President John McCain

[August1991]

As the saying goes, if the tendency is maintained, then McCain will be president in 2009. He'll be an exceptional one.

McCain is only 5 foot 7 which will make him the shortest in over a century. He'll also be one of the oldest. He won't be the first president to have divorced but he will be the first to have married three times. He won't be the first war hero president, but he'll be the first who was a POW. (Kennedy's boat was sunk but he was never captured by the Japanese.)

Like Bush Snr and other presidents before, McCain will protect America's natural environment.

McCain is a maverick and it's hard to predict how he will use his common sense. He'll be honest and Americans will trust him. He speaks plainly.

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I don't see how Hillary can lose the Democratic nomination but even if she does and Obama wins, neither will win the presidency. The Democratic party in its current state with either candidate can't win in November.

Given the situation in Florida, Romney can't win in New York and California. So, it's President McCain by elimination. I think that's a good thing and he'll be a good president.

[bush_cheney2004]

Not so fast...Senator McCain may very well win his party's nomination, but he has at least one closet skeleton to overcome in the general election (Keating Five Savings and Loan scandal). He can only hope that Senator Clinton, toting an equal bit of scandalous baggage, faces him for the Democrats.

[BubberMiley]

The Democratic party in its current state with either candidate can't win in November.

You keep repeating that, over and over, without much to back it up, but that doesn't mean it's true. In fact, I think the opposite is true: the Republicans have screwed things up so badly, they are a lock for defeat.

And McCain has lots of skeletons: his wife's drug addiction, prescription fraud, and his subsequent abuse of his senate position to get her out of a federal prison sentence will likely rub a few voters the wrong way.

He's not trusted by the Republican elite and that alone may still prevent him from getting the nomination. I would certainly not count Romney out yet.

[jdobbin]

I don't see how Hillary can lose the Democratic nomination but even if she does and Obama wins, neither will win the presidency. The Democratic party in its current state with either candidate can't win in November.

Given the situation in Florida, Romney can't win in New York and California. So, it's President McCain by elimination. I think that's a good thing and he'll be a good president.

Think you said the Democrats would self-destruct in the mid-terms too. I believe Obama will be the Democrat nominee and I don't think any present Republican candidate can beat him or Clinton for that matter.

I'm also still not convinced the Romney won't win the Republican nomination.

[bush_cheney2004]

......I believe Obama will be the Democrat nominee and I don't think any present Republican candidate can beat him or Clinton for that matter.

Actually, the opposite is probably true with the exception of Ron Paul wrt Senator Obama....he would not win the general election leading the ticket. Vice President.....perhaps.

[August1991]

Not so fast...Senator McCain may very well win his party's nomination, but he has at least one closet skeleton to overcome in the general election (Keating Five Savings and Loan scandal). He can only hope that Senator Clinton, toting an equal bit of scandalous baggage, faces him for the Democrats.

If Clinton gets the nod, you can be certain that will become an issue.

OTOH, the story has been around for a long time and Americans never really like complex, money scandals. They prefer sex and abuse of power scandals.

All things considered though, I have the impression McCain is like Ronald Reagan - a Teflon politician. The guy just seems honest.

If I were a writer, I'd be nosing about for a McCain bio gig right now. Very soon, in a big way, Americans are going to want to know who this guy is exactly.

You keep repeating that, over and over, without much to back it up, but that doesn't mean it's true. In fact, I think the opposite is true: the Republicans have screwed things up so badly, they are a lock for defeat.

In the minds of most Americans, America is a great country and it doesn't need radical change. Bush Jnr is low in the polls but it's him, not the Republicans and he's not a smiling Jack kind of president.

I'll admit that it's difficult for the incumbent party to win when the economy is heading for a recession but first, is the economy so headed? And second, McCain has stood apart from Bush.

Think you said the Democrats would self-destruct in the mid-terms too. I believe Obama will be the Democrat nominee and I don't think any present Republican candidate can beat him or Clinton for that matter.

I'm also still not convinced the Romney won't win the Republican nomination.

You'll never let me forget that wrong prediction, Dobbin! (As it was, the Dems barely eked a majority in 2006 and few Presidents ever keep off-year congressionals six years into a mandate.)

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I started this new thread to discuss what kind of president McCain would be. Take it as a hypothetical rather than a prediction.

Edited January 30, 2008 by August1991

[jdobbin]

You'll never let me forget that wrong prediction, Dobbin! (As it was, the Dems barely eked a majority in 2006 and few Presidents ever keep off-year congressionals six years into a mandate.)

