Analysis: McCain No 'Happy Warrior'

[unhappycamper]

Analysis: McCain No 'Happy Warrior'
LIZ SIDOTI | June 20, 2007


WASHINGTON — John McCain, the self-described "Happy Warrior" of the 2000 presidential race, isn't acting so happy in his 2008 reprise; he's gone negative amid numerous challenges.

The Republican struck a positive tone throughout much of his first White House campaign, assailing rival George W. Bush only after the Texas governor engaged in nasty politics in South Carolina.

Eight years later, McCain is mixing it up with rival Mitt Romney with increasing intensity after largely ignoring the former Massachusetts governor's criticisms _ a full six months before voting begins, and as McCain, once considered the Republican to beat, finds himself struggling to regain momentum.

~snip~

"McCain is feeling cross pressured, by Romney in particular, and is giving back as good as he gets," said Rich Bond, a former Republican National Committee chairman.

Romney, to be sure, has been provocative; he and his aides have assailed McCain on everything from gay marriage to tax cuts for months. As Romney campaigns, he routinely ribs McCain for co-sponsoring campaign finance and immigration measures with liberal icon Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

McCain says he won't remain silent.


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[babylonsister]

1. I think McCain's a goner; his support of this occupation is one of the things

that will sink him. Plus, I hear he's having trouble raising funds.

[malaise]

6. You think

MsCain has always been going nowhere in a hurry.

[TwilightGardener]

7. Nope, it's immigration--the base still supports the war, but his

immigration reform involvement is the killer.

[tularetom]

2. The real McCain is beginning to emerge

the guy has some scary anger management issues and a thin skinned tendency to get really pissy when somebody criticizes him. I think a spectacular career ending implosion awaits us.:popcorn:

[TlalocW]

3. He had a chance in 2000

So he was able to stay positive longer and project the happy warrior thing. Now, he realizes this is his last chance to get elected president, and he sees it day by day slipping further away from him as Romney and Rudy get all the press. And while I realize how immature this is, I'm deep into schadenfreude about how his campaign is going. The Bushistas started a rumor about his having an illegitimate black daughter (in reality an adopted daughter from India) in 2000, and that effectively derailed him, but once Bush was in office, he couldn't suck up to him enough. Now, he's gone back on a lot of things he said in his first campaign and is sucking up to the religious right, but they're still viewing him as a johnny-come-lately. I hope that after he goes down in flames he realizes what a complete sell-out whore he is, and I hope the loss of what honor he did have haunts him for the rest of his life.

TlalocW

[lonestarnot]

4. He's taking the Phoenix Mayor with him. Phil we will see you later this a.m.

[Bucky]

5. What's weird is... he's really the best they got. No wonder they hate him.

He's losing to
(1) a pro-choice liberal with flawed and obviously faked national security credentials and a Caligula-like personal life,
(2) a one term moderate governor with no security or foreign policy experience who's blatently flip flopped on key Republican "values" issues with the arrogance of a con artist,
(3) a lazy actor who was briefly a senator and seems not to understand most issues beyond a few saccherine sound bites.

In constract McCain has a solidly conservative voting record, an impressive resume, a track record of appealing to moderate & swing voters, and a good command of policy issues. If the Republicans don't rally around him, they're crazy. I leave that final judgment to history.
.

[lonestarnot]

8. Excellent observation!