Romney Lashes McCain Over Washington Record
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Two days before the critical Florida primary, Mitt Romney sought to strike Sunday at one of the central tenets of GOP rival Sen. John McCain's candidacy: leadership.
"[I]f he has been a leader, where has it led us?" Romney said. "Senator McCain has been in the Senate for the last 20 years. ... Look at his legislation. McCain-Feingold: That hurt our First Amendment rights. McCain-Kennedy: That was granting amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens."
Romney's harsh words, on CNN's "Late Edition," came after McCain criticized the former Massachusetts governor for failing to support President Bush's military strategy in Iraq. Romney has said he supported the "surge" strategy and demanded an apology, but McCain repeated the assertion this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"Governor Romney obviously said there had to be timetables, though they had to be secret, because we weren't going to tell the enemy when we were leaving," McCain said. "If we had done that ... we would have lost that surge and al-Qaeda would be celebrating a victory."
To emphasize the point, McCain held up a white card purporting to carry a quotation from Romney.
McCain quoted Romney as follows: "Well, there's no question that the president and Prime Minister [Nouri] al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about, but they shouldn't be available for public pronouncement."
"He's equivocated on it," McCain said, speaking of Romney. At a September debate, McCain noted, Romney said the surge was "apparently working."
Romney called McCain's statements "dishonest. ... He desperately is trying to change the subject, because he does not understand the economy."
McCain received an assist in targeting Romney from a third GOP candidate, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
"The reason that I'm aware of Mitt Romney's statement about the secret timetable is because that was originally proposed by a senator from my state, Senator Mark Pryor," Huckabee said on "Fox News Sunday." "And there are published reports that I've witnessed and seen, more than one, in which Mitt Romney did, in fact, talk about support for not a public timetable but a secret timetable."
All four leading GOP candidates addressed their chances in Florida, whose primary Tuesday is the first in which all the candidates are playing competitively for support. McCain picked up two big Republican endorsements in the past few days - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez - which may prove helpful in bolstering his bona fides among the party faithful.
Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who has spent weeks in Florida, said he was "surprised by" Crist's endorsement but noted that he has received numerous endorsements throughout the state, and that he has received the support of Florida attorney general Bill McCollum.
"We all have different endorsements, but in the long run, it's getting your message to the people of Florida. That's the most important thing," Giuliani said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
McCain was also recently endorsed by his hometown newspaper the New York Times, but he said he was not surprised by the snub.
As mayor, he said, "The Times opposed most of my initiatives. They saw them differently than I did. So I was not at all surprised by their lack of an endorsement or their endorsement."
For his part, Romney belittled McCain's endorsements, saying, "I know that the political establishment is going to try and pull for John McCain, but I expect that I'm going to get the support of the people."
McCain said he was proud to have Crist's endorsement and noted that - whatever happens in Florida - he appears to be leading in many of the more than 20 states that will vote Feb. 5.
On NBC, host Tim Russert revisited a quote of McCain's that the newsman cited at a GOP debate last Thursday: "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military or foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
At the debate, McCain told Russert that he doesn't know where that quote came from and that he's "very well versed in economics."
On "Meet the Press," McCain admitted he said the quote but refined the meaning.
Citing his long experience, "of course I know more about national security than any other issue," McCain said. But he noted he was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and has the backing of "real strong economic minds" such as Jack Kemp and Warren Rudman.
McCain acknowledged that the immigration legislation he has sponsored in the Senate -- combining border enforcement with a process for legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants in the country -- is "dead as it is written."
As president, he would still sign such a bill, but first it would have to involve "securing the borders first and articulating those principles."
Another carryover from the debate was Huckabee's assertion that Saddam Hussein may have had an active program to develop weapons of mass destruction at the start of the Iraq war.
"I don't have any evidence," Huckabee said. "But he was the one who announced openly that he did have weapons of mass destruction. He was also the one who had used similar weapons in the past."
Clinton Cites 'Difficult Choices' in Democratic Endorsements
The morning after losing South Carolina's Democratic primary by a 2-to-1 margin to Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said she and her rival are now even, each winning a primary and caucus.
Defending herself against accusations that she is divisive, she said she believes "strongly in finding common ground. ... But I also believe in standing our ground against some of the very poorly thought-out and ill-conceived policies and ideas that we've had to fight against for the last 15 years."
Clinton was asked on CBS about the endorsement of Obama by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the former president, in today's New York Times. Kennedy compared Obama to her father.
"I really appreciate the difficult choices people are making. There have been a lot of difficult choices on both sides. You know, when Congressman John Lewis endorsed me, I know that that was considered difficult for people in Senator Obama's camp," Clinton said.
(Caroline Kennedy's uncle Edward is set to endorse Obama on Monday, campaign sources have told The Post's Shailagh Murray.)
Clinton also said that she would fly to Florida on Tuesday, after the state's primary, "to be part of what they have tried to do, to make sure their voices are heard."
She is leading in Florida polls, but the state party was stripped of its national convention delegates for moving up its primary in violation of Democratic National Committee rules. Clinton has been advocating for the delegates, and those in Michigan who face a similar ban, to be credentialed.
Obama, meanwhile, brushed aside comparisons former president Bill Clinton made between his victory and those of Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988.
"I think that that's his frame of reference," Obama said on ABC's "This Week." "That's when, you know, he was active and involved and watching what was going to take place in South Carolina. I think that a lot of South Carolinians looked at it through a different lens."
Obama lashed out against the Clintons playing "a certain brand of politics that we've become accustomed to, and that the Republican Party had perfected and was often directed against the Clintons, but that all of us had become complicit in: where we basically think anything is fair game."