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I started this new thread to discuss what kind of president McCain would be. Take it as a hypothetical rather than a prediction.

There were quite a few people saying that the Democrats were a spent force and were going to self-destruct going into the mid-terms. It wasn't just restricted to these forum pages either.

There was quite a bit of disillusion in regards to Iraq and of the Republican candidates who ran.

Attention is turning to the economy now and McCain has a long record in the Senate that will be looked into deeper and deeper as the campaign continues.

How would McCain look as President? I'd say he is a decent man but he has made many enemies in the Republican party over the years. He would likely have to work with a Democrat controlled Congress. It could work but he would have to seek his support from Democrats rather than in his own party on many initiatives? Is he capable of doing what Schwarzenegger did in California?

Sometimes McCain looks really old in this campaign. Maybe he should use some black hair dye like Reagan did.

[bush_cheney2004]

....I started this new thread to discuss what kind of president McCain would be. Take it as a hypothetical rather than a prediction.

"Maverick" John McCain was never a bad choice, even going back to 2000. I think he would have beaten Gore as well, with a higher vote margin. But the party would not back him then. So 2000's other Republican choice looks better today.

You are correct that America can smell a "McGovern" from a mile away, and will prefer "McCain" instead. The "senator jinx" is a wash given Hillary or Obama. McCain needs to be careful about the military bravado from the past, even if it includes a 5 year guest stay at the Hanoi Hilton. (A draft dodging Bill Clinton beat two WW2 veterans.)

[Moonlight Graham]

I'm not keep on the Republicans (or Democrats for that matter), but if i had to pick a Republican McCain would be at or near the top of my list. I disagree with him on many issues since my thinking tends to be more liberal, but i still respect him.

I don't see how Hillary can lose the Democratic nomination but even if she does and Obama wins, neither will win the presidency. The Democratic party in its current state with either candidate can't win in November.

And we all know the Republicans are shiny gold in the eyes of Americans right now right?

[geoffrey]

I'm also still not convinced the Romney won't win the Republican nomination.

Romney is what the Americans need right now, a guy with an economic focus and some serious progressive ideas on tax reform and even, god forbid, increasing health coverage in Massachusetts.

All that matters to the US right now is economy, and McCain is vastly underqualified in that regard. They don't need another war president. They need a person with business sense and practicality.

[bush_cheney2004]

....All that matters to the US right now is economy, and McCain is vastly underqualified in that regard. They don't need another war president. They need a person with business sense and practicality.

No, that is exactly what they don't need. Mr. Romney cannot buy the US presidency. Rockefeller tried too.

[jdobbin]

Romney is what the Americans need right now, a guy with an economic focus and some serious progressive ideas on tax reform and even, god forbid, increasing health coverage in Massachusetts.

All that matters to the US right now is economy, and McCain is vastly underqualified in that regard. They don't need another war president. They need a person with business sense and practicality.

I think Romney is probably the stronger candidate for domestic issues.

McCain is a decent guy. I just know what he would really do on the domestic front that won't run into heavy opposition from his own party.

[August1991]

John McCain's CD singing all the Barbra Streisand hits. Funny, weird video. (What politicians have to do to get votes... )

[sharkman]

Some are saying that McCain will not get many votes from the right wing of the Rep party if he wins the nod and runs for president. This may be true, but will be offset by disenchanted small d democrat voters, who he will attract as a moderate. Hillary's been trying to portray the stance of a moderate, but she still walks and quacks like a duck...

The question in my mind is, will McCain end up paying for the 'sins' of the Republican party of the last several years with Bush at the helm? Or will he be able to convince the voter he's an outsider in that regard. Here's one occasion where his reputation as a maverick may help him. Either way, this race continues to be very interesting.

[BubberMiley]

I think the moderates are independents are very disenchanted with the Republican party and will need a lot of convincing not to vote Democrat this time around. The only way the GOP can win is by motivating the base to a great degree, and McCain simply isn't the candidate to do that.

[bush_cheney2004]

I think the moderates are independents are very disenchanted with the Republican party and will need a lot of convincing not to vote Democrat this time around. The only way the GOP can win is by motivating the base to a great degree, and McCain simply isn't the candidate to do that.

They will be motivated by the thought of a President Obama or Clinton. The show has only just begun.

Edited February 9, 2008 by bush_cheney2004

[BubberMiley]

They will be motivated by the thought of a President Obama or Clinton.

I agree.

[Visionseeker]

They will be motivated by the thought of a President Obama or Clinton. The show has only just begun.

