McCain's Zigzags Worry Some GOP Strategists
Was "suspending" his presidential campaign a bad idea?
John McCain's political zigzags are raising concern among senior Republicans that voters will consider him too impulsive and prone to making snap judgments.
GOP strategists say the Republican nominee has seemed a bit rash in some cases, such as when he announced that he was "suspending" his campaign until a deal is reached in Washington on the proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street or an alternative. GOP insiders also are worried, specifically, that his earlier call for postponement of tonight's debate with Barack Obama in Mississippi might come across as a political ploy.
The suspension of his campaign was "the mother of all Hail Marys," designed to divert attention from his decline in the polls, says a former adviser to a GOP president.
McCain's sudden appearance in Washington to break the logjam yesterday didn't seem to help the negotiations, and some Democrats say McCain didn't contribute any important ideas to the discussions at the White House.
"McCain is zigging and zagging, attacking and trying to figure out what his next tactical step is," says a senior GOP insider with strong ties to Capitol Hill. "But it's very difficult for McCain to separate himself as a Republican from the last eight years of Republican rule."
However, McCain loyalists say his approach will be proven correct. They say that at least he is trying to move the Washington establishment toward a compromise while Obama "looks like he's fiddling while Rome burns."
Reader Comments
McCain is Out of Control
John McCain has lost it. His recent a=tice make me realize his snap judgments, nasty attack ads and selection of the ditsy Sarah Palin make him unfit to lead. Why can't the guy deal with the issues and stop being out of control at every turn. I would NEVER vote for this maniac.
McCain as war hero
A common theme I keep seeing is that McCain would be a great leader because he is a war hero and a leader of men. I have always had a real problem with this. What is his military record anyway. He crashed his plane and was captured. A great general once said that the goal of a soldier is not to die for your country but to get the other guy to die for his. This is even more true in being captured and becoming a bargaining chip of the enemy, a bargaining chip even if you don't "confess". So what great military experience is he supposed to bring to the job, teach our troops how to be captured? I supported General Weasly in 2004 and had respect for Kerry's military record. He actually did lead men, he actually did complete his mission, and he actually did get them and himself back. McCain did not lead, he was a pilot, and his military record is one of failure, not success. I have empathy for the horrors he went through as a prisoner, but still that does not make him a great military leader? And this after the republicans dissed Karry who really was a hero.
deregulation
It was your senior with a bit of Alzheimers, John McCain, Bush2 that pushed for deregulaltion, saying we needed less government in our lives. He pushed until he got it thru, and Bush did not veto the bill. Now he says we need more oversight, but when we had it, he pushed until he succeedd in getting it out of the picture. Talk about a flip flop. How can anyone wiith a brain look at the last 8 years and say we need more of the same? Speak of being uninformed!
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