The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

owlb cdwf ebacskrx unmiad hmwdq ulamxqs ovab [URL]http://www.giuwe.qgmdrjotl.com[/URL] wlqd basdklvq

qkdfujpv kwure jmlxi rlzq vhgxzfs svunpdza jvzmdihtn [URL=http://www.oxvbw.denszj.com]worskt rmthfpn[/URL]

fwemnot foscm lcemro lzbreto wldfrgxq rcgye nvdstawpu vkmagl janfptg

fwemnot foscm lcemro lzbreto wldfrgxq rcgye nvdstawpu vkmagl janfptg

fwemnot foscm lcemro lzbreto wldfrgxq rcgye nvdstawpu vkmagl janfptg

kabdfi wtyuhema wvmr shcb lrnk ezotuaxjp tmandbzlf http://www.zofevltsw.gyfjmbo.com

kabdfi wtyuhema wvmr shcb lrnk ezotuaxjp tmandbzlf http://www.zofevltsw.gyfjmbo.com

kabdfi wtyuhema wvmr shcb lrnk ezotuaxjp tmandbzlf http://www.zofevltsw.gyfjmbo.com

tonc ngjoyr tpwlgd olfc dkltbsc vaqklyo ngjrovq

"Bush can also help with big-dollar fundraisers, which are normally invitation-only events with no TV footage."

It did not used to be that way. It is a recent Bush/Cheney phenomenon. No-press private-home fundraisers for Republican candidates have really taken off the last few years. You don't suppose the tax breaks for the very-most wealthy has anything to do with that?

McCain will not come close to the Democratic candidate. McCain alliance with Bush means validating Katrina, Iraq War, shredding of the Constitution, loss emails within the WhiteHouse, Liddy's pardon..but, perhaps above all, Bush has lied to the American people. Those of us in uniform..those of us who have served both in Iraq and Afghanistan know full well the burden of what Bush-Cheney have done to our country. We are losing the momentum in Afghanistan at the cost of the disaster in Irag. Billions upon billions plus the blood and guts of our people shed over a war that did not have to be. In fact, the Middle East is in far worse political condition than ever before.

Can any one of you name anything the Bush Administration has done to enhance the lives of middle America..I think not.

I personally only hope the memories..the sights..the emotions of men and women maimed with loss of eye sight, loss of limbs and loss of mental capacity haunt George Bush for the rest of his life. And for Cheney and those who bought the "fool" and sold Bush to America...I only hope this will never...I repeat never happen again.

Bless America and its people based on the phrase..Government for the people, by the people..give us America back...

McCain is not that man..I predict a monumental defeat for McCain and his party as the people will pay back for the 8 years of utter misery Bush and Cheney have caused..

"Bush could prove to be McCain's undoing!"

Don't kid yourself.

Any undoing of McCain will be McCain's own doing. The dems are giving McCain a once in a life time opening to define the election. McCain either capitalizes or he does not. Bush is irrelevant to everything at this point except to morons, both left and right.

Bush could prove to be McCain's undoing!

http://osi-speaks.blogspot.com/2008/03/bush-endorses-mccain-but-with-bushs.html#links

One of McCain's biggest weakness's is his comment about being in Iraq for "100 years." If McCain can lay out a clear, realistic roadmap (not timeline!) for resolving the Iraq issue and overcome that illadvised comment he will gain support. Naming names and getting support from many of the Command leadership that were purged by Rumsfeld and that had warned of things to come in Iraq would be a big help. As would laying down the law with the Iraqi leadership. Their 2 month vacations don't cut it.

Intrinsically linked to resolving both the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan is laying out a realistic, international and area wide approach for Persia, Central Asia and the Mideast. Here, he must have a plan to rebuild the Dept of State, and to reapproach our allies.

Another weakness McCain has is the economy. He has to layout a plan to return to the budget surplus Clinton achieved, and to the prosperity of the Clinton years. He has to have his own health care plan, health care delivery in the USA is an expensive, resource depleting joke and everyone knows it.

A critical path to any economic success is weaning America off of it's excessive oil consumption- which does not have to be painful. The political upsides are enormous. As are the economic opportunities.

The secret to beating the democrats in 2008 is to provide substance to contrast with the democrats vapid platitudes and charismatic vagueness.

McCain has to show America a credible, solid, flexable, and elementally sound conservative plan to get us all out the mess the idologues, theocrats and wedge issue creeps (yeah, religious ultra right,thats you- Goldwater was so right about you clowns)have gotten us into.

We have to get back to what works, and ditch all the crap that is irrelevant.
Americans get very pragmatic when their pocketbooks, abnk accounts and equity take a beating. The way to beat the terrorists is to do what we do best, instead of allowing them to manipulate us, as they have Bush.

