McCain's appeal
Having suggested John McCain was likely to be the next president, I am going to have to be careful to make sure that the 大象传媒's coverage alone does not propel him into that position - so I draw your attention to two photos my colleague Anthony Birchley took in New Hampshire, one assisting his efforts and one, I suspect, not.
The first might be a touch concerning to those independent voters who might be toying with backing the Arizona senator but are not keen on him using his military background to take the nation into further conflict - but the next really does hit home the extent to which the good senator is picking up endorsements from far and wide.
On another subject, doesn't decision to pull out leave in a much improved position? Seems to me that Richardson backers were not going for sex appeal, they were going for experience and character. So his supporters in future primaries will perhaps break for Clinton over Obama?
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Unbelievable! You actually posted these pictures. As to say Senator McCain will bomb Iran. That is as about as ingnorant as a person can be. Someone takes a picture of some random supporter that likes McCain. Now he is accused by your bias photo. Are you suggesting this is what McCain will do in the future? Why don't you use McCain's Website or his personal remarks rather than a silly photo. I hope people know enough about Senator McCain to know that this article is false. I hope you know everytime a reported does something like this it really discredits the media. Hope you can sleep at night.
"I am going to have to be careful to make sure that 大象传媒's coverage alone doesn't propel him (McCain) into that position (President.)"
LOL Mr Webb, rest assured nothing 大象传媒 says or doesn't say will change one American vote...unless someone makes a campaign pledge to bomb Bush House. :-) BTW, ex military personnel who achieve public office are usually among the most reluctant to advocate the use of military force in crisis. They know the horrors of war first hand.
McCain did in fact sing bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran, to the tune of an old Beach boys song, and he followed it up with one of his signature crazy smiles and laughs. That said, I will be voting for him. McCain was a Colonel in the Navy and a POW, he has two sons in the military, which he never mentions - he'll definitely be more careful in the planning and more capable in his execution of military adventures. McCain will increase the size of the military, push to get Iraq concluded quickly, and not be reckless enough to invade anywhere else. I also suspect he'll make it his personal mission to catch Osama, and have several retired Generals and Admirals
as his staff/cabinet secretaries. Don't worry about your article Mr. 大象传媒, the Americans that vote based on 大象传媒 articles don't vote for Republicans, but thanks for your objectivity. Something not mentioned, McCain is the only Republican that even acknowledges global warming/climate change, and he's the only one not in favor of torture.
I think Richardson is now perfectly positioned to be the VP candidate, especially if Senator Clinton gets the nomination. He is an able statesman and provides perfect political balance for the ticket as a successful governor from a western state. He would certainly help in attracting Latino voters to the Democratic side.
The conundrum is that he would be of far more use to the US as the next Secretary of State.
to Michael Wernert:
in response to your comment regarding McCain bombing iran...i guess you haven't read or heard much about what Senator McCain has said in the last five years regarding military force in Iran. His position is pretty clear.
from his website:
The answer is for the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior. The United States must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces in Iraq and to deter Iranian intervention in that country.
McCain has also said: Iran is 鈥渢he world鈥檚 chief state sponsor of terrorism.鈥
In the presidential debates when McCain was asked should the president get congressional approval for an attack on Iran he responded: I believe that this is a possibility that is maybe closer to reality than we are discussing tonight.
In 2006 he said that: Iran's bid for nuclear weapons is the most serious foreign policy crisis since the end of the Cold War.
I'd say he's pretty serious about military action in Iran.
All you are doing is reporting the news!! The perception is in the UK is that McCain is a warmongerer and for that reason, we would leave well alone. McCain has been Bush's most faithful ally on how to deal with the war on terror. The election of a neo con like McCain or fundamentalists like Huckabee or Thompson will only aggravate our ability to negotiate with the Islamic world, which is why the next President MUST be a Democrat.
Mark, you didn't get what Wernert said.
All media has power, all images have power. If you want to misrepresent someone, then post random shots that don't represent anything, as you have done. Wernert was spot on, and you are denying a valid critique. Stop being defensive and listen, be a learner, not a know it all.
McCain has been one of the leading Republicans who can't wait to bomb Iran if he had a chance. Watch the debates or read the transcripts. McCain's position on Iran is as hawkish as Bush's and I'm afraid that Americans are going to be duped into another stupid war under McCain.
