We need to get behind him so we can keep our troops in Iraq for another 100 years! Yee Haw!!

Depression here we come!

How is McCain going to be great for the military when he wants to tie the hands of our soldiers? He eats up all that guantanamo torture crap. I know he has veered a little into sanity-land on the issue over the last few days, but it's a pretty strange time to have a change of heart when you're in the middle of a campaign for president. I don't think he'll be good for the military by any stretch of the imagination. He won't be as bad for it as Hillary or Obama, but he won't be good for the miliatary either.

I also don't buy the argument that i should vote for McCain just because he's a republican. Every single person i have ever voted for has earned my vote. Nobody DESERVES my vote just because they are in a certain political party. Thats bunk. Nobody in this presidential race will get my vote this November, not unless McCain actually pushes some real action through in the Senate to prove to me that he knows he's been a total tool the last 8 years.

Maybe like push through something to invalidate McCain Feingold, or some piece of legislation that will make it harder to implement anything that establishes carbon or emissions taxes etc... Unless he starts actually DOING SOMETHING conservative, the man will NOT have my vote. Period.

No Republican deserves my vote just because he is a Republican.

Incredible things? Keating 5?

I can't think of a single thing politician McCain (the the Presidency is a political position) has done that I would come close to calling 'incredible' (at least in a positive sense). Not only is he not a conservative, Ann Coulter has a terrific piece on his RECENT conservative ratings versus people like Hagel (guess who is less conservative?), he does not have the temperament to be President.

You are correct, I can't vote for Obama or Clinton. But I won't vote for McCain. I will either vote Libertarian or not vote for President this year.

Oh, and I agree that the results of the poll are troubling, but for different reasons. I'm cool with people on the right supporting McCain, to each their own, don't tell me i have to support him though because i won't.

What troubles me about that poll is that we obviously have some people living in dream land. 34% think he's a Conservative? He may be Conservative on some issues, but he is no Conservative.

55% think McCain will appoint justices like Alito and Roberts? Thats troubling as well since he has the man who hand picked David Souter in his campaign. That is just straight up delusional, especially since he said Alito wears his conservatism on his sleeve. As far as i'm concerned, that should by no means be a disqualifier.

43% actually believe he will get defecit spending under control? Give me a break. Name one president who has ever gotten deficit spending under control. I don't care if you throw Reagans name up there, i'd still be weary of thinking he'd actually get spending under control...

The point i want to make is that it's one thing to support the man. I get that. Just don't kid yourselves because you will be setting yourselves up for disappointment. It seems that some of us on the right are doing to McCain what most on the left are doing to Obama, making him a blank canvas. Whatever you want him to be, he will be! Maybe it's a good thing, maybe it will motivate people to go out and vote for him, but those people are deluding themselves as to what McCain actually is.

If McCain really wanted to do what's best for the country he would withdraw from the race and start a movement to draft Rice to be the Republican candidate. Rice would clobber either Hillary or Obama in the general election.

Sorry Cassy, but I must disagree.

If McCain wants my vote, he must earn it. Neither I nor anyone else owes him anything.

I may choose to vote for McCain, or not. But coercion, guilt, or any other argument which does not address the fundamental lack of respect for Conservatives by McCain and his staff, is simply not going to work.

I think when you say "conservatives," you mean "Republicans." But there are those of us who are conservative before (or in many cases, including mine, instead of) Republican, and there you get no sale. Why should I vote for McCain — who I think will violate the Constitution with wonton disregard, appoint bad judges (and not just on the Supreme Court level), tie our hands against the enemy in ways that cannot easily be traced back to him (as someone put it, he eats up the Guantanamo torture crap) and will otherwise rip the beating heart from the conservative movement at every opportunity?

If Obama is the Democrats' nominee, I might be desperate enough to avoid an Obama presidency that I would vote for McCain against Obama, but there isn't a dime's worth of difference between McCain and Clinton, and frankly none of the three of them are acceptable to me as president. The Republicans don't own my vote, and if that's what the Republicans are, I don't want them.

I guess the best case for the country is that McCain will pick a good VP choice, then drop dead before the election. (No, I'm not wishing him ill!)

if he's such a major league war hero why are his military records secret?
also bill clinton beat 2 men who really were war heroes.
mccain won't carry a single state.
In my opinion he's done every thing he can to undermine the US Military from Vietnam through the war on terror.
I'm sure he feels he should have made Admiral, but its no reason to get our volunteer military people killed.