Treasury Secretary Warns Senators About Stimulus Package
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. warned that it is important for the Senate to keep any economic stimulus package "simple" and not to load it up with extraneous spending to retain the support of President Bush.
"Complexity is our enemy right here," Paulson said on Fox. "Once you start adding things, it's a slippery slope, and the process could quickly bog down and screech to a stop here."
By Post Editor |
January 27, 2008; 2:34 PM ET
Previous: Giuliani Shifts Emphasis From Security to Economy |
Next: Closing Arguments Before Super Tuesday
Posted by: Barrack's Victory | January 27, 2008 2:55 PM
He says he wants interest rates to be ZERO out of complete ignorance for how interest rates affect the economy. I'd like to see him say that to retirees on a fixed income.
Posted by: Linda | January 27, 2008 2:55 PM
McCain says he wants interest rates to be ZERO out of complete ignorance for how interest rates affect the economy. I'd like to see him say that to retirees on a fixed income.
Posted by: Linda | January 27, 2008 2:56 PM
Linda makes a great point, which I get to at the end of this post.
McCain may take FL, or perhaps Romney, however what if Ron Paul came in third ahead of Giullani and Huckabee? Or even in fourth? Would people (main stream) finally start to see that the candidate for president is right in front of us?
The most of the media ignores Ron Paul, when in fact he IS winning the web race (both hits on his web page and Google searches) and wins poll after poll online.
See:
Web Hit Race Republicans:
http://ronpaul.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=39
And, this is quite interesting- Ron Paul ***does*** understand our economy and will do something about it:
http://ronpaul.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=37
Posted by: David | January 27, 2008 3:17 PM
With Rasmussen polling showing Romney with a 6 point lead in Florida and Romney tied with McCain nationally, it looks like the constant media articles talking about a surging McCain was just the media trying to hype the candadate that shares the media's left leaning values. The actual voters are suging to the candadate that is more conservative, Mitt Romney.
Posted by: cbk | January 27, 2008 3:18 PM
i think we all want change. We need to come together and get those that represent us to make how we think count.
McCain should be Barrack's running mate. Our sides should come together, for the sake of our nation. Truely, there is a need for the both of them. Why should we bow in the face of change. We should give them the chance to talk, to one another. The times we live in require the two sides to work togther. The politicians won't until we force them to, by expressing our political situation in real time, for all sides of the issue.
The benefit these two men share, what we all can gain by them representing power, is that they have something we all see and need now. "Difference" needs to work together. it is the nature of things.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 27, 2008 3:22 PM
McCain--Shouldn't Tell A Lie!
With the New York Times questioning the truthfulness of McCain's statement yesterday and the media finding that McCain took a similar position, it looks like McCain has been caught in his own trap. Voters don't do well with dishonesty. The "Straight Talk Express" has just run out of gas!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu-tg1kQ8dk&eurl=http://race 42008.com/
With Obama winning last night by a big margin it would appear that the Democrats will be electing a youthful candidate who is a proponent of change. Obama is articulate. Contrast this with McCain. McCain will probably fall asleep during the future debates and will not remember what his name is! The only hope for the Republicans is Romney!
Posted by: Dr. Greggory DeVore | January 27, 2008 3:33 PM
Did anyone see Obama as a bartender in this video:
Posted by: Rick | January 27, 2008 3:39 PM
About eight years ago, when jobs first started going offshore, Allan Greenspan stated "it's going to be a lot of pain for a lot of people." Someone else stated, about eight years ago, that interest rates may have to be zero in order to help offshoring. It's not a brand new idea from McCain.
Posted by: Kay | January 27, 2008 3:48 PM
Mitt Romney? You mean this guy?
www.trueromney.com
That doesn't even address his links to bona-fide child torture, namely Robert Litchfield (his ex-campaign finance guy) and Mel Sembler (his CURRENT campaign finance guy).
The man is sick beyond belief and will say anything he can to get elected.
Can the GOP really be dumb enough to make this guy their candidate?
Posted by: Slicer | January 27, 2008 3:53 PM
I personally want someone who has a strong record in the economy and that person is Mitt Romney!!!
Posted by: cuypers1800 | January 27, 2008 4:00 PM
I don't think Romney or McCain understand the economy! You can't have a healthy economy when you are printing off money and borrowing from China to finance a war. The war in Iraq is directly related to our sagging economy. Stop shedding American blood, bring our troops home, secure the borders and create a strong homeland defense. Ron Paul has the right economic plan for America. VOTE RON PAUL!
Posted by: Fl voter | January 27, 2008 4:01 PM
Thank you, Dr. Dean, for destroying any chance of the Democratic Party regaining the majority in the Florida House and Senate in 2008 and for alienating loyal Democratic Party workers. We need a DNC chairman that will, first, do no harm.
Posted by: rkbeach | January 27, 2008 4:18 PM
How on earth can they exchange barbs?
They both belong to the Republican Party.
Today, that means they both believe in warmongering and profits from the arms trade.
That makes them identical - there is simply nothing to fight about.
Posted by: wardropper | January 27, 2008 4:18 PM
America, it's time to wake up,don't believe in the MEDIA HORSE MANURE,pertaining to the candidates that they want US to support.Let's take a look at what Bill Clinton tried to accomplish this past week in SC,distortions a hidden agenda, smoke and mirrors,same old political finger pointing,intimidations and threats.How quickly we forgot,of the embarassment and added expense that he cost us for LEGAL FEES and wasted time of Congress and SENATE during his impeachment hearings.IN ADDITION, let's not forget he is employed by the ARAB EMERTIS country,does he really have or did ever have our interests at heart??Next question,do we all think that HILLARY really will be running our government?As for John McCain,refering to his segment in IRAQ when he was questioned by TOM WALLACE about his remarks to AMERICA that the surge was working, he quickly stated that he mis-spoke!! He had mis-spoke then and probably will mis-speak again!!!On 1/26/08 on ZERO INTEREST RATES he states will cure our financial woes,first he denied the statement than he spun his meaning,another mis-speak!!!! Do we really want the same representation as we HAVE now in WASHINGTON???
