dalem

Don't be coy. Post the whole relevant section. Or should I do it?

-dale

dalem

Hugh Hewitt link 1/27/08.

McCain for timetables?

-dale

astralis

dale, bluesman,

i'm no fan of joe klein, but i think what he says here fits. in any case, i fail to see how someone whom is perhaps the most hawkish of all the candidates + an avid supporter of free trade + fiscal conservative = democrat.

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The Republican Debate - Swampland - TIME


The Republican Debate
Posted by Joe Klein | Comments (20) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

I don't think it was a very good night for McCain. His attack on Romney for supporting "timetables" to end the war is the same sort of political crap as Bill and Hillary Clinton's attempt to make it seem as if Barack Obama liked Reagan's ideas better than the Democratic Party's--it a political word game, and meaningless. The fact is that Romney is right: secret and not-so-secret timetables exist for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. General Petraeus has one; the Pentagon has another--faster--one. There is a debate going on as to which timetable will be followed. (As I noted in an earlier post, President Bush is now hinting that he's in favor of a slower timetable.)
Why would McCain stoop to this? Because he senses a greater truth: that back in the days before the level of violence was reduced in Iraq, Romney was wriggling around, trying to seem "strong" on defense, but looking for ways to keep his options open, just in case the surge failed militarily. I have no doubt that in McCain's mind, the difference between him and Romney is that he stood firm on Iraq and Romney (and everyone else) was wavering.

At least once a debate, McCain says that he "staked my career" on the war in Iraq. He did it again tonight. But that isn't quite true: there is no great price to pay in the Republican Party for being a hawk. McCain did--courageously--stake his career on another issue that is anathema to the Republican Party base: immigration. So it was interesting that McCain totally ducked the question of whether he would vote for his own comprehensive immigration bill in tonight's debate. Not much straight talk there.

Finally, McCain is right on the most basic point: Romney doesn't have much standing to complain about skeevy politics, given the gazillion dollars he has spent on negative ads. In fact, there's a certain pleasure to be had in watching Romney swallow a stiff dose of his own medicine.

__________________
Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

dalem

Well, I answer with items like this:

His best friends and colleagues are democrats.

His stand on judges is that he wouldn't have nominated Alito because he wore his conservatism "on his sleeve".

He is a believer in the magic of global warming and is willing, nay eager to use government to answer for it, by putting extra burdens on business, which leads to the next point...

He hates business and corporations and does not respect the profit motive. His legislation, his talking points, and his asides all clearly illustrate this.

He has a deep distrust of "the people".

-dale

lwarmonger

That is because he is averse to ideological interpretations of the constitution... it doesn't mean he is against strict interpretations of the constitution. Exactly the opposite in fact.

Ironduke

Frankly I'm sick of the hijacking of the Republican Party by far-right religious conservatives. Sure, they have a place in the party, but they need to realize they are recent converts, and they are not the arbiter of what a Republican is or isn't.

__________________
The Buck Stops Here

Ironduke

QUITE clear.

Bluesman

How far are you two willing to go to ignore the stark reality that McCain LIED? I mean, is this just a pride thing, and after staking out an indefensible position, you find it impossible to climb down, or do you REALLY think McCain was making a legit point?

__________________
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell

Ironduke

Romney supported secret timetables for withdrawal from Iraq, just like he has supported every other issue on both sides. These had to be kept secret, hush-hush. It's quite clear from a partial quote, just as its clear from a full quote. His position was that the timetable for withdrawal should not be revealed publicly.

Besides, two months before Mitt Romney announced his candidacy, and let's speak the truth here, he already planned to run for nominee, he dodged the question entirely. He waited to stake out a position until he felt secure in doing so, and when he did, he supported secret timetables.

This isn't the first time the man had done such a thing, it's an intrinsic part of his personality and the core of his being: tell people what you think you want them to hear, not what's right, and not what you believe.

Bluesman

Okay, got it; thanks for the answer.

Bluesman

How 'bout YOU, lwarmonger? I still don't have a read on YOU, yet. Too proud to admit you're down with a lying smear-artist after he's caught crapping into a better man's hat, or too dumb to know that your support is going to a guy that has nothing but contempt for your inability to see through his act?

lwarmonger

I guess I'm just tired of hearing YOU defend a two bit flip-flopping con-artist (all useful talents in the business world).

I'll pick the man who has actually done a little bit of defending this country for my Commander in Chief. If anyone is twisting the truth its Romney with his "oh poor me... all these other candidates are attacking me" act.

lwarmonger

Romney Accuses McCain of ‘Nixon Era’ Campaign Tactics - You Decide 08!

It is articles like this that make me laugh. Romney has loved misrepresenting McCain's positions on the issues (and any other candidates who happen to get in his way) as being liberal (McCain really isn't on anything except illegal immigration... those votes against the tax cuts were consistent with his opposition to wasteful and excessive spending, the mark of a true conservative), but when McCain hits back... well now the water is getting too hot and Romney wants out.

Romney set the tone for this campaign, and now he has got to lay in the bed he made. If he or you don't like it, too bad.

Romney said in Long Beach, Calif., Thursday:

“Had he a question about this he could have raised it any time between April and now, but to raise it outside a debate and to do it … to people in Florida was something reminiscent of the Nixon era and I don’t think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning. “

Romney started that kind of campaigning this primary season. Oops.

SteaminDemon

Well, the other issue McCain is iffy on is the environment. Nobody can say for sure what is going on with the environment, even the scientists are turning their positions around. A majority of the people touting this stuff are in it for the money. Like Al Gore for instance, the mand made a video full of mostly B*LL$H*T and he gets a freakin award. We have been making improvements, and good ones at that? Why can't McCain accept that and instead of carbon crediting everyone to death, find a more logical approach like using the innovative technologies that have had billions invested in them already and they have already proven themselves....for example the High efficiency Electrostatic Precipitator which is up to 99.9% efficient????? I am a McCain supporter, he is a fellow veteran and I know he can do good for this country.

There are a few issues that I do not agree with him on and that is the environment, and his old imigration policy about amnesty. The way I see things about Imigration is make it as difficult as it was when my ancestors came to this country through ellis Island. Then see how bad they want to get in this country. We need to quit paying people to come to this country, where people walk around in mink coats and rip out food stamps at the grocery store. That is just rediculous. At least McCain said at the debate however that his bill would not pass, and the view of the American people is to secure the borders. So maybe he agreed that his Idea was not the best and has since changed that based on the American public.

One more thing while I am ranting. Who are these people that think they should have to make laws regarding a no smoking policy for a persons business. What happened to freedom of choice and common sense of the consumer, that if they don't want to go to a smoking establishment......THEY DONT HAVE TO GO. Instead they would rather have the lawmaker think for them . Mike Huckabee can stick his National Smoking ban policy.

dalem

I'm explaining why McCain is a turnoff to conservatives. The above is an example - he himself is turned off by conservatism.

-dale