Fox's Cameron said McCain "often breaks with the GOP," but McCain has cited his record of agreeing with Bush
SUMMARY: On Special Report, after playing part of an ad from Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign that calls Sen. John McCain "Washington's biggest celebrity" and shows McCain embracing President Bush, Carl Cameron asserted that "[w]hat the Obama attack ad does not say is that much of McCain's celebrity over the last decade or so is attributed to a liberal media love affair, fond of McCain because he so often breaks with the GOP." Yet the nonpartisan publication Congressional Quarterly and McCain himself have cited McCain's record of agreeing with Bush.
On the August 11 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, after playing part of an ad from Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign that calls Sen. John McCain "Washington's biggest celebrity" and shows McCain embracing President Bush, Carl Cameron asserted that "[w]hat the Obama attack ad does not say is that much of McCain's celebrity over the last decade or so is attributed to a liberal media love affair, fond of McCain because he so often breaks with the GOP." Yet the nonpartisan publication Congressional Quarterly and McCain himself have cited McCain's record of agreeing with Bush.
In May 2003, Fox News host Neil Cavuto asked McCain whether "all things being equal right now and given the fact that you differ with the president so strongly on this tax cut and on some of these spending issues, would you ever consider challenging him for the Republican nomination next year?" McCain responded, "No, no. But, look, the president and I agree on most issues. There was a recent study that showed that I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time, higher than a lot of my even Republican colleagues." Further, a CQ analysis of legislators' votes found that McCain voted in support of the Bush administration's position 95 percent of the time in 2007, making McCain the administration's most reliable supporter in the Senate that year. Moreover, CQ also found that McCain has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time over the seven-and-a-half years of Bush's presidency.
From the May 22, 2003, edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto (retrieved from the Nexis database):
CAVUTO: Let me ask you, Senator, all things being equal right now and given the fact that you differ with the president so strongly on this tax cut and on some of these spending issues, would you ever consider challenging him for the Republican nomination next year?
MCCAIN: No, no. But, look, the president and I agree on most issues. There was a recent study that showed that I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time, higher than a lot of my even Republican colleagues.
But this is an open -- this is an honest difference of opinion, but it's also what I campaigned on. I campaigned on a tax package that had to do with a balanced budget, not to do with massive deficits, and I'm sticking with the principles and the philosophy that I campaigned for president on, albeit I lost.
From the August 11 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
CAMERON: McCain says the U.S. should offer security help to Georgia for its fuel pipelines and to Ukraine, which Russia has also been at odds with for leaning west rather than toward Moscow.
Obama may be off the trail, but he's on the air with a new attack ad responding to McCain's claims that Obama is a celebrity, long on glamour but short on substance, and that McCain's the maverick in the race.
NARRATOR [video clip of Obama campaign ad]: For decades he's been Washington's biggest celebrity. And as Washington embraced him, John McCain hugged right back. A Washington celebrity playing the same old Washington games.
CAMERON: What the Obama attack ad does not say is that much of McCain's celebrity over the last decade or so is attributed to a liberal media love affair, fond of McCain because he so often breaks with the GOP.
Late this afternoon, Barack Obama did issue a statement on the Russia-Georgia war saying that he welcomes visits to Georgia by both French and Finnish officials to begin mediation and quote, "There should also be a United Nations mediator to address this crisis, and the United States should fully support this effort. We should also convene another international forums to condemn this aggression, to call for an immediate halt to the violence, and to review multilateral and bilateral arrangements with Russia, including Russia's interest in joining the World Trade Organization."
Fox News is, again, right on point. Maverick's "celebrity" is attributable, in large part, to his breaks with the GOP on a number of issues over the last decade or so. It was his independent thinking and straight-talk over the last ten years that has attracted some media figures to his side. No misinformation here.
Sadly for Maverick, that's all over now that BO's on the scene, making the liberal msm feel all tingly about him . . . and follow him around to every corner of the earth
Yepper. The monolithic media, generally speaking, is as fickle as they come. They will jump on a politician's rungs to grab a free trip up the lookie-here-who-I-covering-and-adoring rope of ascent, but as soon as that politician's luster wears off, or another more coveted one pops up, they jump off and start gnawing away at that old rope with a delicious appetite.
They want sensationalism, controversy, infighting, backbiting, dissent, old political allies now at each other's throats.
I followed your thoughts, though I did not necessarily agree, till first paragraph.
