McCain's Fall a Warning to All GOP Candidates: Support the War at Your Own Risk

[babylonsister]

Great observation; he might even help our cause.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24731

McCain's Fall a Warning to All GOP Candidates: Support the War at Your Own Risk
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2007-07-16 16:25. Elections

By Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post

John McCain's cratering campaign is an object lesson in how to kill a candidacy in three simple steps: 1) locate the biggest foreign policy disaster in U.S. history 2) embrace it 3) implode. (Bonus step: spend money like you are Paul Bremmer).

McCain's fate should be a warning to all Republicans seeking office in 2008: continue to back the president's war policy at your own risk.

McCain's fall has been precipitous -- tumbling from establishment GOP front-runner to single-digit also-ran.

Through much of 2005 and 2006 he was widely regarded as the presumptive Republican nominee. Hypothetical 2008 matchups regularly had him beating presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll in December 2006 had him beating Hillary by 14 points -- 50% to 36%.

That's when he decided to go all-in on Iraq, anointing himself head cheerleader for the surge.

more...

[mzmolly]

1. Yep.

It's good news for those of us seeking an end.

[atreides1]

2. It's more then the War

I think that his support of the Immigration Bill hurt him amongst conservatives as well.

[JacquesMolay]

3. He's not getting spanked in the GOP race for supporting the war...

... those loonies still think we're winning. He's on his last leg for supporting the immigration bill. He swung right to try and appease the base on Iraq, and then went back to the center (for some reason) by backing 'amnesty'. He switched strategies in the middle of the fight, f***ed up and now he's done.

[TwilightGardener]

10. Right--the war is what kept him VIABLE among GOPers thus far.

[opihimoimoi]

4. Gramps McLoy is TOAST from selfinflicted BS and the HUG

[blondeatlast]

5. We're going to see them tie themselves in knots trying to support the Iraq occupation,

beat the drums for an offensive in Iran--and yet run screaming from early support of the Bush "surge."

If the MSM reports 25% of it, it could be quite fun.

But of course, they won't, so... :shrug:

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I'm not sure about that. Rudy rakes in dollars with his terraterraterra

bit with support the war bits.

[SoCalDem]

7. Not just the war.. Mccain has always been a niche-candidate

He prided himself on NOT being a run-of-the-mill candidate... he was the rebel, the loose cannon, the rugged individualist.

That's how he became famous.. remember his "pork book". He railed about government waste. of course it resonated while the dems controlled congress, but once the repubes took over, he was a lot less vocal. Then he took up the issue of campaign finance to nibble at and to act all indignant about.

the 2k election was his "time". He started out being the "not Bush" candidate for many who were not all that impressed with Bush-the-lesser. Even though he was clearly NOT a liberal, Independents and Democrats respected him for his courage in speaking the (sort of) truth against Bush's obvious crappola.

Once Karl Rove crucified him, he tucked his tail and licked the paw of his "master". His once time supporters saw him for the toady that he always was, even though he pretended to be otherwise. The hugging, pandering photo-ops since 2K have made him totally UNSUPPORTABLE by anyone.

The religious right wingers STILL hate him for attacking Jesus.
The Independents see him as a wishy-washy oppportunist
The democrats are slapping their foreheads and saying "what DID I ever see in this sychophant".

What IS his base? No one this time around.

[BearSquirrel2]

8. Flippity Floppity ...

If McCain had stood pat with his 2000 demeanor he could have had a shot of unseating Bush in 2004. His complete 180 degree turns on so many issues is what has killed him.

Bush and the right sweet talked him with promises for being the "air apparent" then after he had publicly kissed his ass, they tossed him out of the plane. John McCain was then captured by the mediocre brigades and is imprisoned in the Has Been Hilton.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Kissing Jerry Falwell's big fat ass didn't help him much

I bet he regrets that now.

Don