The Desperate One
If he wins by telling lies, he will only win the Presidency with the help of independents.
Conservatives will not be able to tolerate his lack of decency and mean-spiritedness toward conservatives over the past eight years as well as his McCain-Feingold disdain for our Constitution or the rule of law in general.
McCain is an odd bird, but if he wins, he will make Bob Dole look like Ronald Reagan.
This, however, is simply low:
By LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writer
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) John McCain accused Mitt Romney Saturday of wanting to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, drawing an immediate protest from his Republican presidential rival, who said: ”That’s simply wrong and it’s dishonest, and he should apologize.”
McCain countered: ”I think the apology is owed to the young men and women serving this nation in uniform, that we will not let them down in hard times or good. That is who the apology is owed to.”
But, Mark Levin is all over McCain for his lie claiming Romney supported a pull-out.
In the end, McCain simply cannot engage Romney on his record without making it up.
Let’s see if Mitt hits back hard — very hard.
UPDATE:
McCain’s Despicable Manipulation with McCain Always Supported Tax Cuts?
UPDATE II:
Ed Morrissey — The Low Blow:
This is a fundamentally dishonest attack. One of the reasons why some Republicans who have opposed McCain over issues like the BCRA and immigration have tried to keep a civil tongue in discussing McCain is because of the respect he has earned as a stalwart on the war. He deserves that respect; he has been an indispensable voice for the effort and has the right to hold himself up as that. However, he should be showing that respect to others who have supported the war and the troops. . . .
Here’s the quote that McCain may have meant:
[He] said Thursday that he hadn’t yet decided on precise benchmarks. “They’d have to be specific, and they (Iraqi government officials) would have to meet them,” he said.
Asked what penalty would be imposed if Iraq failed to meet his benchmarks, he said: “I think everybody knows the consequences. Haven’t met the benchmarks? Obviously, then, we’re not able to complete the mission. Then you have to examine your options.”
Well, except for the fact that it was John McCain who said this — a year and a day ago.
UPDATE II:
[W]e face a tough election if the economy turns south, even mildly. We saw this in 1992 and lost when Bill Clinton successfully convinced people that he had the best ideas for a turnaround. We have one candidate who has undeniable success in the global markets, who understands them and the players that run them. Romney gives us an advantage as the nominee that none of the others can match in this regard.
Over the last two weeks, my focus has come down to Rudy and Romney. Both would make good Presidents. Mitt, however, has shown that he will fight in every state, while Rudy played a bit of rope-a-dope — and has apparently lost the gamble. Until the debate, I thought Rudy might have had the right idea, but Rudy still hasn’t come out of the gate in any effective manner.”