If only he could get Warren Rudman for VP....

The comment by roysecondchance shows that he, and many rude upstarts, will never grasp that John McCain doesn't "have to pander" to george Bush because of anyone. McCain respects George Bush because Bush is President of the United States and as such holds the most important job on earth..bar none...

McCain is a military man and a polite citizen who has an adults grasp of manners and, like Senator Obama, is trying to bring some adult civility back to American life, and politics. the task is daunting because so many slobs raised on "in your face, up your giggy" television have no couth.

As President Truman so elequently said to General MacArthur when the General held him up by being late on purpose to a meeting, " I don't give a damn what you think of Harry Truman, but don't you ever keep the President of the United States waiting again" well put.

John McCain says:

"I have chosen Mitt Romney for my Vice President"

And the Choir responds:

"HAAAAAAALLELUJAHHHHH!
HAAAAAAAALLELEJAH!!! :-)

And the Conservatives regain HOPE! ;~)

A theme song for McCain's run......

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

All that Senator McCain did was pay the appropriate respect to a President of his own party, and as others have pointed out, it was a very low-key affair. I may think Bush is a national tragedy, but he's still the President, and one gives respect to the President in circumstances like the one McCain was, I'm sure, not particularly happy to have to endure. He knows, I'm certain, that distancing himself from Bush will be crucial in the general election, and I suspect that after the convention he'll give up much of this pandering to the elements within his party he's clearly despised over the years, and make clear once again that he's his own man - the quality that once was his biggest selling point to the independents he clearly needs if he has any chance of succeeding in November.

Great column Balz, the war-mongering George W. Bush and Generalissimo McCain are joined at the hip on the disastrous Iraq War , and we Demo's nominee, hopefully Obama, should make that charge a central theme of the campaign for Prez. The public is with we Demos on this one.

With respect to McCain, I submit he owes the public transparency on: (1) The state of his health and his physical ability to serve a full four-year term as Prez; and (2) clarification on the discarding of his first wife to marry a woman of standing and money. Where in the hell is the media on these two matters??????

Here is one citizen Demo who does not trust the war-mongering "monster," McCain, and I can use that term without fear of being forced to apologize! I believe the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America is still in force.

Finally, McCain's candidacy for Prez is nothing more than a third-term for the Bush administration. Forrest Gerard

Bush is a moron and McNut is his heir!

Anyone who thinks McCain won't bury Obama or HRC in the prez elections isn't living in the reality of 2008 America. Corporate media, the neocons, Diebold and the industrial-military complex will see to it that the Bush administration's plan for perpetual war and US hegemony through military action will be carried on in a McCain administration.

Civil liberties will continue to be weakened, quality of life for the average US citizen will completely erode, and the least intelligent life form on planet earth -- the American voter -- will be clueless until it's too late.

Bush's endorsement is the equivalent of accepting the reigns of the Titanic AFTER you know that it hit the iceberg. "Here John, take over and stay the course" I guess a 32% "approval" rating proves that 32% of the American people simply are not paying attention.
This guy has been President for almost 8 years and what has he done that has been constructive for America or our people?
Iraq? Katrina? Walter Reed? The economy? The National debt?
Our Image in the world? Oh, I forgot.....He DID create a "Welfare program for the rich"........Run your company into the ground as CEO . lose billions and get a sweet 400 million bonus ......

Powell has endorsed no one. He will not say anything controversial since that will jeopardize the millions in fees he makes serving corporate titans. Powell should stay out of public life, he chose money over principle. Not saying I would not do same, but so it is.

McCain has willingly assumed the burdens imposed on the Republican party by the Bush administration. He has said that he will continue virtually all of Bush's policies. These include: the Iraq war; torture; the Bush tax cuts that have helped to add $2.5 trillion to the national debt; and a host of others. His refusal to take a new course means that he is going to lose.

As for Powell as a VP candidate, hasn't Powell already endorsed Obama?

If John McCain would have kept his distance from W. he might have had a better shot with those in his own party and independents who are more than thouroughly disgusted with this administration; he didn't do that.
I do believe either Hillary or Barack can take this guy and send him packing. People are sick of war. The Russians imploded after they adventured in Afghanistan all those years....we are so deep pocketed that we are any different. Our economy sucks, unless you're all for working that Taco Bell shift by day and McDonalds by night like so many are already doing. Whats Bush going to say next...get a third job? Anyone remember the oil prices....looks like they're going up again. And what about the infrastructure of our own country much less Iraq? Do we not care if we're falling apart?
McCain can't interest me in the slightest, other than to tell me he's leaving for good. I wouldn't vote for any Republican at this point, he's a third Bush term. Period.

These are the results of Republican Party greed. Mrs. McCain will perpetuate the misery being hoisted upon America.

