McCain Interviewed on the RealClearPolictics Blog

Interesting interview with the Senator on the RCP blog. He talks about the upcoming elections and the war. While he said he believes some of our House seats are less in danger due to recent events, he is very concerned about the Republican voters staying home. He sees a real anger on the left with the current spending in Congress. Good comments and another re-affirmation that Senator McCain is for sure a conservative.

Republicans Now Analyzing the Torture Debate

Anklebitingpundits.com (ABP) has an interesting discussion going on among republicans on Senator McCain’s intentions during the detainee torture discussion.

Deal on Detainees Unites Republicans

The details are out on the compromise agreement between the President and Republican Senators on the detainee issue. Senator McCain, appearing on the “Today” show this morning, told NBC News that a deal reached with President Bush will lead to fair trials and interrogations but not torture. McCain was quoted as saying “We got what we wanted, and that is the preservation of the Geneva Conventions. There will be no more torture. There will be no more mistreatment of prisoners that would violate standards of conduct we would expect of people who work for the United States of America.”

The question will be asked, does this compromise agreement in order to get Congress’ authority to conduct military tribunals, compromise the President’s ability to successfully obtain critical information from detainees. I think that Liz Mair’s summary analysis of the detainee deal as “not perfect, but acceptable” to both sides was well stated.

I suspect that McCain will take heat from the far right on this issue during the campaign. But the end result was a compromise that appears acceptable from both viewpoints -- not perfect, but acceptable. And that is what compromise is all about, and why John McCain is the best chance for this country to have a leader that can pull people with opposing viewpoints together.

Union Leader Publishes McCain’s Detainee Position

Even though it looks like a compromise has been reached on the handling of detainees, I thought it would be of value to document two interesting articles on this issue. These statements might be important for future reference when the campaign gets into full gear.

The Union Leader yesterday had a good op-ed piece by Senator McCain that clearly covers John’s position on the detainee issue, his concerns, his understanding of the importance of the issue, and his desire to reach a compromise that meets all of the above. It is a great position statement that, even if you don’t totally agree with him, makes you understand why he is the right man to lead this country.

Vermont’s Burlington Free Press had another article covering John's position.

Senator McCain Criticized in NH over Terrorist Detainee Issue

Senator McCain took a lot of grief from the right during his recent trip to NH. The NY Times was quick to point out McCain’s differences with the President about the handling of terrorist suspects.

On the other side of this issue, a Navy JAG Officer lashed out at critics of Sen. John McCain in a powerfully worded column in the California Republic. He takes issue both with the dismissive tone with which “McCain & Co.” have been attacked and on matters of the law. It does give another view point to the debate. The California Republic also had another similar article discussing the case against Bush’s policy.

This is a very heated issue. I personally do not support giving these terrorists any protections under the Geneva Convention. They are not soldiers. They are criminals. But I do stop short of supporting torture. Taking the emotion out of it, the right should at least look at the issue from a more centric view. I appreciate where John is on this issue given his years in captivity as a POW. We need to find a solution that meets the needs of securing this country that falls short of torture, and doesn’t jeopardize our own soldiers in future conflicts.

McCain to Back Rightroots Effort

Senator McCain will support the Rightroots effort, a conservative coalition to support the election of Republican candidates for the US House and Senate. The effort is intended to provide support to candidates that can help the Republicans retain control of Congress and the conservative agenda. I found this announcement at http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/index.php?p=745

On this page there is also a great video clip of the Senator at a fund raiser. Very funny.

Mitt’s Political Campaign Gift to NH Voters?

The Manchester Union Leader recently published an article on the fact that Mitt Romney has finally agreed to look at sending NH taxpayer’s monies they are due from Massachusetts.

Massachusetts owes NH annual payments for lost property due to flood-control dams that were constructed as a result of a 1957 agreement. The last year MA paid the full bill was in 1993, with no payments since 2002. Now, all of a sudden, Mitt Romney is committing to helping negotiate and resolve differences with New Hampshire over flood-control dams. NH’s governor John Lynch is “pleased that after more than a decade we are finally seeing action on this important issue.” Might it be that Mitt is just trying to improve his “home field” advantage in the NH Presidential primary?

The full article can be found at: http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Romney+says+he%27ll+work+with+NH+to+arbitrate+flood+payments&articleId=fcedff70-43fe-4d5d-8136-0f3abf81a78a

Romney’s Conservative Positioning

One thing that interests me is how candidates run from their records when they campaign for President. During the 2004 Democratic Presidential primary, I was a monitor for the Republican party. I videotaped all the candidate and heard their campaign stories many times. John Kerry was a great example of this in 2004.

Since Mitt Romney, governor of Massachusetts, will have a “home field advantage” in the NH primary, it will be interesting to see how he repositions himself as a more conservative candidate. NH will need to look at his record to understand the true Mitt.

Another John McCain blog picked up a story about this same issue in the Florida primary. Check it out at http://www.eyeon08.com/2006/09/06/tough-running-on-the-right-when-you-havent-been/

McCain Gains Support in Michigan

According to the Straight Talk America website, Senator McCain picked up support from ten Michigan State Senators for its Straight Talk Michigan Legislative Advisory Team. Senator McCain has support from ten of the twenty-two Republican State Senators. Read about it at http://www.straighttalkamerica.com/news/read.aspx?ID=64

McCain polling well for 2008 Republican nomination

Interesting article for those of you who think Senator McCain isn’t conservative enough to win the republican nomination. Read about the Opinion Dynamics poll on the Angus Reid Consultants website at http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13024

Welcome to NH for McCain!

This blog will focus on the race and key issues that lead up to the 2008 Presidential election. My goal is to provide a central information source to all New Hampshire residents who are interested in a focal point to catch up on news surrounding the race and key issues, particularly ones of interest to NH. While concentrating on John McCain, I’ll also take the opportunity to pass along other interesting bits of information that might be helpful in getting a picture of all the candidates and the key issues.