ABC Exclusive: McCain Begins Preliminary White House Run

[EarlG]

His party may have taken "a thumpin'," in the words of President Bush, but ABC News has learned that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his political team have decided it's full steam ahead for his 2008 presidential campaign. Although no absolute, final decision has been made, sources close to McCain say on Wednesday in Phoenix, he and a half dozen of his top aides huddled and decided to proceed more formally with his quest for the White House.

A presidential exploratory committee will be set up this month — perhaps as early as next week.

McCain's official, final decision will likely not come until after the Christmas holidays, when he will talk to his wife, Cindy, and his children.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2644481&page=1

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. How old will he be in 2008?

Will that be an issue?

[54anickel]

6. 72 years old, born 8/29/36. He'd top Raygun for oldest person ever

elected president. Raygun was 69 when he was elected.

[BruceMcF]

47. They would get a lot more late retirements and save ...

... the hypothetical Social Security crises if everyone would keep working into their 70's.

Of course, if everyone had a job that paid that well and allowed you to take that much time away to go off and pursue getting another job, maybe there would be more volunteers for late retirement.

[liberalmike27]

125. Lost Crossover Appeal

He had some crossover appeal before he ran in 2000. Now he just seems like a Bush *ss-licker. I've lost any respect I had for him.

[BruceMcF]

138. Well, knowing the Replicants, they may be counting ...

... more on crossover appeal among people that don't pay much attention to politics most of the time, which depends as much on how kind the media are to him as to what he actually does.

And "crossover" does not mean taking votes from the Democratic base, but from Independents that may lean Democratic but is willing to vote Republican if he likes the candidate.

[skipos]

135. People better pay attention to his vp choice

nt

[YDogg]

68. too old

[HawkerHurricane]

82. entirely too old...

The act he puts on, I mean.

Note to McCain:
You cannot simultaneously pretend to be a maverick and march in lockstep.

[susanna]

100. And that's the straight up truth.

I once respected the man, but no more.

[colorado_ufo]

111. Maybe he could just stay in line for Pope, instead.

[acmavm]

2. McCain can go to hell. He hitched his wagon up to Chimpy's and

he's not going to ever be able to get his credibility back. (As if he ever had any to begin with.)

[Diane R]

7. Exactly. n/t

[Delphinus]

22. Thanks for saying

what I couldn't find words for - all that I could think of saying was "fuck him!".

[RamboLiberal]

29. Exactly - if Repukes would've nominated him in 2000

I honestly would've had to think about my vote. I probably still would've voted fof Gore but I would've had to weigh my vote.

McCain so badly wants the WH he sold his friggin' soul to Chimpy and Rove. I cannot respect a man who was so dirtily dissed by those two asses yet bent over and basically said give me more.

You kissed up McCain, and this Dem will do all in my power to see you never get in the WH.

[kirbyenthusiasm]

65. I agree entirely

McCain had my full attention in 2000. He seemed like a true challenge for Gore - a man with a truly inspiring military record and enough cred in the business to get much done. Granted, I probably wouldn't have agreed with much of it, but still... gotta give credit where it's due.

But I NEVER would have guessed he would kiss up to Bush the way he has. It's simply unbelievable, how painfully quickly he embraced the Bush camp. I would be very interested in knowing his reasoning for it - something about party loyalty I'm sure - or if the Bushies dangled something in front of him.

I was 17 during his run for President and he was my first "in the moment" political icon - I devoted a large portion of time to watching his run, hoping he would unseat this childish Bush wannabe.

I ended up voting for Nader (in Indiana, so it didn't really count - it was a write-in).

When I was a child I thought like a child, but now I've put childish things away. Things like Republicans and Greens.

[fujiyama]

107. Same here

First political candidate I really respected and admired. I knew he was much more conservative than myself, but at the time he seemed like one of the few sane republicans out there.

What a truly vile creature he has become. I disliked him during the '00 election since he endorsed Bush, but I understood he wanted to remain in the party. For some time after Bush took office, I even believed McCain might challenge Bush's extremist policies. But he lost all my respect with the way he started kissing Bush's ass right around the run up to the Iraq war. And of course as the '04 election came around, I became truly disgusted with him.