"Sadly for Maverick, that's all over now that BO's on the scene, making the liberal msm feel all tingly about him . . . and follow him around to every corner of the earth"
Do you mean Obama is more maverick than McCain? Or that the media ignores his maverickness because they are liberal?
What a load. Fox News got it half-right, which the absolute best they ever do. They acknowledged the media's love affair with McCain. +1 Point. They give him credit for breaking with the GOP in the past. +1 Point. But they FAIL to note that his positions have shifted, and so has his base of support (-1 point) and that despite this move the the right, and the utter evisceration of any "maverick" (or even principaled) credentials, the media STILL has a love affair with him. (-1 Point.) So we're back to ZERO.
As for you blaming Sen Obama for McCain's waning popularity with the press... (WHAT waning popularity with the press?) This is ridiculous. IF McCain were losing popularity (and he's not, although he should be) it is because he had moved to embrace the platforms of a party who is increasing reviled by most of America, primarily due to the corruption and incompetence (and often complete lunacy) of the current administration.
If this were about Obama, he'd be mopping the floor with McCain, and Novemeber would be a blue-state-bloodbath. But it's not. It's still about Bush's incompetence and Cheney corruption, and the media's refusal to upadte their image of John McCain from the maverick of eight years ago to the right wing meat-puppet he is today.
Yes, Grandpah broke with the GOP...
And now he's flip-flopped on just about every issue he broke from.
When the media is your friend, you get to play both sides of every issue--as Grampy is doing.
Yep, MMFA is once again showing its inventive coverage of a non-story.
McCain is a Maverick (look at McCain-Kennedy for gosh sakes), but because it behooves the Democratic Party to liken McCain to Bush as much as possible (whereby leveraging "bush derangement syndrome") MMFA will deny any differences between McCain and Bush.
"[w]hat the Obama attack ad does not say is that much of McCain's celebrity over the last decade or so is attributed to a liberal media love affair, fond of McCain because he so often breaks with the GOP."
And there ya go. That's why folks [MSM] referred to him as a Maverick. Hey I'm sure once upon a time they used to refer to him as young too ;-)
So sometimes he agrees with Bush, and/or the GOP, sometimes he doesn't.
He really isn't much of a Maverick anymore. He ain't young anymore either.
And he may be flip-flopping here & there, but so is Obama. That's what politicians do.
Jeter,
Sometimes you have a great way to break through all the baloney, and spin, and back and forth, and point out it's just all politics and the nature of every single campaign - ya win some in the media, and you lose some.
Well done.
Thanks for your above post Tommy, but all I did is state the obvious.
Guess the Colonel is feeling a little blue because none of his Liberal soldiers have told him "well done" in the past 10 minutes or so.
So let's be the good guys here & serenade Mr. KFC with "You're simply the best, better than all the rest...."
There Colonel, feel better :-)
I already felt great. I've been out of the work dungeon most of the day, and haven't been at the computer much, so it just made me feel good to vicariously share in the Tommy/Jeter love. Thank you, both of you!
;0)
Better late than never...
WELL DONE, COLONEL.
<salute>
Attaboy, Pete !!!
So sometimes he agrees with Bush, and/or the GOP, sometimes he doesn't.
I guess 95 percent can be "sometimes." Let's do it like this: if I bake a pie and cut it into eight slices and proceed to eat 7.5 slices and then my friend came in would he say "hey! you ate some of the pie!" Or he would he say "hey! you ate almost all of the pie!"?
I'm sticking with the principles and the philosophy that I campaigned for president
While it's true, McCain's "maverick" label came from his FORMER breaks with the GOP, it's no longer true.
There isn't a single issue that McCain differs with the GOP on. He's now in total step with the party line, having given up his "principles and philosophy" in order to get elected. To continue to point out McCain's FORMER independence WITHOUT noting that's he's made a total reversal, is reporting misinformation.
I agree. He who breaks with his party on the right issues will have my respect.
Extending the tax cuts, staying for ever in Iraq, giving away ANWR because the oil masters want it, threating to bomb anyone that does not fall in line, do not look like breaking with the party line on important issues.
McCain is, sadly, an extension of Bush.
As they said in My Fair Lady, "I think she's got it, by george, I think she's got it!"
That's the message that needs to get messaged out whenever there's the stupid question, WITH?
That's what needs to get messaged out whenever the lunatic fringe try to distract us from the topic of the thread.