Posted by: RP | January 27, 2008 4:26 PM
I read an article the other day that listed all of the qualifications that Republicans have been longing for in a Leader and then pointed out one by one how Mitt Romney fit that description. By the way, being a good Mormon, is a plus, which anyone who knows anything about them realizes.
I have felt that McCain would be my second choice, until these last few days he has resorted to lying knowingly. He could not even look the camera in the "eye". There were three obvious blatant lies he promoted these last few days. Shame on him. Huckabee, you should not get on a bandwagon powered by lies.
Posted by: Verl Doman | January 27, 2008 4:51 PM
Ron Paul? internet polls?? it is obvious that people that live behind closed doors like him. As for McCain against Romney, well McCain wants security and romney wants enconomics, well if we have another attack on the US it will greatly affect the economy and then what?? it appears that Romney seams to be democrat in disguise, the fact that people now know about a private deadline will surely assure the terrorists to wait out the storm. as for Romney saying that Mccain is part of the problem in washington, well so is he.
If this information is incorrect or if you can challenge this please feel free to comment
thank you
Posted by: Anthony | January 27, 2008 4:56 PM
Interest rates ZERO!-
"Your money for nothing and your chicks for free?" (Please watch video at the end or bottom of this article.)
http://ronpaul.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=37
Posted by: David | January 27, 2008 5:00 PM
Anthony,
Since when is Romney from "Washington"?
He is governor of Mass.
I am growning weary of McCain.
He has been in Washington for 28 years and hasn't done chit. The fact that the NY Times endorses McCain tells you all you need to know. That is the most liberal paper in the country.
Is McCain a hero? Yes
But who said heros make great presidents?
I want someone with some brains.
Go Romney!
BTW, If I hear one more person comment on Romney's looks, I will freak out.
Is America THAT SHALLOW to vote for someone based off of looks! Grow UP!
Posted by: tuna | January 27, 2008 5:19 PM
Ask the Japanese how those Zero interest rates worked out over the last decade or so. Can you say contraction? I think you can.
BB
Posted by: Fairlington Blade | January 27, 2008 5:19 PM
Actually, Romney's pretty decent looking.
Tuna--permission given to start freaking out.
BB
Posted by: Fairlington Blade | January 27, 2008 5:20 PM
Good one Blade!
Posted by: tuna | January 27, 2008 5:23 PM
McNut,s reasons for Amnesty
McCain's God,s Children Argument!
Then there is they are all God,s children argument(Another McCain favor) well isn't everyone God,s children? If so then guess McCain is saying everyone and anyone has the right to Invade this Nation, waving their flags, demand their rights, while feasting at the trough of public welfare and Kill, Rape and Rob thousands of American citizens each year!
McCain's Lettuce Argument!
There's the "lettuce" argument -- we'll be paying $50/head (or starving)( McCain really likes this argument) if we don't have illegal aliens working in the fields. As Phil Martin, ag economist at UC Davis shows, the field labor cost in a $1 head of lettuce is about 6 cents. Triple those wages and Americans will do the jobs. (They're not career positions. They're seasonal jobs for young people, starting in the world of work. I have did similarly menial jobs.) And you'll be paying 10% more for lettuce and other produce. Do you spend $1,000/year on produce? OK, you'll pay $100 more.
The lettuce argument also parallels that for the retention of slavery.
Immigrant Argument!
There's the "everyone's an immigrant except for the 'Native Americans'" argument. Well, the American Indians didn't sprout from the land, they came across the Bering land bridge from Asia. So if the criterion is "You're an immigrant if you had an ancestor who immigrated here," then American Indians are immigrants, too.
In that case, "immigrant" is no longer a useful word, since Everyone's an immigrant.
Stole Southwest Argument!
There's the "the U.S. stole the southwest" argument. Well, the land in dispute was "owned" by Spain for a couple of centuries. Then by Mexico for about 25 years. During these periods, there weren't more than a few thousand Spaniards or Mexicans in the entire territory. It's been owned by the U.S. for about 160 years now, much longer than Mexico's reign. And the U.S. has actually done something with the land, made it habitable for tens of millions. As Robert Kaplan has described, the difference between American and Mexican "twin cities" straddling the border is like night and day, yet the land is obviously the same. It's not the dirt that's important, it's the people. Put another way, if culture didn't matter, Mexico and Central America would be paradise.
Illegal pay taxes Argument!
There's the "illegal aliens pay tons of taxes" argument. Sure, they all pay real estate taxes (in rent) and sales taxes (most states). Those working on the books (typically using stolen Social Security numbers) pay FICA and, perhaps, income taxes. But they're mostly ill-educated and low-skilled and pay very low taxes connected to their working -- in fact, most claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, i.e. negative income tax! If a family with both parents working has two kids in school, that's at least $15k/year just for schooling, way more than the taxes on, say, $35k/year aggregate income.
Robert Rector at the Heritage Foundation has done the systematic accounting on all this. A typical household headed by a low-skilled illegal alien is a net drain of about $20k/year for the rest of us, year after year. (Low-skilled Americans are a similar burden, but they're part of the national family, not gate crashers from other societies.)
Illegal Bad..Amnesty good Argument!