[freefall]

119. Welcome to DU, kirbyenthusiasm!

:hi:

I too considered McCain a worthy contestant in 2000 and almost voted for him in the primary but I could only vote in one primary and decided that the Democratic primary was more important. I also ended up voting for Nader in a state where it didn't matter, Massachusetts. McCain's behavior over the past several years has been incredibly disappointing. I no longer consider him a viable candidate for anything. He's going to be pushing to increase troop levels in Iraq along with several Democrats unfortunately.

Again, welcome to DU. :hi:

Peace,

freefall

[marmar]

40. You said it...he's so worthless. ....

And didn't he promise to commit suicide if Dems won the Senate? :dilemma:

[redwitch]

156. Yup.

What a jerk.

[llmart]

77. And we'll all make sure that picture of him......

hugging Bush is plastered everywhere!

[lumpy]

141. My first thought. I think I might start plastering

right now.

[Black Adder]

79. He became the Albert Speer of the Repugs

Which is too bad as I had a lot of respect for him during the 2000 primaries and still did thru 2004. Then he went completely to the dark side.:mad:

[acmavm]

130. Really? That's amazing. Check out his ties to Charles Keating.

That was at the beginning of his political career. That shows that he NEVER had any integrity.

[Black Adder]

131. True, but you had to admire him taking on the

right wing of his party (e.g. the religious zealots like Falwell et al) during the 2000 primaries..
That was his high-water mark with me...

[acmavm]

133. Took on the right wing of his party. He ran crying and cowering

when they starting the lies about his family.

Real tough guy. Lots of integrity there.

[adigal]

121. Time to start spreading his hug picture with Bush around

And also to let every moderate/Republican you know that McCain wants to send MORE troops to Iraq. Can you say "draft"? Let's stop his candidacy right out of the gate by telling people what McCain really stands for.

[fooj]

3. I'd wager a bet that if McCain ran this election cycle...

he would have LOST! People are sick of these treasonous, rat bastards.

[xultar]

4. Not news. We all know this.

[Tight_rope]

5. Good....That Bushasskisser won't get my vote.

[AlCzervik]

8. new rule-No media ho is ever allowed to refer to him as a "Maverick" ever again.

his fellow republics are going to brutalize him during the primary.

[blondeatlast]

27. I second that. Hell, I'm a zonie--he's NEVER been a maverick.

I don't consider Goldwater Republicans mavericks by any means--and he's not even a GR anymore,; he's full-on NeoCon.

[Maeve]

9. Oh. Let me check my enthusiasm level....

:boring:

[rocktivity]

14. Move over...

:boring:
rocknation

[0007]

23. Wake up man! Jump up and down and shout, Hooray Hooray!!

Even Henry A. Kissinger is getting a woody over this news slop.

[rocktivity]

39. You DO have a point--McCain WOULD be the easiest GOP candidate to beat

especially if he paired up with a percieved hardliner like Jeb, because that would send his independent maverick image right down the tubes! Okay, I'm awake!

:bounce:
rocknation

[tinfoilinfor2005]

153. Sooo... you two are sleeping together?

:rofl:

[tinfoilinfor2005]

155. CSpan canvased the public today about the possibility of McCain

running: He got a solid "NO WAY" across the board!

[BlueStater]

10. He doomed what little chance he had of becoming president...

...by kissing Bush's ass.

To hell with him. The voters aren't going to forget this.

[ClintonTyree]

117. The voter's ability to forget things........

is measured in nanoseconds. By 2008 they, in all likelihood, will have forgotten ANY ties McCain had to the Chimpster. You're over estimating the attention span of the American public. The only reason they came out in droves to spank Bush in the last election cycle was because of the sheer magnitude of his transgressions. Day after day a new scandal broke and the voters weren't allowed to "forget", they were constantly bombarded with the Bush administration's evilness.

2008 is a whole two years away: an eternity in our 24 hour news cycle environment. It will be up to US to remind them of McCain's past transgressions, but by 2008, will they care?

I'm in NO WAY suggesting that McCain is a bona fide candidate for 2008, I'm merely pointing out the the American public's attention span is suspect. They have a habit of forgiving and forgetting, especially the "forgetting", that alarms me.

[Bullshot]

11. McCain is nothing but a Bush stooge.

When he joined in the piling of John Kerry after his gaffe/joke, that cleared any misperception that he's a "maverick."