Richardson's endorsement is as irrelevant as Kerry's. When Edwards pulls out and picks a favourite, that's when we'll see some sparks.
Bill Richardson has pulled out of the presidential race, but is still likely to have an impact on which candidate the Democrats select, and on what his or her policies will be.
The more so because Richardson has not yet endorsed another candidate and he is still on the primaries' ballot in some 40 states. This may also benefit the tone of the Democratic race, as he has called on the remaining candidates to avoid personal attacks and focus more on the issues.
The degree of Richardson鈥檚 impact will obviously also depend on how close the race between Clinton and Obama is.
I don't understand why so many of these posts seem to think that Webb was suggesting that McCain endorsed the views of the poster. Doesn't the fact that he included two, very different images, show that he was reporting objectively?
Not being a Republican, I don't care if McCain gets the nomination or not, although I think he is a far better candidate than "Huckleberry" or that wet noodle (flops around with no convictions of his own), Romney. I do agree with RH's comment that Bill Richardson would make an excellent choice for Secretary of State in President Hillary Clinton's cabinet. While he might draw in Western and Hispanic voters, why waste his talents and experience as VP?
Michael Wernert & ray bianchi:
You guys need to calm down a little. This is a blog. It's not the lead item on the 大象传媒 6 O'Clock that McCain will obliterate Iran and hand it over to Azerbaijan. Nobody looking at these pictures will be given the impression that McCain's official policy to bomb Iran.
In fact it's a pretty decent piece of reporting to pick up on the fact that McCain is attracting this kind of support. Much of the rest of the field is distancing itself from President Bush's foreign policy, while McCain is sticking to his long-held positions. Yes, this means he is picking up support from "neo-con" voters, and its completely right to report that.
We have much less deference in our media over here. A good reporter would never rely on a candidate's own website (which you recommend) for his/her information. Maybe sometimes our media goes a bit over the top in its efforts to bring politicians down off their pedestals, but I know I prefer this way of doing things to the alternative.
Thank you for this article.
just a little correction McCain was in the air force the US navy doesn't have colonels, the rank would have been capt. also Sen. Mc Cain is not seen as being right wing he is a liberal republican which is why he hasnt gotten a nomination in the many times he has ran. McCain on domestic issues is very liberal,most people in the US vote on domestic issues not foreign policy this is why the democrats are having a hard time. check the numbers on the amount of voters in a state and how many vote for democrats. the percentage is smaller than normal.
Mr. Berry you are correct this is just a blog not the end all, be all, of BCC. Fair enough. I got a bit hot when I saw the post. I still don't agree with it, but people must be able speak their mind. To Cortney I don't agree that Senator McCain will bomb Iran just because he said they are the biggest "sponsor of terrorism." MW Logging Out
Although, all along I was thinking of
Fred Thompson as being the 'dark horse' who would end up as the Republican Presidential nominee I am
beginning to have reservations now.
There seems to be now a kind of creeping or seeping sensation among
the American voters that most of the leading contenders in both Democrat
as well as Republican parties are either lack lustre or maverick. One of the very few exceptions is time
tested Vietnam war veteran, Senator
McCain and as we all know those of
Vietnam vintage still strike a tender chord with the Americans. Further McCain has been stolidly and consistently supporting the intervention in Iraq and possible pre-emptive action in Iran. Not only that, he also is perhaps the most politically experienced politician among the contenders of both parties. The average American voter
has come to look past the election
gimmicks to a leader who can steer them through the pitfalls, knowing
fully well that America is not quite
'out of the woods' from unpleasant surprises.
The whole "McCain supports Bush in Iraq" statement is a bit misleading. If Republicans had been smart and picked McCain to run for president in 2000 and if he had been president in September 11, 2001, he would have probably focused on Afghanistan and not have invaded Iraq. I believe McCain's position is more in the line "since we messed up, we shouldn't mess up even more by acting hastily". McCain is a very moral man, and I really believe his desire to stick with Iraq, despite the human and financial cost to the U.S., is because he knows the U.S. made a mistake, and now the U.S. has a moral obligation to somehow put Iraq right, for Iraqis, for all the unnecessary dead and for future generations who shouldn't deal with the mess down the road if the whole place implodes. This is a man who is not in the pocket of big oil, who knows first hand what war is like and would not go to war with Iran or anyone else in a whim (like Bush did with Iraq).
