Stories related to: John McCain

At an NRA convention today, Mike Huckabee quipped that an offstage sound was Barack Obama leaping from a loaded gun. “That was Barack Obama,” the former Arkansas governor said. “He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he—he dove for the floor." The Obama camp has not yet returned fire over the remark, the AP reports. More »

It’s too late for the Republican Party to break with President Bush, Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal, and that will translate to heavy losses come November. The time for the GOP to call out the administration has passed, she argues. “What two years ago would have been honorable and wise will now look craven.” More »

Barack Obama struck back at the GOP's leading lights today, saying he’d win a foreign policy debate “because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for.” In his most extensive and direct remarks since the president suggested yesterday that Obama would appease terrorists, he lashed out at "dishonest, divisive attacks" and expressed shock that the Republicans questioned his credentials. More »

John McCain’s effort to link Barack Obama and Hamas—waxing astonished the Democrat could sit down with the violent Palestinian group—is “Nixon-style dirty campaign tactics,” and the “height of hypocrisy,” James Rubin writes in the Washington Post . In a 2006 interview, McCain said the US would “have to deal with” Hamas—and that Palestinians had chosen the extremists for “a decent life and decent future.” More »

The McCain campaign gave the boot to veteran conservative consultant yesterday after it came to light that he also was a paid consultant for a tax-exempt political group designed to attack Democratic candidates, Politico reports. The campaign says it never coordinated its activities with the so-called 527 group—which would be against FEC rules—and set a new policy barring any further cross-pollination. More »

In the wake of the California decision, gay advocates hope to bring the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront of the general election. But all three candidates have similar views—they support civil unions but think marriages should be between men and women, the New York Times reports. They differ in nuances, however, and if the issue gains traction in the next few months, look for those differences to come into play. More »

Mark Salter has the honor of being John McCain’s “chief creator, shaper and enforcer,” the Wall Street Journal reports of a man who rides the press corps hard and thinks he knows Barack Obama’s soft spots. A McCain confidant of two decades, the goateed, chain-smoking Salter has co-written five books with the senator and is an often strident defender of his boss. More »

John McCain today hit Barack Obama harder than ever, Talking Points Memo notes, saying the Democrat’s willingness to talk with Iran proves he “does not have the knowledge, the experience, the background to make the kind of judgments that are necessary to preserve this nation’s security.” Of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, McCain wondered, “What is it that he wants to talk about with him?” More »

It’s heading for general election time, and Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix wants the press to wake up and start laying in to McCain. Here’s how: The economy. McCain reportedly said he “doesn’t really understand economics” in January. Has he boned up since then? Islam. The candidate doesn’t seem to understand the difference between Sunni and Shia, and has said he’d tell the sects to “stop the bullshit.” More »

John McCain thinks he can end the Iraq war and bring most troops home within his first term as president, he says in the text of a speech, obtained by the Los Angeles Times , to be delivered this morning. McCain’s doesn't acknowledge a policy change, but includes a list of what he expects to accomplish in his first term: “By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly." More »

Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is all John McCain could ever ask for in an ambassador to the business classes, Daniel Gross writes on Slate. For every bit of Mac’s personal discomfort talking about economic issues, Fiorina is pure ease—and might even be able to roll back the damage George Bush has done to the GOP’s Wall Street coalition. More »

John McCain’s first post-primary ad declares him “the American president Americans have been waiting for," and the repetition tells all, Harold Meyerson writes in the Washington Post . Forget "strong," or "experienced," he notes. For the GOP, " ‘American’ is a term to be used as a wedge issue, a way to distinguish their more racially and religiously homogeneous party from the historically more polyglot Democrats.” More »

A Texas preacher whose anti-Catholic comments were haunting John McCain's campaign apologized today, and the president of the Catholic League accepted, Politico reports. In an apparent effort to avert a GOP version of the Jeremiah Wright situation, John Hagee wrote a letter about his "deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful"; those comments included referring to the faith as a "Godless theology." More »

Abraham Lincoln’s modesty and Ronald Reagan’s warmth were evident in their handwriting. Now, the Los Angeles Times wants to know what analysts think of the strokes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain: Obama's writing is described as “fluid, graceful”; intelligent but also emotive. His words end in lines that reach out, a sign of flexibility—though a certain illegibility can be seen as subtly guarded. More »

John McCain has already unveiled his campaign plan over the past few weeks, Michael Scherer reports in Time . Here's how it looks on paper: Pull Obama off his pedestal. Mac is not “blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save my country," he has said—unlike, no doubt, a certain someone. More »

John McCain might trumpet his climate-change bona fides—and voters might be giving him credit—but the Republican candidate's true green colors are far more mixed, the Washington Post finds in a look at how he treats environmental issues. McCain wants a federal limit on greenhouse-gas emissions, but voted against higher fuel-efficiency standards and requiring public utilities to boost output from renewable sources. More »

Bob Barr is running for president as a Libertarian, the former Republican congressman announced today. Once a conservative superstar who headed the impeachment crusade against Bill Clinton, Barr grew into a vocal Bush critic, and left the GOP in 2006. Barr says America wants a choice outside the two parties—and he could be a Nader-esque problem for John McCain, CNN notes. More »

John McCain is prepping for a smear campaign this summer while camp Obama, ever cool and controlled, awaits the first strike. "It's going to be Swift Boat times five on both sides," said one McCain adviser who expects Obama to return fire. McCain's challenge is to hit above the belt and not seem racist, while Obama needs to react fast without sparking endless fights, Newsweek reports. More »

Though he hasn’t yet clinched the nomination, Barack Obama indicated yesterday he was eager to campaign with John McCain and to hold joint town hall meetings with his Republican rival in the run-up to the election, Reuters reports. “I think that's a great idea," said Obama, referring to joint appearances. "Should I be the nominee, if I have the opportunity to debate substantive issues with John McCain, that's something I'm going to welcome.” More »

While Democrats sparkle in the media glare, the Republican Party is quietly crumbling off-stage, Politico reports. President Bush’s numbers are lower than Richard Nixon’s before he resigned, and the GOP is losing House seats that it has held for 20 or 30 years. “The anti-Republican mood is fairly big, and it has been overwhelming,” said Michigan's GOP chairman. More »