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Please pass the barf bag

:puke:

[jbonkowski]

13. Been here before

McCain gets very good press, and he won early on in 2000, but couldn't secure the nomination in the end. Why would it be any different this time around? Plus he's quite old now.

Two years before the 2000 election, no one in the mainstream was thinking about Bush as a serious candidate, much less the front runner. I think it will go the same way this time. The press will play up McCain for a year, but someone else will appeal to the base more in the end.

jim

[Botany]

15. Go for it Huggy

[David Dunham]

17. Hillary could beat McCain

[datavg]

72. How Does...

...Hillary counteract McCain's (or any Republican's) ability to take all those states in the South?

Bill Clinton's secret weapons were Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia. He combined folksy southern populism with a political scientist's in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the Electoral College.

Hillary reminds too many males (southern white males) of their first wives. That's not good.

David Geffen has made many statements to the effect of not wanting Bill back in the White House to do more damage to the party than he already has.

We need Warner, Clark or Richardson but not Bayh. That would rip the party apart.

[sweetheart]

96. heck my dog could beat 'im

my dog will live longer! Geez, what is it with the mummies! :-)

[niallmac]

28. Ministry of Truth needs to destroy all pics of Huggy Bear and *ush.

I think Huggy Bear is poisoned beyond all hope but he doesn't
have a clue he's political flotsam.

[Julius Civitatus]

32. He sealed his fate with that hug. And then he approved the torture bill.

McCain is done.

[stanwyck]

44. Huggy? Omigod. That's perfect

Huggy it is.
I bet he's regretting that manhug right now about as much as Allen is regretting his "macacaw" moment.
Huggy.
You're bad. In the good way.

[seafan]

50. Just go home, John, and stop beating this dead horse.

[Julius Civitatus]

67. Look what "Huggy" was doing during Katrina...

John "Huggy" McCain was having cake with Junior:





That's gonna play well during the campaign...

[Danger Mouse]

103. How touching...

A gay man and his partner sharing a tender embrace before an applauding crowd.
Seriously, McCain looks like he's waaaay to happy to be where he is.
Bush looks like he thinks he's Caesar.
What a maverick McCain is. That's a real maverick hug, there. I'm totally intimidated by this straight-talkin', no-nonsense tough guy. Hey, if I give him any guff, he might give me a warm embrace and a little cuddle! Brrr...scary.

[StarTurtle]

104. This is *such* a cringeworthy photo.

Every time I see it, the squick factor gets worse. Ish, ish, ish.


:argh:

[Eurobabe]

115. Barf alert

:puke: :puke: :puke:

He's Bush's MANDATE.

[adigal]

122. THIS needs to be all over America

Sent to every single moderate/independent/sane Republican you know.

[Dukkha]

16. a P.O.W. that supports torture

yeah, his word is gold :eyes:

[geek tragedy]

18. "Begins?" "Preliminary?"

He's been running for the past 6 years.

[Dr.Phool]

19. You'd have thought he'd have talked it over with his wife by now.

[Justyce]

69. He apparently won't have time to speak

to her until after the Christmas holidays.... what a husband - lol

[shawn703]

20. Won't make it past the primary

Neither would Giuliani. Their extremist base will see to that.

[tritsofme]

34. I don't see many other strong candidates that the GOP has

We know he can win big in NH, and Rove won't be there to smear him in SC.

Very few people will have the resources to keep up with him.

[customerserviceguy]

56. That's exactly right

Six months ago, the extreme right wing was calling for George Allen, well we all saw what happened to Senator Macaca. There's no far right winger that has time to catch fire in the race, in a year from now, all of the potential Presidential candidates on both sides will be lined up. Only Giuliani and McCain have the name familiarity to get nominated, no matter what the hard right says. In the end, they'll line up behind whomever has the "R" behind their name.

Or, they'll vote Libertarian, or some other meaningless third party, fine with me.

[shawn703]

60. They still have a few names

Gingrich is one of them.

[jpak]

21. I hope he keeps talking up sending more troops to I-raq

It's a winning platform plank for him and the GOP...

You go Crazy John!!!!