There's the "illegal immigration is bad, but make them citizens and problem solved" argument. Nope. If that were the case, legalizing (i.e. amnestying) the illegal aliens would solve the problem. But they'd still be (on average) low-skilled workers whose burden on the rest of us would continue. In fact, once legal they'd be able to access more public benefits programs, so their cost to the rest of us would actually rise substantially. In short, most of the problems of mass illegal immigration are shared by mass amnestying them.
Finally, I offer my distilled observations of what mass immigration is doing to our country based on living in southern California
The flood of immigrants drives wages and living conditions in our central cities toward those of the Third World.
- The influx imposes both sprawl and gridlock on our metropolitan areas.
- Immigrant families needing services overwhelm our schools, taxpayer-funded health care facilities, and other public agencies.
- Those requiring services don't assimilate and, instead, expect to be served in their native languages.
- American civic culture frays as each ethnic group establishes its own grievance lobby and pushes for preferences.
- Communicable diseases such as tuberculosis (new, drug-resistant strains) return.
- Shortages of water and other resources loom, especially in immigration-blitzed Southwest.
Most that come across our open borders come from countries where, Crime, Corruption, Poverty, Misery, Anti-education, and hate for Americans has existed for centuries and is normal. Should anyone be surprised they bring those same family values across the border with them?
Posted by: joe | January 27, 2008 5:28 PM
McCain should be Barrack's running mate. Our sides should come together, for the sake of our nation.
I appreciate this commenter's desire for national unity, but as for his request no thanks.
Philanderer, defendant in the Keating Five, flip-flopper on taxes, immigration, a candidate in favor of INCREASING our involvement in Iraq,John McCain epitomizes the double talk and inconstancy that gives politics such a poor reputation.
He is a Republican and a conservative and they can keep him. They have cherished and supported him for decades. They deserve him.
Posted by: pach12 | January 27, 2008 6:18 PM
Joe -
Have you ever been to Latin America? Dump the they all hate us lies and deal with reality. It's economic migration. Just like the Italians, Germans, Irish, Chinese, Koreans, and many many others. Your attempt at race baiting is contemptible.
BB
Posted by: Fairlington Blade | January 27, 2008 6:20 PM
It's about time someone started pointing out how ineffective McCain has been as far as pursuieng a conservative agenda in the senate. If I hear McCain complain about the bridge to nowhere one more time I'm going to puke. Didn't that bridge get approved? Why brag about opposing something that was approved? It obviously means you were incapable of stopping it. I don't want to hear about things Mccain opposed that got funded anyway. If McCain's heart wasn't set on amnesty, campaign finance reform, opposing the Bush tax cuts, etc., perhaps some of that pork would have failed to be approved. Romney is right. McCain has been there the whole time spending was running away.
Posted by: Forrest in Norcal | January 27, 2008 6:38 PM
McCain is clearly trying to shift attention away from his lack of economic experience and understanding. What happened to the straight talk?? McCain is a typical Washington legislator. All talk, not much truth. Huckabee is McCain's gay paige! He'll say anything to be in bed with McCain!!
Posted by: Spencer | January 27, 2008 6:42 PM
I used to respect McCain, but now after seeing his true character emerge I would vote for anyone of either party over him. I'm also sick of trying to determine where McCain ends and Huckabee begins.
Posted by: DCWill | January 27, 2008 6:45 PM
RP: you are wrong in your bashing of president Clinton he didn't cost us in legal fee's it was the rotten republican's who impeached him over nothing. You holy than thou Clinton haters make me sick. Bill Clinton was one of our best president's but you right wingers give him credit for nothing. You never had it so good as when Clinton was president. Compared to this disaster that was appointed by an illegal Supreme Court Clinton was a Knight in shineing armor.
Posted by: clyde | January 27, 2008 6:47 PM
We have an arrogant, incompetent, illiterate, and inept fool in the White House, a demoralized and decimated military, plundered treasury, trashed world standing, trampled rule of Law and Constitution. While the nation is sinking under debt and the market is in a free fall while an tidal wave of Uneducated Illegal Aliens are waving the Mexican flag, demanding their rights, while sucking at the trough of Public Welfare, as they Kill, Rob, and Rape thousands of American Citizens each year. While most of the Candidates are pandering for the Latino vote by implying or promising Amnesty!
We as a nation can survive fools in our White House. What we CANNOT survive is fools both in our Congress and white house like Bush, McCain, Hillary, Obama, etc. Each promising a new American, rebuilding the middle class and taking care of the poor. But what they refuse to acknowledge or recognize is no single Nation or people is rich enough to lift the 100,s of millions of poor out of poverty. In others words American & American taxpayers cannot bear the cost of becoming the welfare state for Mexico and Latin American. To attempt to do so will only reduce all Americans to poverty equaling what the uneducated invaders are fleeing from in their home countries. The poor and criminals pouring across our Borders have an average of an six grade education. Each person with less than a high education is a net cost of 20k per year for American taxpayers. So the displaced compassion, flawed logic, or just pandering for votes, endorsed by Edwards, Obama, McCain, Hillary . is deeply flawed. Failure to close our border or to give Amnesty to the 12 to 30 millions of Illegal Aliens in this country will in the long run, with the Chain Immigration result in adding 100 to 160 millions poor citizens to our welfare rolls. Their high school drop out rates exceed 50 percent with a high crime rate and a very high illegitimate birth rate, this is very combination that keeps Mexico & Latin American a cesspool of crime, corruption, poverty & misery!
Maybe the results is what the multinational companies and the rich dream of, a Nation full of poor docile labors like China, India, Mexico, but I do not believe it is the future most Americans aspire to for their children and grand children!
In all, my country, a potential benefactor and beacon for all the world - is headed right off a cliff and to an third world status!