Thomas Patricio
Toronto, Canada
"On another subject, doesn't Bill Richardson's decision to pull out leave Hillary Clinton in a much improved position? Seems to me that Richardson backers were not going for sex appeal, they were going for experience and character."
If they're going for character, they won't break for Clinton, she doesn't have any.
As for experience. Well how about a man whose been in government since the 70s? Who has been a member of the House of Representatives, A House Minority Whip and Secretary of Defense before becoming Vice President. Yeah, that's Dick Cheney. This is where experience has gotten us, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm willing to give some new guys a turn, they couldn't do much worse then the 'experienced' crowd has now could they?
John McCain appeals to all those who want to see Iraq as a victory of some sort, the UDS as a successful military power able to dominate the world.
Fair enough, many have held views like this for years.
However, John McCain does not acknowledge the cost. The dollar slides ever downwards, along with the pound (thanks to Tony, Gordon and a few Conservatives).
The cent here is already worth less than the metal it is minted with. We are in danger of the dollar following suit. Health care has all but vanished after seven years of neglect, this powerful nation was unable to meet the emergency requirements after a hurricane, it has crumbling bridges, a transport network that needs updating, the list goes on and on.
Military success has its appeal, but it also has its cost.
John McCain is certainly consistent in his approach, but outside of Iraq and illegal immigration is rather light on policy.
However, as long as the media focus on Iraq, terrorism and immigration they should propel him towards the White House, intentionally or otherwise.
I agree with Thomas Patricio on McCain. Folks with a memory extending beyond a year or two will remember that Sen. McCain was one of Bush's harshest critics on the war in Iraq. He consistently courted disaster with right-wing Republicans because of this stance. McCain understands something that many Americans don't want to see (and I can't say I blame them): the war has destabilized the Middle East, and the ones who broke it are also the ones in a position to keep it from collapsing. Like it or not, it's an INTERnational issue. McCain's unpopularity springs from trying to bring it to an INTERnationally acceptable conclusion, not just a nationally acceptable one.
John McCain appeals to all those who want to see Iraq as a victory of some sort, the UDS as a successful military power able to dominate the world.
Fair enough, many have held views like this for years.
However, John McCain does not acknowledge the cost. The dollar slides ever downwards, along with the pound (thanks to Tony, Gordon and a few Conservatives).
The cent here is already worth less than the metal it is minted with. We are in danger of the dollar following suit. Health care has all but vanished after seven years of neglect, this powerful nation was unable to meet the emergency requirements after a hurricane, it has crumbling bridges, a transport network that needs updating, the list goes on and on.
Military success has its appeal, but it also has its cost.
John McCain is certainly consistent in his approach, but outside of Iraq and illegal immigration is rather light on policy.
However, as long as the media focus on Iraq, terrorism and immigration they should propel him towards the White House, intentionally or otherwise.
I like McCain because he has experience and he has served his country his entire adult life. First as in the military, then as a business owner, and finally as a Senator, I like him because he is one of the few politicians that still believes in the "Greater Good". He actually defense his positions not his politcal party.
I love how DAVID assumes " John McCain appeals to all those who want to see Iraq as a victory of some sort, the UDS as a successful military power able to dominate the world."
Wrong David. Why do so many people sterotype and group candidate's voter together?
I wish more people had the vision of the "GREATER GOOD" Maybe are world, not just are country, would be a better place.
I almost wonder if McCain's opponents are responsible for such stupid posters (i.e."bomb Iran)- no one of any sense would put that out.
I would hope that the dialouge about nuclear weapons etc. will not obscure the battle between the Suni and Shia (Iran) that undermines peace in both Afganistan and in Iraq.
The U.S. is caught in the middle trying to keep terroism at bay and oil for the world in balance. Differences in cultures and religion underline it all. Iran is probably not that involved about us but rather wanting us out of the picture so some coalitions in the mid east may gain power and dominance over other rival coalitions in the mid east. And they all use "religion" as a rallying point.
One hopes that the youth in Iran and other places can overcome this and move to more co-operation. The youth in Iran seem to be doing just that. How can we help that movement but not ignore nuclear weapons mateials getting into the "wrong" hands?