Kerry/McCain in 2004.....

[JoseCuervo]

I think it is Joe Biden that is out running "trial ballons" for a Kerry / McCain ticket. It is a bit interesting, IMO, from a number of points of view.

McCain says he forgives Dubya for the cheap shot in 2000 in South Carolina, where Dubya's minions said McCain was "unstable".

Second, it "balances" the ticket, and moves Kerry to the middle of the Political Spectrum.

And finally, it would take all the smart GOP'rs to the McCain side, leaving Dubya with only the dregs on the far Right.

Think it is far fetched? Then why is McCain out defending Kerry to Cheney's false charges???

Vice President Dick Cheney launched a wide-ranging attack on Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Wednesday by calling him weak on defense and dismissive of U.S. allies on Iraq.
Cheney, speaking as the United States this week marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, offered a harsher critique of Kerry than any other senior Bush administration official has done to date.
Cheney rejected Kerry's criticism that the U.S.-led 34-nation coalition on Iraq -- which lacked some major traditional allies who refused to go along with the war -- was merely "window-dressing" and a "coalition of the coerced and the bribed."

"If such dismissive terms are the vernacular of the golden age of diplomacy Sen. Kerry promises, we're left to wonder which nations would care to join any future coalition," Cheney said.

He said Kerry speaks "as if only those who openly oppose America's objectives have a chance of earning his respect."

Following Cheney's line of argument, one would be forced to conclude that Cheney thinks John McCain openly opposes America's objectives:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday he did not believe Democratic candidate John Kerry, a friend and Senate colleague, was weak on defense or would compromise national security if elected president...
"This kind of rhetoric, I think, is not helpful in educating and helping the American people make a choice," McCain said on "The Early Show" on CBS. "You know, it's the most bitter and partisan campaign that I've ever observed. I think it's because both parties are going to their bases rather than going to the middle. I regret it"...

"The senator from Massachusetts has given us ample doubts about his judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security," Cheney said in a speech Wednesday.

Asked on NBC's "Today" if he thought Kerry was weak on defense, McCain said: "No, I do not believe that he is, quote, weak on defense. He's responsible for his voting record, as we are all responsible for our records, and he'll have to explain it. But, no, I do not believe that he is necessarily weak on defense. I don't agree with him on some issues, clearly. But I decry this negativism that's going on on both sides. The American people don't need it."

When asked on "The Early Show" if Kerry's election would compromise national security, McCain responded: "I don't think that -- I think that John Kerry is a good and decent man. I think he has served his country."

Commentary
There's no way McCain will be Kerry's running mate; you don't undo his decades of conservative votes and stances on a whole host of issues and end up on the Democratic ticket. Nevertheless, McCain seems to be relishing his role as Republican apostate who refuses to be defender of Bush's realm. McCain's primary motivation is probably his sense of honor; he's not entirely consistent, but he tends to conduct himself with honesty and integrity, and he's earned a reputation as a straight shooter by not going against his openly stated positions. He respects Kerry, sees chickenhawks Bush and Cheney maligning a good man's honor and patriotic service, both in the military and in political life, and he feels compelled to speak out. But it's hard not to conclude that he especially enjoys doing the right thing when it really screws Bush and his minions.

Richard Nixon once expressed his admiration for Barbara Bush's capacity for hatred. I'll bet he would have shared equal admiration for John McCain's desire for vengeance.

 

[feclnogn]

I think it is more likely that McCain is positioning himself for 2008. I think his day in the sun as far a presidential politics is over.

As far as balancing the ticket, veeps dont really offer much to the ticket. If McCain does end up being veep, Kerry will still be a north east liberal who has a very distinct voting record. No manner of lipstick on that pig will change that fact.

 

[pawclaws]

VERY distinct voting record!

"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." --John F. Kerry, explaining his vote for AND against supplemental funds for troops in Iraq -- the same troops he says Mr. Bush sent in "under-equipped." When asked about Kerry's invitation to debate on the issues, George Bush responded, "We'll talk about that when Senator Kerry is finished debating the issues with himself."

 

[JoseCuervo]

Yeppers, Karl Rove has been quite effective spreading his dis-information to the masses. (See Paw's consumption of Rove's rhetoric, above).

 

[pawclaws]

Rove rhetoric?? Naw Kerry