In my view - - this has all come to pass because the Politicians, the elected and sworn stewards of this country, both Republicans & Democrats have allowed it to happen. Surely they should have known better when they build bridges to nowhere, when they wasted 100,s of billion in pork and sold their votes to the highest bidder....when they refused to abide by the Constitution against invasion or enforce the very laws they passed, they have disgraced and dishonored their oath of office and brought shame upon our Nation. One way this Nation can start to recover is for the lot of them to be gone from those hallowed halls of Congress and the White House, because most of them have become a house of party-bound Prostitutes paid by the special interests, swirling and partying, amidst the rubble of their own malfeasance - taking this Nation right down in the gutter with them.
If the Politicians with the Citizens support, decide they must do more for the worlds poor then they must find a way like an Marshall plan for Latin American. What they must not be allowed to do, though flawed logic, false compassion, or by criminal intent is to turn this Nation into a Cesspool of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, and Misery by continuing the open borders policy and Amnesty for the millions of uneducated peons pouring across our borders.
As a proud and concerned American that proudly served my Country in time of War as did my Father, my two brothers and my son. I am appalled and very angry at what self severing, stupid/corrupt politicians have done to my country!
Posted by: matt | January 27, 2008 6:50 PM
We've just suffered seven years under Harvard MBA Bush. And Harvard MBA Romney is going to rescue the economy????
Posted by: Jack | January 27, 2008 7:28 PM
McCain showed in the last debate that he can lie to the entire nation without any qualms, saying that he did not know where Tim Russert was getting a quote attributed to McCain, and McCain knew full well he had said those words. And he expects us to trust him as president? We do not need another Bush in the White House.
This is just the latest in a long series of moral lapses and ethical deficiencies coming from McCain. Remember the Keating-5, in which McCain took a bribe to help cover up the defrauding of the american public via the savings and loan scandal. McCain has clearly proven he cannot be trusted with power, with the blatant abuse of power in the Keating-5 alone. He should not be allowed anywhere near the White House--we cannot afford a Bush II administration. Plus, McCain is an adulterer, a clear lack of moral judgment in this also.
Romney has shown to have much more personal integrity, and is much more morally sound than McCain. Hillary is in the same establishment mode as McCain. Romney is by far the best candidate running for president.
Posted by: jj | January 27, 2008 7:55 PM
McCain will lie for politics. I used to think McCain was a patriot and a "straight talker". He has destroyed that image now.
It is obvious that Romney was saying he did not support a deadline for withdrawal and in fact said he'd veto. McCain is using a quote COMPLETELY out of context.
Here's the full quote:
("Good Morning America," April 3, 2007).
QUESTION: Iraq. John McCain is there in Baghdad right now. You have also been very vocal in supporting the president and the troop surge. Yet, the American public has lost faith in this war. Do you believe that there should be a timetable in withdrawing the troops?
MR. ROMNEY: Well, there's no question but that -- the president and Prime Minister al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about. But those shouldn't be for public pronouncement. You don't want the enemy to understand how long they have to wait in the weeds until you're going to be gone. You want to have a series of things you want to see accomplished in terms of the strength of the Iraqi military and the Iraqi police, and the leadership of the Iraqi government.
QUESTION: So, private. You wouldn't do it publicly? Because the president has said flat out that he will veto anything the Congress passes about a timetable for troop withdrawals. As president, would you do the same?
MR. ROMNEY: Well, of course. Can you imagine a setting where during the Second World War we said to the Germans, gee, if we haven't reached the Rhine by this date, why, we'll go home, or if we haven't gotten this accomplished we'll pull up and leave? You don't publish that to your enemy, or they just simply lie in wait until that time. So, of course, you have to work together to create timetables and milestones, but you don't do that with the opposition.
Posted by: Mike | January 27, 2008 7:55 PM
I live in Florida and would'nt vote for any of those a**hole republicans.
Posted by: Mike Morgan | January 27, 2008 8:14 PM
The best way to derail McCain's campaign is to use the derisive chant "four more years" at his every rally.
Posted by: George | January 27, 2008 8:28 PM
It makes sense that McCain and Lieberman are campaigning together in FL. They are currently sponsoring legislation together to tax energy so that if passed would add about 36 cents to a gallon of gas. Electricity costs would go up as well. Click below to read the letter the EPA sent him in July 2007 regarding his ill advised plan to tax energy into oblivion. Here's a just a part of the EPA's letter re how this tax would devastate our economy:
"The present value of the cumulative reduction in real GDP for the 2012-2030 period ranges from $660 billion to $2.1 trillion...the cumulative reduction in the present value of real GDP for the 2012-2050 period ranges from about $1.6 trillion to $5.2 trillion."
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjA0NDgzNjBlYTQ3YWZlZDFlYWZiOTFhNTRlZTM5YzU=
Remember that John McCain wanted to grant Z-visas to illegal immigrants, which in essence, lets them stay here forever. And that included MS13 gang members, all they had to do to stay was sign a peiece of paper saying they renounced their gang affiliation. I read the legislation, it was right there in black and white, buried but right there in the bill if you looked long enough. McCain and Kennedy (one of the most liberal democrats) agreed on everything in the bill.
Don't forget McCain-Feingold, either, which chills your free speech. 60 days before an election, you and I as private citizens can't run an ad mentioning a candidate's name, but big dirty money can contribute to the candidate's campaign. McCain agreed with liberal democrat Feingold on that legislation.
Also, John McCain headed up the gang of 14 so that supreme court nominations could not be decided according to the constitution. Again, John McCain does anything in his power to keep those ALREADY in power, to STAY inpower.
