Oh, god help us. I forgot about him. Man, I hope he isn't the pick, but it might make too much sense to McCain. Geez, what a horrible thought. Impeach Bush.
I don't support Obama over Clinton because of his stance on issues. I do it because I believe the best government comes from the center - not when one party just pushes their own agenda through. Both Obama and McCain have shown a willingness to compromise and come up with centrist solutions to things. Neither of them are fiery ideologists that prefer to get nothing done rather than make progress with something that's not perfect. I also think the reality of the Iraq war is going to be something between what McCain and Obama suggest. I would bet money that Obama (or Clinton) won't end up getting out of Iraq as quickly as they think, and I suspect McCain will not be in Iraq as long as he suspects. Both positions are easy to take when campaigning, but things change dramatically when you're confronted with the reality of the issues. It's not as easy to get out as Obama thinks, and it's not as beneficial to stay in as McCain thinks. With a Dem Congress, on domestic policy, I suspect quite a bit of centrist solutions could be created with McCain as President, as happened with Clinton and a GOP Congress. The problem is when you have polarizing forces that are obstructionist (ie, Bush and some of the recent Congresses).
With McCain, I think you are right on the domestic front. I think he would reach across the aisle far more than Bush ever has. On Iraq (and possibly Iran) I think you're wrong. Based on everything he's said, I don't see him pulling out as long as he's in office (were he to be elected, which he won't!). Why? Besides what he sees as what is right about being in Iraq (from his point of view), I think he believes leaving Vietnam was a mistake. One that diminished his several years as a POW and the suffering inflicted on him there. I respect his service, but think he is dreadfully wrong about Vietnam and about Iraq. I just think that is a personal motivation of McCain's that shouldn't be ignored. Impeach Bush.
I should also say here that, like MadMax, I currently like McCain less today than I did a month or two ago. That said, I think its important to remember that in primaries, people campaign much more to the right or left than in the general election. So I suspect the McCain of the general election would be a little more reasonable. On Iraq, I have to say I'm not a supporter of the whole "gotta get out now" platform. I think both sides have a compelling argument. It was a mistake to go in the way we did - but, to me, that doesn't automatically mean the best solution is getting out. We created a mess over there and have a responsibility to fix it as best we can. If the best way to fix it is to get out, then fair enough. But we shouldn't be getting out *just* because the original decision was a mistake - to me, that's simply compounding the problem from one mistake into two. I give McCain a lot of credit for standing up to the Rumsfeld strategy several years back and saying we need to try something different. While I agree that he's more likely to stay in Iraq, I think he's unlikely to stick to a strategy that isn't working. And ultimately, if his strategy doesn't work, I think he's more likely to admit it and reevaluate rather than obnoxiously staying with it. To me, that's the most important thing, because I frankly have no idea what the real consequences are to staying or leaving. We all have guesses, but no one has any idea how it will play out, so I appreciate that he was willing to criticize Bush on that at the time, as opposed to simply after the fact.
Just to be clear - I didn't mean to turn this into an Iraq debate, but just my viewpoint of why McCain's position on Iraq doesn't bother it as much as it might others.
mccain/colin powell: would be very interesting. would definately sew up the military vote. would have to run on a single issue of winning in iraq. hes slightly damaged though. mccain/jindal (louisianas new indian american governor): hes young, intelligent, and a minority mccain/huckabee: moderates + evangelicals > conservatives ??? mccain/ron paul: both strong among independents. but doesnt help mccains weakness among conservatives. mccain/newt gingrich: pull in the conservatives, shun independent voters mccain/rice: someone already mentioned that she's damaged goods. mccain/bloomberg: would bring business credentials to the ticket.
I agree with most of Deckard's last post. I disagree that he would reach across the aisle much on various, important domestic issues. If you care about abortion rights, you can count on McCain to continue his staunchly pro-life position as he has done all his life. And you can count on him appointing the justice that overturns Roe if he has the chance to make an appointment. He is similarly far right on all other domestic issues excepting immigration, on which he shares a position with Bush and a slim majority of Democrats. I appreciate Major's explanation that he wants a centrist, but McCain is not one. He has been a maverick, but that doesn't make him a centrist. He's a fierce conservative who appears to be a centrist because he has earned the ire of his party by bucking it on very specific issues (immigration, torture, the initial Bush tax cut, campaign finance reform). It's worth noting here too that his position on campaign finance was a survivalist one -- he was trying to shake off the stink of being one of the Keating Five. But look at his platform and look at his record. He is neither a centrist nor a compromiser. In fact, he is known for fighting hard and making enemies not for reaching out and making friends (with the singular exception of campaign finance, explained above). It's also worth noting that his age (and the candidate himself) suggests he might not seek a second term if elected. If true, most of the common motivation for building coalitions and governing from the center go out the window. It is further worth noting that among every single Democrat that ran for president this year, none is less liberal or more centrist than Hillary Clinton. If you want a centrist, she's your gal.
Oh, and whoever suggested Kay Bailey Hutchison is really onto something I think. A popular southern woman who is relatively young but with a long record in office. Not bad at all. Does anyone know how she plays with social conservatives? Also, if Obama is the nominee and if Republicans continue to flock to him and flee McCain, Texas could just possibly be competitive enough to require GOP efforts there. Her presence on the ticket could prevent that, though I will go out on a long and precarious limb and say that I think Obama-Webb versus any McCain ticket would be extremely competitive in Texas.
(Unless of course you mean specifically this year, and not this campaign, because then you'd be right.)
mccain/jindal the more i think about it, the better it sounds. pros: 1. extremely intelligent 2. young 3. minority 4. gov. of a southern state cons: 1. inexperienced 2. ?
I don't think there is any way it ends up being KBH. If McCain needs her to lock up Texas, he has no shot at the White House anyway.
Major: Two problems on the Iraq thing. One is that someone who supported and continues to support the idea of going into Iraq is far more likely than someone who didn't and doesn't to make the same mistake in Iran or elsewhere. Second, your suggestion that he wouldn't stubbornly stay when it was clear the best path to peace and reconciliation there was leaving falls a little flat when applied to someone who believes we ought to have stayed in Vietnam until the bitter end. p.s. I'm not for exiting all troops immediately with no regard for the consequences and neither are Obama or Hillary. I, and they, all believe it's the best and only path to eventual peace and prosperity there. But if I could be convinced that staying there longer would actually result in a better future for Iraq or America I'd support that. What I will not support is the idea that this can be fixed militarily. And McCain's repeated pronouncements about the surge's success (while he continues to ignore the harsh reality that ZERO has been done toward reconciliation there) gives me less than no confidence in handing him the keys to our future in that country.
Senator Hutchison is generally considered a moderate by Texas Republicans, and I think she'd be seen as relatively conservative overall. I think the "Social Conservatives" would see her as acceptable.
Texas isn't the whole reason to vote for her -- she splits women too (especially if it's Obama instead of Hillary as the Dem). I just said she'd help there.
Couldn't agree more, and I'm not just trying to be nice. I should have elaborated more on domestic issues, which, compared to Bush, McCain would (IMO) reach across the aisle more than Bush ever contemplated. However, he wouldn't have to reach far to top Bush, the most partisan President I can remember. On the issues you mentioned I totally agree. If someone is looking for a centrist, McCain isn't it. And I wish more people remembered the Keating Five scandal. McCain is getting a free ride on that bit of his history. Impeach Bush.
^^^ Let me help. It's really tough for Louisiana politicians to make national noise. While Jindal's probably not nearly as dirty as Blanco and clean by Louisiana standards, he wouldn't be viable on the national stage.