This is 100 percent the election of lesser of two evils. Oh yea, why is that conservatives have to be all magnanimous and reach out to McCain. If the conservative wing of the GOP decides not vote for this guy, he is not president, period, end of presidential dreams.

He needs to come to me not the other-way around...

Mark

As a conservative, I will support the most conservative candidate on the ballot who has a chance of winning. The primary election is one chance to vote for the most conservative candidate on the ballot. November is another chance.

To put it another way, not voting for the most conservative candidate is to be moving the political class to the left. Is that the principle that conservatives want to stand for, lets move the elected politicians to the left?

DJ's response shows he holds his personal snit more important than electing more conservative politicians. That's his privilege but it is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

P.S. Frank, We are at 60+ years and counting on keeping our troops in Germany and Japan. The way things are going in Iraq, both militarily and politically, I hope we do keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years. It would mean that Iraq would have become a model in the mideast and would likely reduce the chance of terrorism or a war in that region (just as our being in Germany and Japan have reduced the chances of war in those regions). The real thing to fear is that we withdraw next year no matter what the situation is on the ground, then Iraq will be a model for not trusting the US. The chances of terrorism and war in the region will go up tremendously. But then maybe you prefer your children and grandchildren to fight for you and suffer the consequences.

McCain is asking Conservatives to do something that he himself hasn't done for at least 8 years:
Support the Republican party.

I agree with Jeff above that I am a Conservative, not a Republican. I have a feeling that when McCain loses, people are going to blame Conservatives for his loss when he was the one thrust upon us. Conservatives did not want him as our nominee, but he was chosen for us. Don't blame us for the party's piss poor choice as a presidential candidate.

Chiding Conservatives and already starting the blame game is not exactly a good way to get Conservatives to support McCain either. I don't think there is any way at all to get Conservatives to support McCain unless he actually pushes something Conservative and beneficial through the Senate. The man needs to earn votes, not expect them.

I hope that when the time actually comes, most of us will "settle" for the lesser of the evils. B. Hussein and Hitlery are both really really dangerous. Think how many bad programs ever get dismantled. None? I read today how poor the government health plan is in England. People dropping dead for lack of quality care by the thousands each year. Even the French plan is better and they're starting to move towards less government along with Merkel and the Germans and here we have two socialists trying to move us along the path that just keeps failing.

Your choice is simple: McCain for RINOism, or Obama for full-bore Leftism. Dig the hole deep, or dig it even deeper.

Either that or a 3rd party candidate, but only if that candidate is viable and can actually win.

Personally, I'd trim my losses, even if that does mean that they're still losses: McCain for this election, then aim for a better candidate in 2012, be it a Republican or an Other.

You know, if someone were to really put faith in numerology, you'd have to say the records of men who got elected President in an election year ending in 8 have been...less than good (other than the first one, George Washington). Lets review:

1808: James Madison. Won two terms, but an invasion of the United States (War of 1812) happened on his watch.
1828: Andrew Jackson. The most successful of the bunch, though the Cherokee (Trail of Tears) and Nicholas Biddle (closing of Second Bank of United States) would vehemently beg to differ.
1848: Zachary Taylor. Ol' Rough and Ready died in office 18 months after inauguration.
1868: Ulysses S Grant: Won two terms, but squandered his military reputation with a sterling combination of amazing corruption and naivete.
1888: Benjamin Harrison. Beat the previous incumbent by very narrow Electoral College margins. Lost to the same man 4 years later.
1908: William Howard Taft. Ended up in Third Place 4 years later.
1928: Herbert Hoover. The Great Depression rendered him impotent, resulting in one of the worst electoral defeats in US History.
1948: Harry Truman. Korea and other Cold War missteps led to a withdrawal from the 1952 presidential race.
1968: Richard Nixon. Watergate. The less said, the better.
1988: George HW Bush. Well, you know what happened 4 years later.

So the real point is: Why would you want to win now? Let the black community put all its eggs in the Obama basket, and let them fail 4 years later. The country will survive.