[SquireJons]

63. Exactly!!!

I think this is great timing on his part (from my perspective). His party is down, all of the buddies he sucked up to over the last 3 years just to be in this position have all been disgraced. And his main rhetoric over the last 6 months has been the need to send massive numbers of new troops to Iraq. As long as that's his line, I don't have to worry about him. If the Dems shine a bright spotlight on this position, he's toast and even if the pugs recover somewhat over the next two years, he will be saddled with the 'war hawk' label at a time when the majority of the country wants none of that.

This just shows me that he's as dumb as I think he is.

[joytomme]

24. McCain's run for prez

Oh fucking bullfucking shit that McCain hasn't decided. McCain, the only man in the GOP with an ego larger than the delusionary and insane George W. Bush, has decided...indeed, decided in 2000 that he is going to run for prez in 2008.

What makes me say that? McCain is a neocon maniac...probably made nuts by his imprisonment during the Viet Nam war...but no matter. McCain is a podperson who wants to be president of the USA more than life itself. And he will lie and cheat to get there.

Joy Tomme
Ratbang Diary at: http://ratbangdiary.blogspot.com

[Canuckistanian]

25. Interesting timing

Why now? Is this to show that he has no connections to the now-disgraced Bushco?

Well, it won't work.

[L0oniX]

26. McCain is a pain ...he's just another ass carrot

[Jesterstear]

30. Likely unless....

The only way I don't see McCain as the eventual nominee is if the Repubs hit the panic button and run Giulianni. Sure, he's had some scandals in his past, but those were all before 9/11, and a lot of Americans only care about that. I wouldn't put it past the GOP to try and exploit the tragedy one last time for political gain.

[sleepyhead]

128. "A lot of Americans" will change their minds in a hurry

As soon as they see those pictures of Rudy in drag. Nope, no Giuliani nomination.

[wickerwoman]

157. Giuliani wouldn't carry New York

and he certainly wouldn't make any headway in the south (he's a squeaky voiced Yankee) and the Christian Right would take their ball home with them.

I agree he's a non-starter (but he'll probably give it a go anyway.)

[pissedoffprogressive]

31. I thought he was dead? Wasn't he committing suicide?

[neuvocat]

84. I was thinking about that (sorta).

His "joke" about committing suicide is about as funny and non-existent as a heart attack.

[laylah]

33. Let him waste his money

the traitorous pig. I used to have a great amount of respect for him; however, "The Hug" did it for me, then his flip-flopping on torture.

Jenn

[judaspriestess]

35. this is going to be interesting

its going to be funny watching the pukes turn on him even more. McCain is a genuine certifiable CREEP

[still_one]

36. All one has to do is look at his voting record

I certainly hope that his involvement with the S&L scandal, his opposition to making Martin Luther King day a national holiday, and his enthusiasm of sending more troops to Iraq is exposed

In addition, he is NOT a mentally stable person

[wisteria]

37. Well, he doesn't have my vote! n/t

[BootinUp]

38. He has a good shot at the nomination

We be facing him in the finale, get your bush ass kissing photos ready.

[Straight Shooter]

41. Craven McCain. "The Stockholm Syndrome Candidate." n/t

[autorank]

42. His support for Bush, the right wing, and the war make him a sure thing...

...to go nowhere. He's turned off a lot of people.

Just to give you an idea, McCain made a snide remark about Webb early on in the Virginia campaign.

Webb and his press folks blasted back at McCain with out any restraint. There was no fear of offending
an icon or sacred cow.

McCain has lost his msgic and is now just another politician.

Good for us, bad for him.

[pdxmike]

43. His #1 problem- melanoma

I keep telling people this(I'm an MD). He's a 2 time loser with melanoma. The odds of him ending up with a third primary or metastatic disease is not insignifigant. The GOP is rolling the dice on this. Let's say he's cruising along in 2008, but before the election he finds he has a liver full of metastatic melanoma. Where will that leave the Repubs?

[Dogmudgeon]

76. I was unaware of that

TWO bouts with melanoma? Between that, and 18 months of torture in the "Hanoi Hilton", that man has certainly had a tough life, Republican or not.

I used to test melanoma patients -- I did evoked potential tests on them when they were undergoing cisplatin treatment. I only ever met ONE patient (out of several hundred) who had melanoma twice. I was surprised at how lethal melanoma was, and still is. I had always read that it was bad, but it's something else again when you finally see it. I can imagine how much worse it would be to actually be TOLD that I had it.

