McCain: American Hero, Patriot, Christian

Mike Devine, who posts under the name "Gamecock" sent me an article that's critical of Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and just about everybody other than Fred Thompson. It centers on the South Carolina primary, and you can see it by clicking on: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200801/POL20080109d.html

The article may tell you more about SC politics than you want to know, but you won't find anything better between now and the Palmetto State primary. I expect Larry Perrault and SJ Reidhead can't wait to respond it -- especially SJ (Cindy), who hails from SC.

I think all the article's criticisms, including those of Mike Huckabee, are somewhere between petty and totally unfair. For Huck fans, the accusations are mostly "inside baseball" stuff about the conservative wing of the So. Baptist Church and the VERY conservative wing. In the mind of some Baptists, Mike chose the "wrong" side in a denominational struggle. Talk about arcana.

I like Mike Devine (Gamecock) a lot, but his support of Thompson, like the Fred Campaign itself, is embarrassing. Fred is the laziest of candidates, and he's the worst when it comes to raising money. After 9/11, Fred said, "Now is not the time to leave [the Senate]." Shortly thereafter, he left -- to join the cast of a television show (Richard Wolf's "Law and Order") that missed few opportunities to bash the military and the GWB segment of the country. Frankly, Fred should be ashamed of himself.

"Yes, we have no bananas," when bananas is an analogue to perfect candidates.

I criticize Mike Huckabee myself, but anyone with sense will see that he, like several other candidates, is a good one and a man with some remarkable political achievements.As for John McCain, yes, he is a "maverick," that is, someone who thinks for himself -- wow, how exotic.

He has been pro-life and pro-military for his entire life. He is a Christian, which is a term that does not and should not have a narrow meaning. Of great significance, he's an American hero who underwent torture for many years.

Of great note, he has tackled issues (including immigration and campaign finance) where others have relied on pandering to an increasingly clueless "base." That's a group which believes the answer to real, pressinging problems is to "just say NO." On campaign finance: it has turned into a vehicle for re-electing incumbents (Pelosi, Murtha, Obey, Waxman, Rangel) unto perpetuity.

McCain's approach may have had its flaws, but anybody who doesn't see that the current financing system is a nightmare for representative democracy has not been paying attention.

For Huck supporters, they need to see that -- in many ways -- McCain is a lot like Mike Huckabee, although without the Southern accent. Mike and John both get criticized at least as much for their virtues as their faults. At times it appears the only people who like them are voters (and not just in states like Iowa and New Hampshire).

My point is that we need to recognize that candidates who disagree with us on one or more issues are not therefore beyond the pale. Heck, even in my case, I'm not always right.

May the best man win.

McCain-Palin Ticket: America's Best

BULLETIN: McCAIN PUNCTUATES REMARKABLE COMEBACK WITH MASSIVE VICTORY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. CLINTON-OBAMA LOCKED IN VERY CLOSE RACE. Long ago, this blog endorsed the presidential candidacy of a wonderful man, Rudy Giuliani. At this point, I'd like to offer my best wishes and my support to another American hero, Senator John McCain. God bless, John, and good luck in what will be a long, hard race.

(Note: It is starting to look as if the political demise of Mrs. Clinton has been much exaggerated.)

Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA

My friend Cindy at www.ThePinkFlamingo.blogharbor.com/blog sent me the following note:If McCain gets the nomination, he is going to need to counter Hillary with a woman - and someone young.There is only one logical choice for VP.Let's start playing with a McCain-Palin ticket. I think it could happen.

Steve says: I am totally in favor of a McCain-Palin ticket. There is no stronger, better, more electable candidate than Sarah Heath Palin. A wife, a mother, a devout Christian, the mother of an infantry soldier, a life member of the NRA, an expert on energy, education, and the environment, Sarah stands for everything that is great about America.

The Mainstream Media: Oblivious to New Realities on Iraq, McCain

If you want to know why so many people are so angry about John Murtha's false charges against the "Haditha Marines," please look to your right and click on the Newsmax story: "Bombshell Cripples Case Against Haditha Marines." If you want to hear some hard-htting conservative radio, click on Jenn of the Jungle, founder of http://screw/ liberals.com/ Tell us how you really feel, Jenn!

Note: As promised, I'll be writing later today and tomorrow about how John Murtha's use of "earmarks' (taxpayer funded projects directed to his district) do long-term harm to the Johnstown, PA area and to the nation.

The MSM has only a tangential relationship to relationship. Some fascinating things are happening, but the media, committed to stereotypes and repetition, is the last to know.

For example, the U.S. is winning the war against al Qaeda in Iraq, something that has escape the attention of many reporters. Also, John McCain, whose candidacy was long ago left for dead by many political journalists, is now running second (to Rudy Giuliani). These are important developments, but somehow the MSM seems oblivious to the implications.

As the U.S. position improves in Iraq, there are tremendous implications for the success of the Republican presidential nominee, for the Party's capacity to raise money, and for conservative candidates to win contested elections.

RUSSELL SUPPORTER? YOU'RE INVITED . . .

Hello,

Please be advised we will have a dinner/meeting on Thursday, 15 November, to welcome William Russell to Johnstown. As you all know Lieutenant Colonel Russell is challenging john murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.

The dinner/meeting will be held at the City View restaurant in Johnstown at the top of Johnstown's historic Incline Plane. The address of the restaurant is 709 Edgehill Drive, Johnstown, PA 15905 and is in the Westmont section of town. The web address for the restaurant is www.inclinedplane.com/restaurant

We will have dinner at 6:00 and the meeting will start at approximately 7:15. The dinner is at your expense and appetizers and drinks will be available for purchase for those who only attend the meeting.

Please be advised you do not have to attend the dinner in order to attend the meeting and you are certainly welcome to attend the meeting only.

If you will be attending please e-mail me by Wednesday, 14 November, and let me know if you will be attending the dinner/meeting or just the meeting so I can ensure we reserve enough space.

Also, I encourage you to forward this e-mail to other supporters of LTC Russell since I do not have the e-mail addresses of all of my good bootmurtha friends. I look forward to seeing you on 15 November.

Craig Minnick
Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Reply to: IraqVeteran220@cs.com

Note from Steve: If you have any friends or family in the Pennsylvania/Ohio/WV areas, please forward this information to them. You can learn more about Lt. Col. Russell's campaign by going to: http://www.williamrussellforcongress.com/. I've written several columns about the Russell campaign -- scroll down.