McCain stated that he would have considered being John Kerry's VP in 2004, and has several discussions with the Democratic National Party about becoming a democrat. McCain is a war hero, that is true, and he deserves our thanks and respect for his service to our country. But that doesn't make him deserve the presidency. McCain is essentially a democrat who is pro-life and a war hero.
His latest lie ("straight talk", what a joke!) where he takes what Romney said out of context regarding Iraq is a desperate plea by a desperate man. IN EVERY VOTE SO FAR, IT WAS DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS WHO WON THE PRIMARY FOR MCCAIN! He lost amongst Republicans in EVERY SINGLE primary so far.
Big media WANTS McCain to win because big media is owned by big biz who wants the illegal immigrants to continue to be treated like slaves. Big biz wants illegal immigration to continue to risk their lives crossing the border to exploit the illegals and push down our wages. And they treat the illegals so badly! Instead of providing the benefits these workers deserve, taxpayers pay them via free medical care at hospitals which we (the taxpayer) then have to pay for in our increased medical premiums, as well as exorbitant costs in welfare increases. Same old game, and who loses, who pays for all of this? The taxpayer of course. Wake up, people! Follow the money trail.
If Romney wins, the game is OVER for the porkers and lobbyists stealing out of your pocket. Think about it: Romney is so devout he doesn't drink coffee, my goodness the man doesn't even cuss. He cannot be bought, and the Washington establishment is TERRIFIED that he will win and start vetoing all the dirty games played by those in power.
Vote like the future of your country depends on it...this election, more than any other, it does.
Posted by: MJ | January 27, 2008 8:37 PM
JJ is right. McCain, in accusing Romney of having demanded a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq before the surge, is stooping to blatant lies on the eve of the Florida primary in an effort to konck Romney out of contention. McCain is behaving just like Bill Clinton, who has no qualms about distorting his and Hillary's own shifting record, while accusing Obama of changing positions on Iraq. McCain is, charitably speaking, a loose cannon. Not someone I would trust with the ability to launch a nuclear strike.
Now that Fred Thompson is out, anyone who cares about truth in this election has just one choice on the Republican side: Romney or Giuliani. (Well, I forgot Ron Paul; I was talking in terms of candidates who might have a chance of winning something.)
Posted by: Richard Bassett | January 27, 2008 9:14 PM
This country is struggling to avoid what could become one of the most severe recessions it has ever seen and Florida is on the front lines, economically.
Florida Republicans want to know what McCain plans to do about it besides promote needless, ineffective environmental regulations that impose more compliance costs on business.
And McCain wants to change the subject.
He's like an inept FEMA bureaucrat who refuses to respond appropriately to warnings about the severity of an approaching hurricane.
Posted by: WakeWashington | January 27, 2008 9:30 PM
If the New York Times, arguably one of the most liberal presses in mainstream USA, endorses McCain....that's the clue that repbulicans should not.
Never take advice from your political enemies.
Posted by: Doug in Florida | January 27, 2008 9:47 PM
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/as_bain_slashed_jobs_romney_stayed_to_side/
Go there and see how Willard made millions. I guess he could do this for all of us. GO Mitt!! Right put us all out of work.
Posted by: Peter from Dover NH | January 27, 2008 11:04 PM
Willard AKA Mitt's statement about the timetable is doublespeak. We need a timetable but keep is secret. That way he can say he supported a timetable and didn't. Who in their right mind would think it's possible to have that secret? Even considering a timetable is a losing war strategy that will lead to surrender.
This is just another Mittism like his answer in the debate about catastrophic insurance. He said he supported a national program but not if someone in Iowa pays for a loss in FL. Is he serious? This is another one where he flips mid-sentence so he supports it and doesn't at the same time.
Americans are tired of this dishonesty. This is not a conservative or republican value. Mitt is loose with the truth, wants to be on every side of every issue, and says whatever he needs to get elected. This is his track record all the way back to 1994. If he is the nominee he will be torn to shreds with his own words and record.
Oh, and for those swayed by fake testimonials... I used to support Mitt, I really like his hair, he looks so Presidential, and he says things that make me feel good, maybe he will tell us all how to make money like he did. But this last reminder (Timetable) that he wants to surrender really has me switching to McCain. He is the only one who can lead us from day one as Commander is Chief.
Go Johnny Go...
Posted by: Peter from Dover NH | January 27, 2008 11:05 PM
Peter,
You're no Republican.
What has McCain accomplished in the last 25 years?
All you have to do to fluster McCain is say "immigration". lol
Posted by: tuna | January 27, 2008 11:09 PM
A people that allows to let happen a thing like 9/11 is definitely in deep trouble. Now 7 years later your problems of that time are not solved, no the got worse in spite of all the killin and torture you committed. Because of this so called Christian behavior, you lost a lot of money and gained a lot of agony worldwide. Now, that we see your real Yankee faces, we feel ashamed of being allies. It is right that justice takes its path and don't let you come even near to a leadership in this battered and slumped America in spite of the measures taken by the Bush-gang like trampling the American constitution and its amendments. With a change in the white house, several hundred thousand officials need to be indicted in order to get America back on track, if ever it will gets back on track, which I doubt. Because America floats on oil. No oil, no America. With the use of every 9 barrels of oil only 1 new one is discovered. That means that in the foreseeable future oil will run out, which means that America will stop existing in the way it does exist now. There is no reason to believe that any GOP candidate will be able to give direction to a disintegrating running out of oil country like America is now. So new blood is badly needed to give 700 million people a lead to some sort of hope and future in a beautiful country like America. I just described the reasons why you're quarreling over Iraq and why you're about to lose the presidential race.