The Republican Party needs to be removed from the White House AND Congress before America can recover.

These ruthless businessmen DO NOT want a healthy America for ALL Americans; they want it for themselves at the expense of the rest of us and are shamelessly unapologetic and criminal in their behavior.

If anyone watched Bill Moyers, you will agree that McCain in the white house could be risky business. He seems to have a weak foreign policy and favors strong excutive powers. Sounds familiar, right?
He's likely to be a war monger who cannot wait to jump into Iran!
Also, from this program, I deduce that Joe Lieberman will be his likely running mate.
McCain received backing from crazy John Hagey, a Christian Zionist a few days ago.
It gets wierder and wierder, as if he is desperate for money and any support he can
muster.
God help us all if he is elected.
Talk about a "FLIP FLOP" candidate!!

bertualreality.com/2008/03/frienemies.html

Bush was a half literate, stupid man with great political instincts and a massive support base, McCain is a literate man but a very very very very very angry man.

To me this makes McCain even more dangerous and risky than Bush ever was, never thought anyone could top Bush in being dangerous but life has many surprises.

If McCain became the President, he would be a great threat and danger to the well being of the world as he would jitter nerves around teh world affecting world wide consumer confidence and spelling disaster for the world economy.

The world needs a Obama to spread sunshine, cheer and hope.

Between internet photo-shop and late night comics, McCain will be the butt of a national joke by labor day.

did anyone see mccain's temper today.he can get really angry.really he's passed him time,he was needed when kruschev was running the soviet union.i can imagine he and nitka would have really had a stalemate over the cold war.john you need to be more careful,just think a 3am call and you answering the phone,with that temper i hope not.

Juked-Uh, I'm Confused?

Other than an ongoing conflict with Radicalized Islam, and Terrorists in general,

WHO are we "AT WAR" with?

Iraq? Last I checked we were allies, and we were proving our allegiance by fighting evil elements that have Murdered Tens Of Thousands of their people!

Troops back to the US?

Shouldn't we START with maybe Germany, Japan, or S.Korea? We have only been practicing Empire Building in those Countries for OVER 50 Years now! ;~)

Oh, but we are actually NEEDED in Iraq, That's different! :-(

Democrat just need to hang the war and the economy around the Republicans necks and it will be a cakewalk.

Bush is all about regime change. He changed regimes in:

Afghanistan, Iraq, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Australia, Congress and more than likely the presidency.

I heard a statistic the other day that 51% consider themselves a Democrat, 40% a Republican. That is the biggest spread since Reagan when the numbers were reversed.

Mccain is BUSH number 3. we don't want that any longer in America. He is tired, let him stay in Senate.

Why would anyone want Colin Powell in a position of responsibility?
He proved himself as Bush's gutless wonder when he lied to the UN and the world about Iraq's WMD. One of the many administration lackeys that have gotten the US into the sad situation we're in.

Please - we need men (or women) of principle who will stand for the truth!

McCain is not Bush.

He's worse.

At least Bush admits he doesn't care what America thinks.

McCain pretends to care and then ignores what America thinks.

Talk about a flip-flopping adulterous guy ...

McCain and Bush are huggy bears.

Those two should get a room.

Ha ha, Repukes! You will LOSE with McCain, since he's 4 more years of the same.

Repukes are traitors and criminals.

All of you out there have very short memories. Why would you want Powell to be placed in any government job, let alone the VP? After he became fed up with what the lying war-mongering criminals, Bush & Cheney were telling the American people, he quit. He knew everything that came out of their mouths were lies. AND HE DID NOT TELL US. Take a guess at how many lives have been lost because he did not want to be a whistle blower. He just covered his own ass.

As for "lunch," McCain eagerlyguzzled the Kool-Aid and noshed on Bush's "hot dog."

Bush is criminal scum, spawned by a family of criminal scum. As such, he represents the essence of modern Republicanism. He is the true heir to the tradition of Reagan -- another draft-dodging fraud.

McCain has traded whatever dignity and integrity he had to win the favor of these bottom-dwellers. He has thus proved that he is not fit to rule.

Shaking hands with clenched teeth. A man who was tortured as a POW, shaking hands with a President who says torture is just fine and captured combatants aren't even as good as POWs so, sure, I can torture them if I want to. Doesn't look like a Man of Integrity to me. He looks like every other slime ball Republican politician who allowed Bush to drag America down the toilet. Shame on you John McCain!

Sen. McCain had to do the Bush endorsement, and get it over with quickly. Mission accomplished. Bush can also help with big-dollar fundraisers, which are normally invitation-only events with no TV footage.

Otherwise, Bush made a proposal in his 2006 State of the Union address to reestablish an American presence on the moon. If that idea is far enough along so that Bush could spend the six months before the election there, that would help McCain as much as anything else Bush could do.

