February 15th, 2008
You’ve got to wonder why Mike Huckabee is staying in the presidential race. Sure, the former Arkansas governor has won some primary elections. But John McCain can’t be beat because there are not enough delegates left to beat him, even if Huckabee started winning.
And if Huckabee did want to win, he would be in Wisconsin this weekend. The primary is Tuesday, Feb. 19, and where is Mike Huckabee? He gave an interview to the Milwaukee paper on Friday, but The Washington Post says he has headed south for the weekend, to …
Grand Cayman Island, where he is giving a lecture for pay.
If Huckabee wants a future in the party, and I believe he does, he would be smart to get out of the race now, endorse McCain, and hope for a vice-presidential slot with the Arizona senator.
February 15th, 2008
Republicans aren’t having a lot of luck raising money this year; Democrats are. So, Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain made a point Friday in Oshkosh, Wis., of reminding reporters that he and Barack Obama had agreed to sign-up for government funding of their general election campaigns. (No, Obama has not won the Democratic nomination yet, but McCain seems to think so.) McCain said he hopes Obama keeps his pledge.
But if Obama were to do so, he’d shut down a fantastic cash raising machine that any candidate for president would drool to have. Obama does not take money from lobbyists, but his Internet-based small donor base has grown by leaps and bounds to the point that he easily out-raises Hillary Clinton in contributions.
That huge cash flow, some $32 million in January, has allowed Obama to field a muscular campaign in any state he chooses. If he wins the nomination, does he give up his personal ATM and take the federal cash?
McCain would like it if Obama did.
February 15th, 2008
OSH KOSHÂ Wis. — Today I covered John McCain’s town hall meeting and press conference at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Eagle Hangar, part of its aviation museum.
McCain talked to about 500 friendly fans. Clearly McCain is running as the national security candidate, and he chose the right setting for it. Eagle Hangar celebrates the allies’ air war during World War II. The stunning displays of vintage aircraft, including an RAF Mosquito, a P-51 Mustang, an RAF Spitfire, and eye-popping interactive displays are worth a visit to Oshkosh, about a 2.5 hour drive from the Forest City.
Contrasting himself to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the Democrats vying for their party’s nomination, McCain, who has for all practical purposes won the GOP nomination, said we are in a “transcendent” battle against Islamic terrorism. It’s the first thing he talked about in his remarks, which he made while standing on a stage in front of the Mosquito bomber.
Obama and Clinton are vying for the anti-war vote; McCain thinks their priorities are wrong-headed.
McCain made a point also of talking about climate change, which he believes is real, and a threat. He says companies can make money developing green technology — the same message Obama delivered Wednesday at the Janesville GM assembly plant. Both also want to use green strategies to get the U.S. off foreign oil, but McCain said the U.S. also must reinvest in nuclear technology, something neither Obama nor Clinton bring up.
McCain noted that France gets 80- percent of its power from nuclear energy, and U.S. Navy nuclear submarines have been circling the globe for 60 years with no accidents.
Even though Democratic voters have outnumbered Republican voters in the primaries and caucuses, I wouldn’t count McCain out, by a long shot. He’s comfortable in his skin, he’s friendly and courteous, and he loves taking questions from the media.
By the way, polls show McCain about even with either Obama or Clinton in a general election matchup.