Like most liberal Democrats, I have a certain admiration for McCain, but I don't agree with him very much. However, if I was a Republican, this would clinch it for me. He's already beaten some pretty long odds; his statistical chances at age 72 are not very good. Considering that his party is in eclipse, and that a presidential run would require tremendous physical stamina, why not retire? The GOP needs a better Elder Statesman than either Bush père ou fils.

--p!

[geebensis]

45. Any Respect I Might Have Had For Him...

...went right out the window when he pretended that Kerry was insulting the troops and called on him to apologize.

The guy has no chance. The wingnuts absolutely hate him, and democrats who might have considered him five years ago now remember him as nothing more than a Bush toadie.

[TK421]

94. And a toadie he is....that he is n/t

[AussieDave]

46. This should be so damn easy to squash

the "hug", his coming out for right-wing wackjobs who are not "moderates", the list goes on.

The DNC can start making the ads right now.

[eringer]

48. McCain, Bush's hand puppet

McCain will go nowhere. He does not have Karl Rove's endorsement, plus he is too old. Remember that a bunch of youngsters turned out to vote this week. The white house will let him have his fun, then pull the rug out when they "swift boat" him bringing up the water torture he endured in prison camp. I am sure that Rove has told the chimp's brother. Jeb, to loose 50 pounds in the next 3-6 months. Rove will find him some decent suits and ties and the Republicans will have their man. As for the Democrats, they have nobody. Hillary brings too much baggage to be a suitable candidate. Besides, she is really liking being a senator. My pick is a relative unknown that dared to attack Bush early in 2005 when he was only a mayor (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9117-2005Feb8.html). He called Bush's shell game where he was robbing the cities of $2 billion by moving programs from agency to agency (he said Bush was more dangerous than al-Qaida). He was also accused of having an extramarital affair--a story made up by the top aid of his state's governor (Ehrlich). I am talking about Mayor (now Governor-elect) Martin O'Malley (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9313-2005Feb8.html). O'Malley is not a Washington insider, is a strong family man (his wife and his late father are both judges), and is a practicing Catholic. He also appeals to the younger crowd with his position on making higher education affordable and being a rather good musician.

[ContraBass Black]

49. Look at me! I'm surprised!

:sarcasm:

[IndianaGreen]

51. Oh, puke!

This morning the cable chatter class was talking about Newt Gingrich running for President. Add to that Duncan Hunter who is already running, and we can start seeing the sort of people that will present themselves as alternatives to a Democratic nominee.

[Placebo]

52. Mr President?

[Pacifist Patriot]

53. Snowball meet Hell

Those are your chances McCain. I say go for it!

[datavg]

64. Yeah, Well...

...you ought to hold that thought for now. I've met quite a few people here (public servants, retired folks, an actor) who have immense respect for his background and experience who've said they'd vote for McCain over Hillary in a second.

If it's McCain vs. Hillary, and Ahhnold throws his weight behind McCain and causes him to carry California...it's over. McCain wins. There won't be enough votes left over.

Romney nauseates me. He reminds me of an human resources director, which is never good. I lived next to a retired director of HR for Travelers Insurance back in Texas, and he was the fakest, most shallow son-of-a-bitch I've ever known. He had a new Corvette and new Cadillac (both black) and he and his wife used to wear these little bikini outfits and wash the cars on the weekend. They're both well into their sixties and it was a pathetic sight.

If it's Hillary vs. Giuliani, Hillary wins. She'll carry California and Ohio. Giuliani will carry Florida because of all the retired Noo Yawkers and Noo Joiseyans there but it won't be enough.

[sleepyhead]

129. See post #128 re Giuliani. n/t

[MadJohnShaft]

54. May I suggest we paint him with a Rove-like tag now? How about

McCain - the last thing we need is Bush-Lite

McCain - we just don't know what he'll do




or??

[AnneD]

55. He lost me....

when he sucked up to Bush after Bush stabbed him in the back during the Caroline primaries. He continued to suck up to Bush after that. And how about that torture.....NOT. He could have just stood up and said no-but he didn't. I would talk to him, but I wouldn't vote for him.