Posted by: jwh | January 27, 2008 11:42 PM
Mitt Romney can not be trusted. He will say anything and pay anything to win. Just look at the debate, Romney cheated. Do you want someone dishonest and deceptive as our president? Don't believe me? Look at these 3 videos of the Florida debate and tell me Romney did not cheat. There is no denying it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlIMQ31EjY
Posted by: SabreHawk | January 27, 2008 11:56 PM
"I'm not naïve about politics, and I understand that at times politicians feel they have to adjust or change their positions to be successful. But it's completely reprehensible for them to do so with respect to a fundamental moral issue. Either these men never believed in their earlier stated moral position, or their lust for high office overpowered their moral convictions. In either case, their conduct is deceitful. And their attempt to besmirch those with whom they once stood as "anti-choice extremists" is cynical beyond description."
That is a quote from Sean Hannity. Now all of a sudden it does not apply to Mitt? Please!
Mitt's idea of change is to fire all the workers and sell the company. Read this one. Vote for Willard and kiss your job goodbye.
Posted by: peterfromnh | January 28, 2008 12:54 PM
McCain Considers Setting Benchmarks for Iraqis
Posted by: jwarren | January 29, 2008 3:11 AM
Well, well, what do we see ? All important liemericans together. Anything to explain about building 7 ladies and gentlemen ? Anything to say about using 9 barrels and finding only 1 new barrel ? Keepin up the good news then, cheerio. I whish PRESIDENT OBAMA a lot of wisdom.
Posted by: jwholtkamp | January 30, 2008 7:08 AM
Really can't believe the child torturer has paid shills trolling the Washington Post.
Go check out Reason's "Romney, Torture and Teens" by Maia Svalavitz. It'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 30, 2008 8:19 PM
Really can't believe the child torturer has paid shills trolling the Washington Post.
Go check out Reason's "Romney, Torture and Teens" by Maia Svalavitz. It'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.
Posted by: Anon | January 30, 2008 8:20 PM
Did McCain mischaracterize Romney's remarks regarding Iraq "timetable" & "milestone"?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1665
.
Posted by: Paul | January 31, 2008 1:22 PM
McCain is right about legalizing illegals, but has the wrong form of punishment. The only qualified entity to vest illegals is the FBI which would have to be expanded to document the illegals. With 12 million illegal aliens in this country, how hard is it for the heroin selling Taliban to send agents in with the drug runners? The FBI should be expanded to vest the illegals for a 10 year photo-id work permit. The penalty for being here illegally is a lifetime citizenship ban (not their children), and a fine of their and employer social security payments. Any IDed illegal found working for less than min. wage gets deported. The national guard should be brought home to guard the southern border with Mexico.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 1, 2008 4:45 PM
They will all be puppet for the Rothschilds. Until we understand who the enemy is, Rothschild's than America will fail. The BAnker's hand pick our Presdients and make our policies and use the military like their poersonal security guards. Look up "secret rulers", wake up sheeple before it is to late. Time to prosecute the war criminals and fraudulant bankers
Posted by: bank on it | February 2, 2008 12:24 PM
Sounds like a multiple choice question to me.
(don't mind my black humor. It helps to maintain some sanity amid a governmental psychosis)
U.S. Troops Asked If They Would Shoot American Citizens
Iraq vet exposes how he was trained to round up Americans in martial law exercise, asked if he would kill his own friends and family
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Monday, February 4th, 2008
U.S. troops are being trained to conduct round-ups, confiscate guns and shoot American citizens, including their own friends and family members, as part of a long-standing program to prepare for the declaration of martial law, according to a soldier who recently returned from Iraq.
We received an e mail from "Scott", a member of a pipefitters union that runs an apprenticeship program called Helmets To Hard Hats, which according to its website, "Is a national program that connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career training and employment opportunities within the construction industry."
Scott writes that his company hired a soldier who had recently returned from Iraq, who told him that U.S. troops were being quizzed on whether or not they would be prepared to shoot their own friends and family members during a national state of emergency in America.
(Article continues below)
"I have become very close to this young man and have gained his respect and trust," writes Scott. "I want you to know that he informed me about one particular training exercise his superiors made them perform. It was concerning the rounding up of American citizens that disobey any type of martial law or in other words any type of infringement on our freedoms."
"He was asked if he could shoot his friends or family members if ordered to do so. At the time he said he could," writes Scott.
Scott says that the soldier later "had time to clear his head" and realize the truth, recanting his vow to kill his own countrymen if ordered to do so.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRISON PLANET.TV NEW YEARS SPECIAL - IT'S BACK!
Subscribe today for just $39.95 and get the equivalent of 5 months free!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The issue of whether U.S. troops would be prepared to round-up, disarm and if necessary shoot Americans who disobeyed orders during a state of martial law is a question that military chiefs have been attempting to answer for at least 15 years.
Its known origins can be traced back to an October 1994 Marine questionnaire out of the Twentynine Palms Marine Base in California. Recruits were asked 46 questions, including whether they would kill U.S. citizens who refused to surrender their firearms.
Documentary film maker Alex Jones brought to light similar training programs that were taking place across the country in the late 90's which revolved around U.S. Marines being trained to arrest American citizens and take them to internment camps.
During one such program in Oakland California, dubbed "Operation Urban Warrior," Marines refused to answer if they would target American citizens for gun confiscation if ordered to do so.
During hurricane Katrina, National Guard units were ordered to confiscate guns belonging to New Orleans residents.
As we first exposed in May 2006, Clergy Response Teams are being trained by the federal government and FEMA to "quell dissent" and pacify citizens to obey the government in the event of a declaration of martial law.
Pastors and other religious representatives are being taught to become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to "obey the government" in preparation for the implementation of martial law, property and firearm seizures, mass vaccination programs and forced relocation.
