Gearing Up for '08? McCain Befriends Old Enemies

[Judi Lynn]

Gearing Up for '08? McCain Befriends Old Enemies
He's Receiving Money From People Who Attacked Him in 2000

By JAKE TAPPER

April 23, 2006— Once they were "coyotes." Now, they're pals.

Some of the very same men who helped derail Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in 2000 using techniques the Arizona Republican alleged were illegal — and whom McCain likened to the prairie carnivores — are now leading financial supporters of his "Straight Talk America" political action committee and possible backers of his anticipated 2008 presidential run.

The news — from campaign contribution reports and an invitation to a McCain fundraiser obtained by ABC News — comes a few weeks after the announcement that the self-styled maverick will deliver the commencement address at an evangelical college started by Rev. Jerry Falwell, whom McCain had once dubbed an "agent of intolerance."

The fence-mending can be construed in any number of ways — maturation, selling out, or the pragmatic political maneuvers of a frontrunner. But however one views it, the moves stand as a stark contrast to McCain's exciting, occasionally reckless underdog campaign from six years ago.

In March 2000, in the thick of that highly-charged GOP presidential competition between McCain and then-Gov. George W. Bush, Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly — major contributors to Bush — funded a $2.5 million advertising campaign by a group calling itself "Republicans for Clear Air" that ran an ad against McCain in California, New York and Ohio.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1880630&page=1

[rucky]

1. Would calling him a whore be offensive to anybody? n/t

[TheWraith]

3. Yes. To whores.

I pity McCain. He used to stand for something. Now he's just one more sold out ex-conservative sucking up to the rancid tit that is the evangelical right.

[Mnemosyne]

4. I think slut is the proper term. n/t

[tulsakatz]

2. straight talk America............yeah, right!

If it's from McCain, it should be "I'll tell you what I think you want to hear" talk America!

By now, I believe people know that one thing they'll never hear from McCain is straight talk!!

Speaking of McCain, someone sent an interesting article to another group I belong to. I found the original article at Free Republic. If you don't like going to that page, just ask and I'll be glad to post the entire article here or send it to you privately.

But seriously, it's a good article!! I was shocked that I actually agreed with something at that website!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1618552/posts

Senator John McCain--I made him mad at last night's Town Hall!

After attending Senator McCain's morning Town Hall yesterday, I was so disgusted at the way the local politicians censored citizen questions that I abandoned the idea of attending the evening session. The Tempe mayor laid down the ground rules: only questions and no "speeches" (which obviously included statements that disputed McCain's claims).

It was a royal sham from the word go, just like Bush press conferences. I'm sure it was packed with McCain toadies, because they started a standing ovation when he walked in and of course most people joined in (with a few exceptions like me).

Thanks to my friend Annette, who encouraged me to accompany her to the evening session, where the McCain held a real Town Hall rather than the stage production choreographed by Hizzoner the Tempe mayor.

Finally my turn came. I took a deep breath and jumped in, determined to keep going even if he tried to interrupt and talk over me:

"Senator, I'll begin by answering a question you've asked several times this evening, and then I have a question of my own." You've asked for an alternate plan for dealing with the 11 million illegal aliens in the US, and that plan has been documented by Mark Krikorian of Center for Immigration Studies in DC. It's called "Attrition through Enforcement," and it sets out a 'comprehensive' strategy well known to Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado and the House Immigration Reform Caucus. The plan has been summarized very succintly and clearly by Mike Cutler, retired from 27 years' service in Treasury, Customs and INS, who often says "Nobody breaks into the amusement park when the rides are closed."

"So Senator, you close down the rides--crack down on the employers as you promised to do 20 years ago when you voted for the "one time amnesty," end the publicly-funded benefits to illegal aliens and their families as we did with Prop 200, end the government grants to agencies who help illegal aliens like Catholic Charities and Arizona Interfaith, and end the "anchor baby" citizenship nonsense that enables illegal alien families to "piggy-back" on their US-born children. And Senator, that won't require a constitutional amendment as you claim--we need only to pass HR 698, intriduced earlier in the seesion by Congressman Charlie Norwood of GA. If you're not familiar with these provisions, I know that Congressman Tom would welcome the opportunity to outline the option with you. So that leaves you to show whether you're a man of your word and will take the option for Senate consideration as you've promised."

"Now for my question, Senator. The agencies that will be responsible for administering and enforcing your McCain-Kennedy Amnesty (and it IS an amnesty, Senator)..."

He then interrupted with a condescening one-liner that he used at the morning session, "..then you're reading a different dictionary than I am..." to which I replied, "Senator, I don't used dictionaries to read laws. I read this law in United States Code Title 8, Section 1324."

Although I wasn't watching McCain, my friend Annette told me he'd been pacing up to then, but when I didn't back down at his dismissive comments, his face began to get red and she commented that it was obvious he was mad. She also said that the room went dead quiet; perhaps the audience was eager to see how McCain would react. I'm amazed that he didn't continue talking over me, but perhaps like most bullies, they back down when they find someone who isn't intimidated by them.