[2Design]

57. Terrific !!! this is good news for us - he won't win - yeah n/t

[Rude Horner]

58. This is a picture he may not want for his campaign poster

[Julius Civitatus]

70. How about these pictures taken during Katrina?

These will definitely play well in his campaign:

[deacon]

59. The worst senator in congress- Mr. John McBush, no thanks n/t

[blue sky at night]

61. in the immortal words of our commander-in-chief:

bring 'em on! McCain is more flip-floppy than anyone else...ever. To me, he lost all of his Credibility when he sucked up to Shrub after being trashed by him during the 2000 primary. His nose is way too brown.

[Lost-in-FL]

62. Are you still alive??

We got Congress... didn't you said something about killing yourself if we win?

[datavg]

66. If Pelosi...

...can keep the leftist fringe of her delegation under control, she and her folks will control the House for the forseeable future.

If the MoveOn.org crowd starts making the decisons, she's had it. In 2008, we'll go back to the Republicans, they'll win the White House and all this will have been for nothing.

[Telly Savalas]

86. What leftist fringe?

The folks who want to end the war? You are aware that the majority of Americans support that, right?

The ones who want universal health care? Again the majority of Americans support this.

The ones who want to take action on climate change? The scientific community is almost unanimous in its support for this, and even right-leaning business magazines like the Economist acknowledge that we'd best wake up.

While there is a segment of the American population who could perhaps be characterized as "leftist fringe", those people sure as hell aren't represented in Washington, DC. We only spot the GOP points when we try to marginalize people who support sound public policy.

[adigal]

123. I just saw a documentary for schools

that showed most Americans support:

raise in minimum wage
universal health care
more regs for corporations

The documentary was about how the United States is much more liberal than the Democrats and the media, who are all beholden to corporations, but we don't even know it, as the media only gives us a limited view in polls and discussions. On culture issues, the media gives us a right-skewed view, and with economic issues, the media gives us a really right-skewed view.

[TankLV]

137. Leftist fringe? Move-on crowd?

WTF?

You lost?

I think you used to post here before you were banned...

[Tight_rope]

73. Been waiting to hear about his suicide any minute now...What is taking so long?

[Zambero]

71. He's not the same John McCain as the one that ran in 2000

He's been co-opted by the extreme right wing of his party. The "maverick" now conforms to the whims of Jerry Falwell. And he left whatever honor he might have had left at the door, when he joined Hannity, Limbaugh, et al by bashing fellow veteran Kerry for mis-speaking a criticism intended solely for Bush. Did I mention that huggy-kissy he performed on Bush a while back?

[1776Forever]

80. He's not the same John McCain

Did you hit the nail on the head!!! I wrote to John McCain and gave him my concerns 3 years ago about the way the military was trying to be "prioritized" by the Bush Gang. If anyone has any intellegence, as we here on DU have, we know that years ago Rumsfeld, Bush, and the rest of the bunch talked about forming the huge corporate military of Black Water and Haliburton etc., that would take orders from the CEO Bush and Vice President's Rumsfeld/Cheney gang. McCain wrote back to me that he thought that this was "needed", and didn't see anything wrong with it! That is when I lost any respect for him. He knows what they did, and so do all the rest of the "gang". It will come out someday and I hope someone has to answer for it!

Check it out here:

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/CONG11096.xml

"Secretary Rumsfeld was the leading advocate of the military doctrine of transformation, which calls for smaller forces, quicker deployment and more lethal application of directed firepower," said Bank of America analyst Robert Stallard. "This has now become the established DOD thinking, although we are aware that this may now be more open to debate."

Why did the Marines take some of these corporate military want-to-be's and keep them in their custody for over 3 days? It is true that some of these men tried to come out and give a full hearing on what they felt was wrong with this action, but they were "shot" down. When my son was in Irag 2 years ago he had to take metal from the scrapes he found and welded them on the humvees. He even did some work for some of the Halliburton bunch and they gave him and his buddies ice for doing it. They told my son that they were making $10,000 a week for their "service" and they told him he ought to come back to Iraq and work with them after he got home. Thank God my son is back, as is one of the my other sons that served in the first Bush War.

What has been done is going to be very hard to undo, and we don't need more neo-cons to make it worse then it all ready is!
:patriot:

[girl gone mad]

74. Good luck with that. (sarcasm)

He can't win unless the Dems do something really stupid, like nominate Hillary.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

75. Two words: Keating Five.

Goodnight, Gracie.