Let me also just say that us troublesome Conservatives were also the ones that were saying that McCain is unelectable during the primaries. By nominating McCain, everyone who voted for him has sealed the GOP's fate this fall, not the other way around. My support for the republican party this fall left when Romney bowed out. I was willing to hold my nose to vote for him, but I will not vote for McCain. I get the argument that we should all rally around McCain to stop Hillary and Obama, but there are no candidates I can support. I'm not gonna be like a lefty voting for Kerry in '04 and cast a vote just to vote against someone else. Candidates earn my vote, they don't expect it. Well, they can expect it all day long, but it's about as good as hope. If they are gonna sit there and expect and hope for things, it's not gonna happen of it's own volition.

And quit badgering Conservatives about not voting for McCain. You're cementing our reasons for not wanting to vote for him.

Having said all that up above, I would like to stress the following to DJ Drummond and all the conservatives still reticent about McCain:

Even today, the brand names Republican and Democrat have much stronger connections with the people than the names Conservative and Liberal will ever hope to do. Look at any written history of either political party and you will see how the connections have been maintained regardless of the issues of the day.

People who state "I tend to vote for the guy, rather than the party" are more afraid of what their "friends" will think of them than of actually being "independent."

Brad,
I don't vote based on what people will think of me, because i'm not voting for a presidential nominee.

I would have voted for a presidential nominee if we would have had ANYONE other than McCain.

I will never vote for a Democrat, and I will vote for some Republicans. I will never ever vote for a person just because he is a Republican. Too many people have been, and continue to be duped by McCain for me to just vote for him because he's a Republican. It's the one way I can insulate myself from voting for a man who will dupe me the first chance he gets.

One thing these people trying to blame Conservatives are going to have to get straight is this: Conservatives are not going to take the blame for not electing a candidate (McCain) that they never ever had intentions of voting for. Anyone who has ever thought Conservatives should or will back McCain has been kidding themselves from day one. Conservatives have never backed McCain and most of us don't intend to start now just because the GOP screwed up and nominated an un-electable candidate. I'm not going to pay for their mistakes, nor will I take the blame for it.

Posts like this is why I don't trust John McCain.

How do you fight the Democrats and Half the Republicans who will rally around McCain because he's a Republican President and not because he's got the right position on the issue.

When he pushes a liberal agenda item, like Global Warming, resistance will be crippled because many Republicans won't fight him. The problem is worse among Congress because many of them are Rinos begging for an excuse to vote liberal.

jpm,

And when that global warming agenda destroys a huge part of the economy, who takes the blame? Republicans will.

I think by straddling the fence and trying to sound Conservative, but winking his eye over at the "moderates" he's just pissing both groups off. It's rather Clintonesque in the triangulation aspect of it all.

The q is simple: who would do the least damage relative to the others: President McCain, President Obama or President Hillary?

I suspect it's McCain. Obama is a hardcore Leftie with gentlemanly mannerisms, Hillary is much the same albeit with a thinner veneer, and McCain's most damaging policy - speech gagging - is already in place anyway.

Sorry, but where he stands on issues(i.e., politically)is a hell of a lot more important to the job than is his status as war hero.

"It's the one way I can insulate myself from voting for a man who will dupe me the first chance he gets"

So Dave W, I take it you've read my compilation of the history of presidents who were elected in years ending in 8 above. Hope you don't make your lack of wanting to take responsibility any more obvious.

I love this from McCain:
INDIANAPOLIS - Sen. John McCain said Friday that while lobbyists serve as close advisers to his presidential campaign, they are honorable and he is not influenced by corruption in the system.

His top (lobbyist) advisers do not influence him? This quote alone should disqualify him from the presidency!

I liked Fred Thompson among the original field. when that sunk, Romney really seemed like a nice descent guy and the logical choice. now, there is no choice and the only way I vote for McCain is if He picks someone whos actually a conservative to run with.

Like Dave W says, the establishment picked this guy knowing his record? they should have went with a Governor instead.. and yes, I vote by individuals, not party affiliation.

A Conservative rebuttal:

We've all overlooked the fact that the man is a genuine war hero ...no we have not, but that no more qualifies him to be president than Douglas McArthur or U S Grant.

He's a fiscal conservative...he voted against the centerpiece of the Bush economic policy: tax cuts.

is also someone we can trust with foreign policy, national security, and the War on Terror...his comments about Gitmo are fawning to the left.