I think the anti-Clinton motivation is there. But I also think that the Republicans are completely stymied about how to tackle and coalesce against an Obama (and Edwards?) ticket. The only thing certain is that the outcome is presently uncertain. Nevertheless, the GOP is in a considerable measure of disarray.

I’ve lost count how many Republican congressmen have indicated that they will not run in 2008. This lack of incumbency will likely lead to Democrat gains and will also hurt McCain where such district are competitive.

[HisSelf]

I saw an interview the other night with one of the many political pundits we see so often on television. He said McCain's view that the US should stay in Iraq is delusional and that this election is all about the wish of the US electorate to put the Bush/Cheney years behind them and get out of Iraq ASAP.

I think the guy was right. Look at the cost. The massive debt. The US dollar. The decline of the economy. The home affairs disasters (N'awlins). The loss of US credibility on the world stage.

McCain hasn't got a chance. First of all, died-in-the-wool Conservatives do not like him. Republicans are flocking not to him, but away from anything that might look like a burning Bush, and they are doing so in record numbers. Romney was his biggest threat and he is outta there.

Read the entrails. Americans, even Republicans, are not gonna vote for the same old same old. McCain's pro-Iraq policy is just more of the same old.

The US has lost the Middle East, and the Republican Party did it, big time. A foreign policy disaster on the same scale as "Peace In Our Time". The difference is that the war is over and the US has lost. They will finally have to surrender the Middle East to the people who live there.

And what really kills me, personally you understand, is that after decades of ignoring Africa, the US now wants to take on China there.

Go home George. Go Hunting with Dick. Buy your oil and metal from us. Don't ask for water.

[bush_cheney2004]

...I think the guy was right. Look at the cost. The massive debt. The US dollar. The decline of the economy. The home affairs disasters (N'awlins). The loss of US credibility on the world stage....

That's what they said in 2004 too. President Bush still got a second term. Back then, the "guy" was wrong.

[HisSelf]

That's what they said in 2004 too. President Bush still got a second term. Back then, the "guy" was wrong.

People saw they had no choice. They did not want to cut and run. Now they see that they were just throwing good money after bad.

He was indeed wrong. Another blow to Presidential credibility and the US moral high ground.

How many more can the US take? The economy is expanding beyond North America. The US is losing the economic power to call the shots.

Time to straighten up and fly right.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I don't see the democrats in the Whitehouse during this particular war. This one needs to be finalized, and the fat lady hasn't sung yet. They can't stay, but they can't leave yet either. For them to pull out would be to admit defeat, I don't think that is a very good idea while contending that you are a superpower.

From my perspective McCain is the only viable choice for America at the moment. McCain wants to WIN in Iraq, and he wants to bring Bin Laden to justice. That is what they need to do in order to close the book on 9/11 and move forward. Since they can't go back, they must go forward and that means dealing with the final solution to 9/11.

[bush_cheney2004]

People saw they had no choice. They did not want to cut and run. Now they see that they were just throwing good money after bad.

He was indeed wrong. Another blow to Presidential credibility and the US moral high ground.

How many more can the US take? The economy is expanding beyond North America. The US is losing the economic power to call the shots.

Time to straighten up and fly right.

It's just another American election, not some opportunity for a sea change and warm approval by the world's peanut gallery. The USA is the same as it ever was, never flying in any such way. I for one will be glad to see a change in the US administration if only to determine who will be the next recipient of sanctimonious disdain from Canada or elsewhere, as if it even mattered.

Fast forward to a possible President Obama or Clinton...do you think the Americans are just going to fold up the hegemon tents and go home?

[HisSelf]

...do you think the Americans are just going to fold up the hegemon tents and go home?

Hegemon. Ha-ha. Hoisted with your own petard... Too good to be true. I've only been here a day and already I have a bishop in my sack.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Both leading contender democrats promise to pack up the tents and bug out of Iraq. That would leave the citizens of Iraq to bury their dead in the middle of a civil war, the USA does not need to be blamed for that. Iraq is a millstone, that is true, but there are ways to deal with the problem without bugging out and leaving a civil war in the wake of America's departure.

What the USA needs to do is break out the Iraq constitution and have them vote for it in a door to door process where the people are protected. This will take a great deal of time, but in the end they will be able to say that the people were supporting the constitution. The next step is to fully support Iraq through rebuilding its ruined infrastructure. While they are doing this they must setup hundreds of small business efforts by Iraq citizens. Their way out is to raise the standard of living of the Iraq people. The Americans know this, and they know the price of doing this is very high, but they must do it to retain their superpower status. The effort to do this can only be seen as one of benevolence. That is the key to retaining the American empire, if they fail to do this they will lose their empire.