[Marie26]

78. Shocking.

:eyes: He might gain the Republican nomination, but he lost his soul in the process. Congrats.

[Sabriel]

81. With all that campaigning, when's he going to find time to off himself?

I thought if the Dems won, he was going to commit suicide.

[liberal N proud]

83. I thought he was going to commit suicide?

There is a promise he broke.
He said if the Democrats take the Senate, he would have to commit suicide. Well John, I am waiting.

[readmoreoften]

85. I'd love for McCain to run.

A bloated, pasty, 72 year old man who's been photographed snuggling with Bush and who the Religious Right can't stand? Sign him up!!!

[Bluestar]

87. Oh, who cares n/t

[PADemD]

88. Don't forget how he also kissed up to Jerry Falwell

[hasssan1]

89. FUCK HIM

[alfredo]

90. This picture could sink his candidacy

We need to start doing opposition research on all possible candidates. Finding and keeping unflattering pictures like the above is just a small part of it, but such images could resonate. You can never tell what will catch the publics' eye. Collect all the info you can before it gets scrubbed.

[stepnw1f]

142. I Was Just Going to Post This Photo... Lookie DU

a present from McCain himself.

[alfredo]

151. He looks so pathetic in the photo.

[illinoisprogressive]

91. Big Yawn

Like no one was anticipating this?
All of the beltway boobs talk about Hillary and McCain like they are the only ones to concider.
Surprise! on both sides no one wants either one. The right hates McCain and Hillary is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

[LeahD]

92. If he thinks he stands a chance, he's delusional.

He was on TV late night Nov. 7, and after every statement he made,
he paused and grinned for the camera. Someone must be coaching him
re his public persona....the softer, nicer John McCain. He came across
as a sleezy fake.
:puke:

[TK421]

93. I'll be there with my "Fuck you, McCain signs"

asshole.....he has done nothing except walk in lock-step with the shrub. And, he's had plenty of pretty photo-ops with the idiot in chief. Totally unreliable, in my opinion.

[WinstonSmith4740]

95. Screw 'em!

There was a point in time I could have voted for McCain, because I felt he would always put the best interests of his country ahead of his party. He's just spent the last 6 years proving me wrong. He glued his lips to Junior's ass and still hasn't let go. I still can't figure out how someone who had been a tortured as a POW could possible let Bozo decide what constitutes torture.:wtf:

[Zero Division]

97. He won't make it past the Republican primaries.

The Repub base thinks he's too soft on illegal immigration, which will likely be one of the deciding issues in their primaries, IMO.

I'm glad he won't make it through, too. Too many people still think he's "moderate", and most of the media still gives him undeserved credit as a "maverick".

[FyurFly]

98. Newt/* vs. Clinton/Obama my prediction n/t

[Anaxamander]

99. McCain is hated by both hardcore Dems and hardcore Repubs

Plus he's too old at this point. I don't think he's electable.

[young_at_heart]

101. That horrible photo of him with Bush gives me the creeps

He really showed his mettle with that one!

[Danger Mouse]

102. McCain...the straight talker....

that talks out of boths sides of his mouth! I just had my uh...step-brother in law?...tell me the other night that he 'really likes McCain' and would probably vote for him if he ran. This from a solid dem...who doesn't know McCain very well. In his defense, I didn't know McCain very well either until recently.
He has no shame. He has no dignity. He sold it all to Bush for a promise of power, which he will never attain. Jeb is the chosen one. McCain is just a tool. When 2008 comes, Jeb will team up with Rove, and McCain will be quickly tossed aside, and wonder all the while what he did wrong.
"For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?"
Reflect on those words, McCain.
Reflect on them well.

[Occulus]

105. Three times that The Photo appeared in this thread.

Hear that, MISTER McCain?

We. Have. Your. Number.

[StClone]

134. He did it more than once

Isn't there anything that DUers can say good about McCain? Sorry, I can't think of anything aside that he served his country well beyond that of all other Republicans. That does not qualify him.

[NEOBuckeye]

106. McCain: Bush is now a Lame Duck

Or what an announcement of a presidential run would appear to signal.

