent it,"

"In other words, this is a vote of no confidence in both the mission and the troops who are going over there."

Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a 2008 presidential candidate, contended the bipartisan nonbinding resolution amounted to a demoralizing "vote of no confidence" in the U.S. military because it criticized Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq without offering concrete alternatives.
Source.

McCain's goal, of course, is to appear strong on defense and appeal to conservatives and others who support the war effort. In other words, McCain is posturing for his 2008 White House aspirations. He's having his cake. In this case, the cake is support for the Iraq war and credibility that he will be a strong leader in the war on terror.

In other news:

The top U.S. commander in Iraq defended his record on Thursday in the face of strong criticism from Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential contender in 2008.

...

McCain, who is the committee's top Republican and has supported the Iraq war, said he did not question Casey's patriotism or honor but did question the general's judgment in his 2-1/2 years in Iraq.

"During that time, things have got markedly and progressively worse," McCain said, adding the United States had not changed strategy as the situation deteriorated and was only now starting to alter course.

"It took us a long time to get where we are today," McCain said. "We have paid a very heavy price in American blood and treasure."

...

McCain said Casey's portrayal of events during his time in charge in Iraq had been "unrealistically rosy" and described the situation in Iraq today as "dire and deteriorating."
Source.

Uh oh. McCain wants to have his cake and eat it too. By criticizing the commanders in Iraq and the job the troops have been doing, he destroys his image as the pro war candidate and strong leader in the war on terror.

McCain's criticisms amount to a vote of no confidence for the troops and their mission. McCain said the situation in Iraq is "dire and deteriorating." How exactly does this sort of comment express support for the troops? McCain is claiming that the troops are failing in their mission in Iraq; there is no other way to interpret "dire and deteriorating."

McCain is trying to set himself up as the Pro-War Candidate AND the Anti-War candidate. Having his cake and eating it too. Ostensibly, we have another John Kerry.

I don't like McCain. I will not vote for McCain. I am going to blog against McCain at every turn. He is unelectable.

That said, McCain is not the first '08 candidate to posture himself on both sides of the Iraq War. Hillary Clinton has been perhaps the strongest supporter of the War on Terror the left has had to offer. She has her cake. Her strong record on defense in the Senate has been repeatedly pointed out by her detractors, particularly Dick Morris who has claimed that Hillary was merely posturing for future presidential ambitions. Morris correctly predicted Hillary would run for President since before she was elected to the Senate.

The theory is that Hillary made defense an emphasis as a Senator to quell fears of a woman President, and to establish broad appeal among independent voters. She succeeded, she has her cake. Now she is running to the left and showing her true colors in order to try to rally her base and earn the Democratic nomination. She has come out against the war in Iraq. She ate her cake. But if she gets the nod, she will then run back towards the center, and try to have her cake again.

Clinton also wants to have her cake and eat it too with regards to Iraq. I'll post more extensively on this fact at a later date.

Thoughts on '08: Republicans: McCain

I think the 2008 Presidential Elections will be the most vicious, divisive, ridiculous election yet. This year the Democrats will probably pick another loser: Shrillary won't win, Obama won't win, Biden won't win, Kucinich won't win, Edwards won't win, Gore won't win... it's slim pickens for the Democrats, and unless they can pull a Lieberman out of their hoohoo's - that is a Democrat who has broad appeal on both sides of the aisle, and who can be trusted with foreign policy and waging the war on Terror - the Democrats are going to have another disappointing national election.

If the Democrats can't pick a winner, then the election becomes the Republicans' to lose; but conservative America cannot get too excited. There were lessons to be learned in '06. Complacency will not win the election. Winning this election is going to take a lot of hard work, and a true conservative candidate who can motivate our base. The Republicans lost '06 because the Republican candidates had lost their way. They weren't conservative fiscally, and they lacked the moral conviction to do the right thing. Most of the Republicans who did lose lost to Democratic candidates who ran on a more conservative platform than the incumbent Republicans.

For the Republicans to win, they will need a charismatic, intelligent, well spoken candidate who truly represents the ideals of conservatism and is a patriot through and though. John McCain is NOT that man.



John McCain, though ever so slightly more principled than John Kerry, is just about as far to the left as Kerry. McCain is a RINO (Republican in name only, for anyone who doesn't know). I'd talk about his conservative principals, but he doesn't have any.

John McCain SHOULD have no chance of getting the Republican nomination, but the press will be pulling hard for him. The liberal media wants John McCain to get the republican nod for a few reasons:

1) It guarantees a liberal president in '08.

2) He is VERY beatable. If he wins the Republican nomination then it becomes the Democrats' election to lose.

3) Even if he wins it all, Republicans, particularly conservatives, still lose big.

If John McCain gets the republican nomination, it is like the Democrats get two nominations and we get squat.

In a McCain versus Lieberman race (I don't think this race would ever happen) I would vote Lieberman.

Here is what to expect: McCain will get a LOT of press coverage. He is a media darling and will get favorable coverage throughout the republican primaries. He is not a front runner, but he will get front runner treatment until the bitter end.

To illustrate this point, I think I will post the weekly pajamasmedia straw poll. Far from being a scientific poll, we cannot draw any concrete conclusions from this data, however, it is persuasive evidence of the Anti-McCain sentiment on the right.

Week One


Week Two


It's a pretty clear NO for McCain.

I'll keep updating this post as I see fit.