Letters to the Editor
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Rick Davis ... Mark Buse ... Charles Black ... there's a pattern here ...
http://nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html
[...] Like other presidential candidates, he has relied on lobbyists to run his campaigns. Since a cash crunch last summer, several of them — including his campaign manager, Rick Davis, who represented companies before Mr. McCain’s Senate panel — have been working without pay, a gift that could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
In recent weeks, Mr. McCain has hired another lobbyist, Mark Buse, to run his Senate office. In his case, it was a round trip through the revolving door: Mr. Buse had directed Mr. McCain’s committee staff for seven years before leaving in 2001 to lobby for telecommunications companies.
Mr. McCain’s friends dismiss questions about his ties to lobbyists, arguing that he has too much integrity to let such personal connections influence him.
“Unless he gives you special treatment or takes legislative action against his own views, I don’t think his personal and social relationships matter,” said Charles Black, a friend and campaign adviser who has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns.
Mr. McCain’s confidence in his ability to distinguish personal friendships from compromising connections [...]
- - NYTimes 2/21/2008
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xufapemu, you said it perfectly!
I believe the right wing smear machine failed before.
I recall them going after another man who still believed in a place called Hope.
As I recall, he left office with a very high approval rating.
It's a shame his wife couldn't run the same positive, "hopeful" campaign.
-- xufapemu
My spirits were trampled by the Right Wing Machine and now by the Obama/Talking Head Machine! The crap they say is absurd and pure slander!
However, I always have been and always will be proud to be an American!
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I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I am free!
If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.
And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.
That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
~Lee Greenwood
How do you expect others to respect this country when it's own people won't respect it? We should take pride in all that America has done for us!
I think Michelle Obama should be proud of where she came from also, at the very least if she is going to help lead and unify this country! How is she going to defend America and America's history to enemies that are just as apathetic of America and Americans without sounding like a hypocrite?
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Attack the wife when you can't get the candidiate himself, eh? Brilliant strategy! Keep it up!
How do you expect others to respect this country when it's own people won't respect it? We should take pride in all that America has done for us!
I think Michelle Obama should be proud of where she came from also, at the very least if she is going to help lead and unify this country! How is she going to defend America and America's history to enemies that are just as apathetic of America and Americans without sounding like a hypocrite? --Anonymous
I remember two charismatic Presidential candidates who enemies tried (repeatedly) to attack by attacking their wives. One was named Ron, the other, Bill.
They both won.
Twice.
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A right-wing view of the Michelle non-story
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/02/20/
/jonathan-kay-on-michelle-obama-and-the-u-s-media-s-double-standard-on-election-coverage.aspxMichelle Obama and the U.S. media's double-standard on election coverage
Posted: February 20, 2008, 11:13 PM by Jonathan KayI happen to think Barack Obama is a vapid, overrated politician who's become the Democratic favourite by peddling dreamland piffle. Still, the campaign against Obama's better half is simply ridiculous. When people speak extemporaneously, they muddle up their words in a thousand different ways. Politicians generally are experienced enough to avoid the most dangerous gaffes. But Michelle Obama is not a politician. In any case, any reasonable, intelligent person knows that she could not really have meant to suggest she wasn't proud of her country prior to this political primary season. Presumably, she just meant she was prouder -- as, I'm guessing, are then tens of millions of other Americans (not all of them Democrats) who are genuinely inspired by Obama's soaring rhetoric.
The ironic thing is that some of the criticism of Ms. Obama is coming from John McCain's wife Cindy -- who made a snide reference to the "pride" line on Tuesday. (“I’m proud of my country. I don’t know about you – if you heard those words earlier – I’m very proud of my country.’’ ) Even if this is fair game by the usual cynical rules of inter-party politics, it is a little rich coming from the wife of John McCain -- who I think would make a pretty good President, but also happens to live in a glass house of gaffes.
To wit, consider this excerpt from a Feb. 17 front-page New York Times article on McCain: "On a flight from Burlington, Vt., to Warwick, R.I., on Thursday, Mr. McCain volunteered that Brooke Buchanan, his spokeswoman who was seated nearby and rolling her eyes, 'has a lot of her money hidden in the Cayman Islands' and that she earned it by 'dealing drugs.' Previously, Mr. McCain has identified Ms. Buchanan as 'Pat Buchanan’s illegitimate daughter,' 'bipolar,' 'a drunk,' 'someone with a lot of boyfriends' and 'just out of Betty Ford.' It is only a matter of time before some viewer, listener or reader complains — recovering addicts, for example, mental illness sufferers, or, for that matter, Pat Buchanan himself. One of the trademarks of Mr. McCain’s rebel image has been his inability to cloak his emotions, especially anger. He has been prone to volcanic blowups over the years. And while he would hardly be the first president with a temper, Mr. McCain has been ever vigilant of late about resisting provocation."
I'm not saying any of this is reason for Americans not to vote for McCain. Sometimes smart people say dumb things, or make caustic jokes, or just fail to consider who their audience is before they open their mouths. It happens -- which is why most of the American media shrugged off the Feb. 17 Times story on McCain. It would be nice if Michelle Obama, who isn't even running for office, was treated with one tenth as much deference.
- - Jonathan Kay