Shortly after securing the Republican Party presidential nomination for the 2008 election, John McCain visited the White House to receive the endorsement of President George W. Bush.
"And if he wants my pretty face standing by his side at one of these rallies, I'll be glad to show up," said President Bush in a New York Times article.
With Bush's abysmal popularity rating and continuously controversial policies, his support for McCain has the potential to do more harm than good for the McCain campaign. It didn't take long for the Democratic National Committee to embrace the endorsement, posting a video of the McCain at Bush's side on its Web site and calling "a vote for McCain a vote for the same failed Bush policies," in an e-mail to media and supporters.
McCain's advisers have already made it clear they see Bush as a highly utilizable tool for fundraising, but would rather keep Bush's smiling face on the sideline as much as possible.
The Arizona senator issued an ear sore later that day when he said, "that on fundamentals and principles of our Republican party and most of the specifics of our shared conservative philosophy, President Bush and I are in agreement."
And yet, McCain proves careful with his words marking similarities in "principle" and "philosophy" - not policy.
In actuality, Bush's endorsement of McCain, like most endorsements, will probably play a greater role in the race for the White House than it should. After all, who else was Bush going to endorse? Obama?
Instead of assuming that the endorsement shows McCain will mimic Bush in office, or in the same easily shapeable mindset, assume that he will be the moderate, hardly-conservative whom ultra right-wingers have cast aside, do your own investigation.
As November approaches and we see McCain square off against Barack or Hillary, look for Bush similarities evidenced by policy and action and allow those to shape your decision.
Bombing Our Troops
Blast goes off at Army recruitment office in NYC
At around 3:45 a.m., on the morning of March 6, an explosion occurred at a New York City Army Recruitment office in the heart of Times Square. Authorities are searching for a man on a bicycle who witnesses saw at the scene as a possible suspect. No one was injured in the blast.
Little is known about the methodology for detonation other than that the devise was a "low-order explosive" according to NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. In 2005, similar homemade blasts in NYC occurred in October and May, both in the wee hours of the morning.
Apparently, peacefully protesting the War is too soft of an approach.
Congregating in front of a recruitment office, pickets, marches: be our guest. Everyone knows the old adage, "I may not agree with a word you say, but I'll defend to
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