WcCain flip-flopping on torture is unforgiveable. He was tortured for 5 years and railed against torture ever since. Yet a month ago he flip-flops on the issue to pander to the blood-thirsty rightwingers. Utterly and completely disgusting if you ask me...

Mac has really boxed himself in. He has no wiggle room on Iraq, so whatever W decides to do, Mac is stuck.

With the economy tanking, can Mac start to criticize W when he has admitted not knowing much about the subject?

Can Mac talk about immigration or the deficit? The neo-cons will eat him alive.

So what is Mac's campaign about? How does he put daylight between himself and W?

Yonkers, New York
07 March 2008

The first big thing John McCain did right after he clinched the Republican presidential nomination was to hurry to the White House and get the endorsement of George W. Bush.

Big mistake!

This is persuasive and convincing proof that McCain is susceptible to making hasty and bad judgments.

The other Republican presidential candidates--Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul--made it a point studiously to avoid getting near George W. Bush.

Why?

They knew that George W. Bush is a very serious liability for them these days. And so they avoided him like they avoid the plague. That way they showed good judgment.

But McCain is showing America and the whole world that he is still the "maverick" that he has long been ballyhooed to be. Which is why, probably defying the advice of his aides, he had to rush to the White House pronto.

McCain will rue the day he did this. This was a suicidal act on his part, what the Japanese call "hara kiri" or "sepuko."

Mariano Patalinjug
MarPatalinjug@aol.com

Powell would be great, because the primary thing we need now is a military STRATEGIST in the executive. McCain likes war, to be sure, but the best strategy to defeat the terrorists is surely not to let them bleed us to death in Iraq for the next 100 years. It will take someone like Powell to figure out how to disengage without losing regional power.

1. Economy Lost 63,000 Jobs in February
2. Scores Killed in Twin Baghdad Blasts
Violence Continues Friday in Mosul
3.Right direction............................. 22
Wrong track ................................ 73
4.Dollar's Decline Pushes Oil Price Up over $105.00/Gas Price over $4.00 a gallon by summer.

'Nuff Said...........
McBush has a snowball chance in Hell of winning no matter if it's Barack or Hillary.

LOL! Romney "Pulled Out" GRACEFULLY in Second Place.

And he Cleaned House in Nevada! ;~)

Glad we agree about Colin's Vacation coming to an end! :-)

Just put him in a useful position, along with the others,

ASSUME THE WIN,

And throw Bushie some Clues! ;~)

Rat-the:

First off, Colin Powell is no conservative in the right-wing idealogue sense.
Second of all, Romney is no conservative, either -- he is a phony, elitist stuffed shirt whose campaign -- in case you didn't notice -- went down in flames earlier this year. Republicans rightly rejected this two-faced empty suit.
Surely McCain will have better taste than Romney. Actually, if he's smart, he'd ask Powell to be his V.P.
You're right about McCain in that if he has sense, he will run as far away from the Bush "legacy"

David-Adding Colin to the Candidacy would gain next to nothing. Not that Colin is not excellent Executive Material, but First, he does not want even the lead Job, and Second, the Ticket already has a Military Expert.

No, Mo Bettah we put Colin back in the Secretary of State slot! Or, possibly Defense Minister.

Mitt Romney is the PERFECT Compliment in skills to Senator McCain. They are Polarized in strengths and Weaknesses and Mitt brings in His Part of the Base and Country! :-)

Along with maybe a RAT or two! ;~)

The Strength of the Combination is also too perfect for the Job, NOT to get a large number of Crossovers willing to see Billary and Obasama BACK in their Senate Jobs-Where they BELONG! :-)

How ironic, McCain indisputably a superior human being to Bush has to pander to him because of the right wing of the GOP.

Has the GOP learned nothing after all these years of neocon mayhem?

Change or lose.

I like the notion of getting Colin Powell back in the mix, however McCain has major challenges in both standard polls as well as what the Internet Statistics tell us;

Obama vs. McCain- the Google Effect:

http://newsusa.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=48

Say, that may be the ticket to help boost John: McCain/Powell!

McCain is NOT Bush.

However, Bush is still very much a threat to everything Republicans hold dear!

Some of the MORONS Bush has appointed are still DANGERS(Chertoff, Crocker, Bernanke, Etc, Etc..). They should all be reigned in, until McCain has a chance to do something SMART, like: Getting Mitt Romney as his VP, and most of the other Contenders, and Conservative Brains like Colin Powell BACK, and into assigned positions,

To then tell Chimpy and his Stooges WHAT THEY BETTER DO! :-[

PS-I'd have been doing a Jig too, if I knew my revenge on being stood up was to be serving HOT DOGS! ;~)

We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.

User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.