Many scoffed at our original story, which was based on the testimony of a whistleblower who was asked to participate in the program. Claims that the story was a conspiracy theory soon evaporated when a mainstream KSLA news report confirmed the existence of the program.
The experiences of U.S. troops in the worst areas of Iraq, where soldiers are ordered to go door to door and arrest all men of military age as well as confiscate their weapons, is a mere portend of what is being planned for America if these training programs ever come to fruition.
Posted by: Truth | February 4, 2008 11:17 PM
Useful site. Thanks!!!
blueline medic - stop doing the world a favour
Posted by: blueline medic - stop doing the world a favour | March 15, 2008 7:05 AM
Useful site. Thanks.
melissa tkautz - glamorous life d.o.n.s. remix
Posted by: melissa tkautz - glamorous life d.o.n.s. remix | March 16, 2008 6:46 PM
Useful site. Thanks!
ambassador 21 - the stones find aim remix by
Posted by: ambassador 21 - the stones find aim remix by | March 17, 2008 11:40 AM
wxnimjr jyhpqbn chumq nazmdsk ishkt lbixc tnzwfpeg
Posted by: chqxm okebainyj | April 6, 2008 8:06 AM
vucbrxnfw tgeoua qtihxnp boiugct bszykx rovsqetw bmigqndz http://www.frkjtan.unojfpcx.com
Posted by: ywzgckpi mbkg | April 6, 2008 8:07 AM
Useful site. Thank you!!!
missy elliott - 4 my people featuring eve
Posted by: missy elliott - 4 my people featuring eve | April 7, 2008 5:11 AM
Useful site. Thanks!
hot club de paris - everyeveryeverything
Posted by: hot club de paris - everyeveryeverything | April 9, 2008 2:23 AM
Useful site. Thanks!!!
beyond the sixth seal - nothing to prove
Posted by: beyond the sixth seal - nothing to prove | April 9, 2008 11:13 AM
Useful site. Thank you.
sugababes vs girls aloud - walk this way
Posted by: sugababes vs girls aloud - walk this way | April 10, 2008 3:30 AM
sozbhxi votmn ifjm
combination of propecia and rogaine
Posted by: combination of propecia and rogaine | May 11, 2008 5:06 PM
yuwplx
effexor xr
Posted by: effexor xr | August 15, 2008 8:12 PM
ihxdkn
efficacy levitra
Posted by: efficacy levitra | August 16, 2008 3:47 AM
ciuldjp sqwml
paxil help with weight loss
Posted by: paxil help with weight loss | August 16, 2008 7:14 AM
ytdjivp pvub pjlaqm
wellbutrin sr brupropion
Posted by: wellbutrin sr brupropion | August 16, 2008 4:24 PM
Posted by: lexapro controlled substance schedule | August 16, 2008 8:01 PM
lgfiv plwh ogmbi kenlws
lose weight stopping effexor
Posted by: lose weight stopping effexor | August 16, 2008 8:21 PM
ylqwv fxehu juywe
cymbalta side afects
Posted by: cymbalta side afects | August 16, 2008 9:21 PM
grdapx ojeb lbip
diet on lexapro
Posted by: diet on lexapro | August 17, 2008 1:00 AM
jcwybv vysb raqi
paxil withdrawl and retaking
Posted by: paxil withdrawl and retaking | August 17, 2008 1:09 AM
dlyc klbv tlnd
levitra testamonials
Posted by: levitra testamonials | August 17, 2008 4:09 AM
nvocx
liquid paxil
Posted by: liquid paxil | August 17, 2008 9:23 AM
nvocx
liquid paxil
Posted by: liquid paxil | August 17, 2008 9:23 AM
oibmpj vfgicz kzqugwa ndarx
does effexor have sexual side effects
Posted by: does effexor have sexual side effects | August 17, 2008 3:27 PM
oibmpj vfgicz kzqugwa ndarx
does effexor have sexual side effects
Posted by: does effexor have sexual side effects | August 17, 2008 3:27 PM
kpdja wqdtr uonzxv cled
paxil lawsuit canada
Posted by: paxil lawsuit canada | August 17, 2008 3:28 PM
amkq tjrmxuz draht xnsl
lexapro assistance
Posted by: lexapro assistance | August 17, 2008 4:00 PM
amkq tjrmxuz draht xnsl
lexapro assistance
Posted by: lexapro assistance | August 17, 2008 4:00 PM
Posted by: effects of celexa on pregnancy | August 18, 2008 5:10 AM
ikqzf azrehg mngta
atypical medications seroquel
Posted by: atypical medications seroquel | August 18, 2008 6:01 AM
mhswc
rogaine affects women
Posted by: rogaine affects women | August 18, 2008 9:38 AM
ugfc mrzovj cpoxwlv
lexapro 10mg tablets
Posted by: lexapro 10mg tablets | August 20, 2008 10:55 PM
mtuzgsh xrfhaoj wmozcfv
do celexa nabumetone mix
Posted by: do celexa nabumetone mix | August 21, 2008 1:46 AM
mzynb rshfxpj nock pjxgwkf
lexapro impaired ejaculation
Posted by: lexapro impaired ejaculation | August 21, 2008 2:26 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.

Senator Obama's stunning rout of the Clintons in South Carolina sent a clear message that people want to turn the page on a divisive, dysfunctional past. The Clinton machine will try to dismiss their beat down as a "black thing", when in reality they are shocked by the results.
Barrack embodies the inspirational leadership that so many Americans have been longing for. He gives people from every persuasion a reason to believe in a united America that is committed to the common good. Our nation has a unique and historic opportunity to renounce twenty years of bitter partisanship and unite around a President who will uplift the political debate and restore our nation's standing in the world.
-- Robert Luciano, Atlanta, GA