October 12, 2008 9:21:02 PM CDT
(Newser) – When George Bush denied involvement in infamous smears that ended John McCain's 2000 presidential bid, the feisty senator barked, “Don’t give me that shit. And take your hands off me.” But just 4 years later he gave the somber president a pre-debate pep talk: “You’re gonna be great.” The relationship between the two men has been a rollercoaster of bitter fighting and support, David Carney writes, detailing some of the unknown episodes in Time.
McCain’s disdain for the Texan was on display when endorsing Bush in 2000 (see video); and 2001 saw the senator repeatedly trying to rankle the president, who in turn barred his rival’s friends from getting administration jobs. But, with eyes on his own future, the elder Republican flip-flopped in 2004. He became the re-election campaign’s “most important surrogate,” said its director—gambling on permanently linking himself with the cowboy president.
Source Time
Oct 7, 08 2:20 PM CDT The presidential candidates will be walking into a lion’s den tonight, forced to face those most dangerous of creatures: undecided voters. The town-hall debate could be a “snooze-fest,” writes John Dickerson on Slate, but there’s also a chance “Ponytail Guy”—the town-haller who famously befuddled George H.W. Bush in 1992—will show up. If that happens, John McCain could be in trouble. More »
Sep 25, 08 7:56 AM CDT Both presidential candidates will meet with George W. Bush for talks on the proposed $700 billion bailout of financial firms today, CNN reports. John McCain and Barack Obama released a joint statement on the financial crisis last night, agreeing that the plan was flawed but that "the effort to protect the American economy must not fail." More »
Aug 7, 08 5:45 AM CDT John McCain and Barack Obama would prefer to steer the White House race out of the gutter and back onto the high road, writes David Broder in the Washington Post reports. In separate interviews, both candidates expressed frustration with the tone and direction of the campaign over the last two months and the tit-for-tat blows. More »
Jul 31, 08 6:00 AM CDT Here are five things we learned in the wake of Barack Obama’s overseas trip, via John Heilemann in New York:
Jul 16, 08 6:22 PM CDT The McCain camp borrowed a page from its rivals today with a new tack on Barack Obama: He looks a whole lot like George W. Bush. McCain's national security adviser took Obama to task for the rigidity of his Iraq strategy, the Huffington Post reports. "I think the American people have had enough of stubbornness and inflexibility in national security policy,” said Randy Scheunemann. More »
John McCain • George W. Bush • negative campaigning • presidential debate • flip flop • Election 2000
