"Maverick McCain Rips GOP"

[flpoljunkie]

http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1611

Maverick McCain rips GOP
By Noelle Straub
Friday, April 2, 2004

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain yesterday unleashed an attack on his own party, saying the GOP is ``astray'' on key issues and criticizing President Bush on the war in Iraq.

"I believe my party has gone astray,'' McCain said, criticizing GOP stands on environmental and minority issues.

"I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy,'' he said. ``But I also feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principles I articulated before.''

The maverick senator made the remarks at a legislative seminar hosted by U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell) as he again ruled out running on a ticket with Democrat John F. Kerry .

The Arizona Republican took on President Bush for failing to prepare Americans for a long involvement in Iraq, saying, ``You can't fly in on an aircraft carrier and declare victory and have the deaths continue. You can't do that.''

McCain said the U.S. should seek more U.N. involvement in Iraq. ``Many people in this room question, legitimately, whether we should have gone in or not,'' he said, adding that that debate ``will be part of this presidential campaign."

[slinkerwink]

1. my goodness---that reporter has my first name!

[caledesi]

2. Gee, I never thought hMcCain would ever "jump ship" because

he is still believes in the ideals of the "classic" regpug party...not neocon thuggery. I actually think he may jump ship - at least to Indy.

[calimary]

17. Don't hold your breath. He's still a republican. Maybe not a republi-CON

but, still on the other side of the aisle. He will not convert. It'd be nice, but it's like having a tiger whose teeth you've just had removed. Well, okay. But if it still has claws and muscle, does the tooth removal make THAT much of a difference?

Until he actually takes THE step, until he sees the light, completely, until he really gives it back to bush as bush deserves to get it ESPECIALLY FROM SOMEONE LIKE JOHN MCCAIN, I will be securely on the fence about him.

I, for one, cannot understand how a man like him could just meekly get back in line after the UTTER trash job that bush and rove and cohorts did on him in North Carolina, I believe, when he was ahead in the republi-CON primaries in 2000 and the bushies spread this rumor that he had fathered a black child out of wedlock. They were merely messing with the FACT that McCain and his wife had adopted a Pakistani child. AWFUL. TARGETED in a southern state for a racist slur, BASED ON LIES. And McCain remains basically a "good soldier" after that. After he, AND his wife, AND their marriage, AND that innocent child, were all besmirched like nobody's business. That McCain could so easily let that go is just beyond me.

Okay, fine, they're gonna trash him. That's to be expected. But when they go after his wife, and implicitly their marriage, AND NOT EVEN REMOTELY IMPLICITLY their adopted child - who was still quite little at that point if I remember correctly - it's simply UNCONSCIONABLE.

UNFORGIVABLE, in my book, maybe until on my deathbed or something. That he said NOTHING about it, afterwards, and did not make it an issue and did NOT call bush on it, is still baffling to me. That was hitting so below the belt as to flirt with the molten core of the earth, although it's something we've all come to expect from these people.

It's not something I'd want MY husband to just let go by, unanswered and unpunished, if I were his wife. And he just let it go by. Hey, no hard feelings. Well, if it were me, the feelings would still be WAY beyond hard. Calcified. Especially since I don't recall EVER hearing bush or anyone around him or his campaign issuing anything remotely like an apology.

John McCain has, occasionally, said things that confirm for me that he's not a complete lost cause. But he's not found yet, either. Not by a LONG shot.

[incapsulated]

25. You pretty much voiced my feelings with that post

And what's worse is the "black baby" thing wasn't all. They also spread rumors that his wife was a lesbian and that he was some sort of Manchurian Candidate who was given special treatment while he was a POW. All because of his approval of normalizing relations with Viet Nam.

Jeez, he could stand up to his captors but he submitted to the rethugs after this?!

Unbelievable. I thought I understood McCain, as a very independent, but still very Republican Senator with some backbone. After that primary, I don't know what to think. I would have quit the party immediately and made it my fucking purpose in life to take down Bush and Rove. Yes, he's been a thorn in their side, but c'mon, they attacked your family, John, how can you stand for that??


All that aside, he'll go indy before he becomes a Dem. And I've heard he's leaving the Senate after this term anyway, so what does it matter.

Unless, of course, he takes up Kerry on his offer of VP and we really enter bizzaro world. :crazy:

[Bread and Circus]

3. Holy shit Batman!

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. Now that's the John McCain I remember!

Good to see him back. I was a little worried there for a while

[citizen snips]

5. McCain is a Republican.

I think he has seen the light!