[sakabatou]

108. He'll probably get smeared again by his own party

[Starlight]

109. That's great news!

:evilgrin: :toast:

[LostinRed]

110. fuck McCain

and my apologies to anyone that already said it but I'm not about to read 100+ post

[19jet54]

112. Not going to make it....

... he has the support of most veterans, but the GOP base of Theocrats and right-wing-hard-liners simply do not like him. My prediction is he will not be the GOP nominee. Let him try though?

[truthisfreedom]

113. And that's pretty much it, folks, it's McCain in '08, and you'd better be ready for it.

So now we're ready to take some calls... hello, Sharon from Minneapolis?

"Hi, I just want to say that I love President Bush!"

Thanks so much, Sharon. We have another caller from Montreal, Jeff?

"Hi, am I on the air?"

You sure are, Jeff, please let us know how you feel about Mr. McCain running for President in 'oh-eight.'

"Is this the fishing program?"

No, Jeff, you're an hour early. Do you have an opinion about Mr. McCain?

"Is he the old guy who hugged bush really gay?"

Jeff, we do have to move on, so please enjoy your fishing. Next, we have Teddy from Maine, Teddy?

"I thought they were gay. I mean, he hugged him pretty low, like he wanted to kiss his testicles or something."

Jeff? Are you still on the line? We have to move on...

[progressivebydesign]

140. The other GOP darling is Guiliani.... pretty barfy choices, IMHO. n/t

[Eurobabe]

114. Let him run, then the Dems will put up someone young

and energetic who to make McCain look like the Aging BushASSkisser that he is...and we will win in '08.

[Disturbed]

116. Newt will slice and dice

McLame.

[Vinca]

118. Well, it'll be easy to find a costume to wear to his rallies -

a black cloth bag on the head.

[HaggardsMethDealer]

120. Need to paint him the way the right painted Dean

Paint him as a creepy weirdo that was locked in a cage for a long time and has deep rooted emotional issues and is likely to snap at any moment.

[w4rma]

127. I think the Republicans (particularly Bush's people) already did that in the 2000 primary. (nt)

[Massachusetts]

124. McCain Begins Preliminary White House Run

McCain and Kerry please don't waste OUR time running for the office you'll never get elected to.

[w4rma]

126. McCain has been more pro-warmongerer than Rumsfeld. McCain wants to *increase* the number

of soldiers in Iraq. And the increase he wants isn't even enough to have any affect whatsoever.

[davhill]

132. They should have run him in 2000

Now he's damaged goods.

[TankLV]

136. FUCK MCCAIN - Don't be fooled by this asswipe!

Besides, aren't you (McCain) supposed to be committing suicide about now?

WE'RE WAITING!

Or is this another promise broken by another repuke...

[progressivebydesign]

139. Not to sound mean, but he doesn't look healthy enough for it.

Every time I see him, he looks worse. I saw a recent photo of him the other day and didn't recognize him, then today saw a current photo that looked 'shopped, with him looking healthier.

[onehandle]

143. Finally! A true Stalinist emerges from the GOP!

Think your rights are threatened now?

Visualize President McCain.

[Haole Girl]

144. Oh please...please do run McCain! We'd love nothing more...

[Deep13]

145. Closing date set for sale of McCain's soul.

:eyes:

[Haole Girl]

146. Oh, that sale ended in the late summer of 2004.

It went to the highest bidder.

:grr:

[ckramer]

147. Fuck that old crap

[mvd]

148. Run him - he'd lose his temper

And we could easily tie him to Bush. Votes with him 90% of the time or over.

[Canuck Exile]

149. WTF....

is a "Preliminary White House Run" ????

It's all BS.. we ALL know he is running. otherwise he wouldn't have
kissed Ayatollah Falwell's flabby ass they way he did.


:mad: Canuck Exile

[Raine]

150. Contempt is all I have for McCain

he is a repulsive sorry excuse for a man the way he let the repukes insult his family when he ran before and now he kisses their asses. I loath him, he has no self-respect. :puke:

[Wetzelbill]

152. that guy has been running for years now

at least Biden and some of those others just flat out say they are running. McCain continues some facade like he hasn't thought about it or made a decision. Every damn thing this guy does is done with the idea that he might someday be president. He's consumed with it. Why else would he hug Bush?

[Seabiscuit]

154. Good news! Let that Shrubfart get the GOP Nomination!

Any half-decent Dem candidate could bury him in the 2008 election!