Let's leave the whiny emotionalism for the liberals, hmm?....that's an insult to the base, Cassy. It's condescending and smug to those of us who have been in this battle for conservative principles since the early seventies. A brief history for you...in 1976 conservatives had National Review and....well, that's about it. It was a lonely time. No talk radio, no conservative print media, no Fox News, no blogs, no internet...nothing but a set of principles and ideas that reach back to Edmund Burke. The millitary was openly despised, communism was openly lauded for it's contributions to mankind. There was no open debate, period. It was the Liberal Democrat way or the highway. The conservative I know will simply not go back to that world.

When I hold McCain accountable only for his well known blunders ( McCain Kennedy, McCain Feingold, The Gang of 14, embracing the global warming crowd, opposing sound, proven tax policy ) I am doing my party a favor. Cassy, if you want to invoke the name of Reagan in this post, then perhaps you should be reminded of his approach to Gorbachev: trust but verify.

There is nothing whiny or emotional about my stance on John McCain. I'm going to hold his feet to the fire every day. I'm with DJ on this. McCain must earn my vote. I was there for Reagan in 1976. Between 1976 and 1980 Ronald Reagan was on the airwaves everyday earning the vote of conservatives. Everyday. When he earned their vote and won in 1980 he delivered a tax cut of historic proportions, rebuilt our military and bankrupted the Soviets in the process, deployed Pershing missiles in Europe and told Gorbachev and the New York Times to learn to live with it.

Can or will John McCain show such political courage? I'm listening.

I am a conservative and I will vote for McCain, because I could never vote Socialist or Communist which the liberals have become. The 'rat party is counting on those conservatives who disagree with McCain to either not vote or cross over. It would be very helpful for the libs.
My decision is based on the fact that I agree with more (not all) of what McCain will do and little or nothing that Hussein or the Beast will do.

If you put three piles of poop in front of me, a small pile of poop, a medium pile of poop and a big pile of poop, and asked me which one I would rather step in, I would still say "no thank you" and walk away from all three piles.

I would rather see Obama or Hillary win the Presidency so that we can run a true conservative in four years than be stuck with McCain as our fake conservative candidate till 2012.

In the meantime we can work on not letting Democrats vote at our primaries, sound good?

27. NO

maybe We should look for some pooper scoopers eh ClobberGirl?

I just have to shake my head.

To read in this conservative blog anybody (assuming he claims to be informed) mentioning "Keating 5" as though there was a morsel of "there" there. Some folks, with the benefit of ignoring (a decade of) hindsight, fail to even remember that the man was entirely exonerated of any misconducta conclusion that used to lead Republicans to defend other Republicans accused of such, but not now.

Or asserting that McCain "hand picked David Souter in his campaign." WTF is that? The committee vote had one against -- Ted Kennedy! And the Senate vote was 90-9. WTF? This person can't distinguish between one Senator and another. Warren Rudman recommended Souter to Bush and since Rudman is now involved with the McCain campaign, this is the reason to conclude that McCain would appoint another Souter???

Jeez man.

Be careful what you wish for folks.

I said I wouldn't vote for McCain, and I meant it.

However, the only thing that would make me change my mind would be if he chose a running mate who would make a good conservative "presidential" candidate when McCain is done in 4 or 8 years, hopefully the former. If he were to be the nominee and choose someone I never heard of (or nearly), or some milksop who agrees with him on everything, or even a milksop who doesn't agree with him, then count my vote void.

If McCain is the presidential nominee, I will be voting based on who is the Vice-presidential nominee.

I believe this is the only thing that may convince many conservatives that McCain even cares about this voting block. To the liberals and independents, the VP slot shouldn't matter too much, but it is the only hope left to win over conservatives from both big parties.

For 914:

http://www.jokefile.co.uk/animal_jokes/elephant.jpg

hugh or dave w or anyone else that wants to answer this question.

what do you consider to be the core principals of conservatism and why? what would you consider to be the top priorities of a truly conservative administration?

not a rhetorical question, i really want to know.

for what it is worth, mccain was never a top choice of mine (i voted for Fred at my precinct caucus, and will do so again at the next level), but i'll vote for mccain because i think that either a hillary or an obama as president would be an unmitigated disaster that it would take a generation to recover from.

Thanks ClobberGirl!! thats very representative of what the GOP (elephants) are doing to us now!

ha ha ha