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

6. It's nice to see that some people still have s shred of integrity left

Here's hoping he jumps ship altogether.

[atre]

7. I don't think I want to see him as VP nominee...

... but I wouldn't mind him giving Bush a tongue-thrashing in Boston at the Democratic convention.

[maxanne]

8. codswallop

he's talking out of both sides of his mouth. This is a REPUBLICAN, people - a REPUBLICAN who has publicly committed to electing GW. A REPUBLICAN who endorsed the multimillionare who became NH Gov after being convicted of discriminating against women in the workplace.

He says something okay once in a while, and we treat him like an oracle. :puke:

[AlinPA]

16. Right. He campaigned for Bush* and some RW republicans

(Rep Melissa Hart in PA for one)

9. say I'm a skeptic if you want

"I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy,'' he said. ``But I also feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principles I articulated before.''

I'd say that was McCain's key point.
His allegiance is to the Republican party ultimately. He may be a maverick, but he's a maverick in the Republican party.

[mobuto]

10. I don't think he's a "maverick"

I just think he doesn't like George Bush, and he enjoys giving George Bush heartburn.

[Mz Pip]

12. Well, I disagree with him

on this point :
"But I also Feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principals I articulated before."

I don't believe that. It's just too far gone. It's been taken over by ideologues and mean spirited greedy bastards. I have NO hope it can return to anything that remotely resembles the Republican Party I grew up with.

MzPip
:dem:

13. Exactly

& the fact that he's saying it still, given the validity of what you are saying proves he's a Republican.

[AntiCoup2K4]

14. I have no problem with him saying that.

The Republican party DOES need to return to its principles. So does the Democratic party. The corporatist neocon fascists aren't acceptable in either party.

Reality is we'll have to deal with Republican administrations in the White House from time to time. I'd much rather deal with REAL Republicans who are reasonably honest and honorable human beings than yet another incarnation of the Bush Criminal Empire, who have been the men behind the curtain of every GOP Presidency since Eisenhower.

And when the Democrats are in power, I would rather that meant that TRUE Democratic values were the agenda.

Either one would be better than the "choices" in this election.

15. say it brother

say it some more

[seasat]

11. You know, it would be cool to see McCain form a new party.

He can take the real conservatives and break away. That'd dilute the Republican's power based and make it easier to get progressive ideas across. Of course, Buchannon tried this and had his butt handed to him but McCain may have the charisma and following to accomplish it.

[IronLionZion]

19. He won't do it

It would be nice but won't go anywhere. It would also be nice to see Judge Roy Moore and his followers start their own party as well but the chances are nil.

And it would be awesome to see this regime jailed and humiliated but it won't happen.

[IronLionZion]

18. Bush is not a conservative

his regime is NEO-conservative, a very radical faction that goes against traditional conservative views. These bastards have hijacked the Republican party.

It's good to see that Republican John McCain has found his spine again. He's one of the good guys.

[realdeal22k]

20. This is really a sad state of affairs

Here we are rooting for a Conservative to boost our candidate. Am I the only one that sees this as a problem? We should be running on Kerry's record and the positive Democratic platform. What is happening to us?

[AntiCoup2K4]

22. Probably something to do with neocon fascist shitbags who control both

...parties currently. I'd applaud ANYONE who spoke out against these assholes. Meaning John McCain. Meaning Bob Barr. Meaning Pat Buchanan. Meaning Ralph Nader. Doesn't mean I have to agree with them on everything, because I certainly don't. But they are right when they mention things like McCain did above.

[realdeal22k]

24. neocon fascist shitbags run the Democratic party???

That's some news to me. Exactly who are the "neocon fascist shitbags" running the party of Democrats?

[Sparkly]

21. How about "Republicans for Kerry?"

McCain could be the "anti-Zell" if he'd form that group.

23. John McCain Is Not The Enemy

He is the opposition.

We simply can not know what he and Bush discuss in private, if Bush has the gumption to sit alone in a room with McCain, which I doubt. I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt over how he handles the way Bush treated him in 2000. We simply don't know what's going on in the background.

But we do know a few things-

Bush is the enemy.
Neo-conservatism is the enemy.
Corporatism is the enemy.

When I say enemy, I don't just mean an enemy to the Dem party. I mean that those elements represent the face of the enemy to the Republican party as well. They are the enemy of democracy, and of America.

I hope I'm not alone in my support for John McCain. I hope he gets with it, 110%, and kicks the hell out of his own party.

Understand also that I say the following with all respect- We don't need John McCain in the Democratic Party. McCain is much more useful to us, and to America, as a true Republican.