If McCain Wanted The GOP Nomination In 2008, How Would He Act Now?

[DrFunkenstein]

It is hard for me not to see McCain's actions in recent weeks as prep work for a 2008 bid. You don't get your Party's nomination by snubbing the guy in office and stumping for the opposition.

McCain has acted entirely honorably by repudiating the smears, but I think it is also entirely within his right to cheerlead for his Party. I know it has to be hard for him to stomach the guy who called him the brainwashed Manchurian candidate and went after his wife, but it is a political necessity.

As a Democrat, I'm appalled by such behavior, but that doesn't stop me from understanding the motivations behind it. Kerry has been playing the game long enough to understand what is going on, and I doubt if there are many hard feelings between them.

[NMDemDist2]

1. nah, he'll be too old in 08 and he knows it n/t

[iwantmycountryback]

2. I wonder

If McCain could get a cabinet job with Kerry. They are very good friends..

[Eric J in MN]

4. McCain wil be 72 in 2008, and Bob Dole was 73 in 1996, so

McCain could be the Repubican nominee in 2008.

I agree with the first poster that John McCain is supporting Geroge W. because McCain wants the 2008 Republican nomination.

[Dying Eagle]

3. With their good relationship

I doubt McCain would run against President Kerry.

[DrFunkenstein]

5. Don't You Believe It

Love can make you do crazy things. So can Presidential ambitions.

[Fovea]

6. He is history...

His own party let Chimpy McCokespoon make him radioactive.
He will have to know that his fellow Repugs damaged him too much to overcome in '08. They would have to crazy to let him get the nomination now.

[Ronnie]

7. Like he's acting now.

...

[tedoll78]

8. Well, let's see..

I think he'd want Bush to lose. Sounds weird, given how he's hugging Bush right now. But it makes sense.

Hugging Bush gives him good standing with the GOP; he absolutely NEEDS that for any possibility of a run in 2008.

At the same time, he needs to prod Kerry along. Saying how Kerry is strong on defense, saying that certain ads against Kerry aren't fair, etc.. those are little things that, if Kerry uses them properly, can go a long with with swing voters. He needs Kerry to win to create a sense of GOP desperation.

Should Bush lose in 2004, the GOP will be staring at a hard, cold reality: they will have not gotten an appointee onto the Supreme Court since 1991. That'd be 18 long years. By then, we'd probably control the court via retirees and/or deaths.

The GOP base will also be looking at something else: it has gotten very little of what they traditionally have wanted. Abortion is still legal. Gays have more rights than before. The government is bigger. Immigrants are still flooding in. And they all believe that a Democrat would do much worse.

Another thing they'd be thinking about: demographic changes. The GOP has been trying, largely unsuccessfully, to win larger shares of the black and hispanic votes. If these trends hold, the GOP will become a big-time minority.

Given this, they'd be more desperate to win, and thus more likely to go with a surefire winner. Knowing that McCain is as close to "surefire winner" as they've got, they can nominate him. Sure, they'd have to settle for Kennedy-like nominees rather than Scalia-clones, but that'd be better than a pretty lil' chorus line of Stevens.

The thing is though.. would the GOP base be smart enough to take such a compromise? I don't think so. I see them running with someone farther to the right, which would certainly help Kerry in obtaining a second term.

So McCain is going to do a delicate balancing act. Appearing to help the Chimp when he can, while throwing the occassional well-timed wrench into the Bush2004 plans.

[Yupster]

14. I think he'd want Bush to win

I don't think he'd want to run against an incumbant president when he doesn't like negative campaigns.

[expatriot]

9. no matter if he runs, McCain will be de facto leader of post-Bush GOP

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Ha! I hadn't even thought about it but as soon as I read the question,

I thought "Like he is now."

Even if he never runs again, he'll have prepared the way.

[Leilani]

11. He might be supporting his party, his party nominee

& being loyal.

He might also speak out on issues of fairness, like do not run smear ads.

And he might be helping his friend John Kerry, in secret, telling him where the bodies are buried. Who knows more about the smear troops than McCain?

Just thinking....

[rumguy]

12. So if Kerry wins McCain will run against him in 2008?

If that were to happen it would be a race about real issues - they would both behave honorably.

[Yupster]

13. He'd ask to be VP

in '04.

[ibegurpard]

15. So we understand his motivations.

So what? It's still repugnant.

[bklyncowgirl]

16. He'd be doing just what he's doing.

Let's face it. If Chimpy wins, McCain gets credit from mainstream Republicans for putting thier guy over the top or at least not hurting him. This sets him up for a run for the nomination against Jeb Bush.

If Chimpy goes down in flames, McCain's in a strong position to emerge as the leader of a somewhat chastened, more moderate republican party. He could then run for president in 2008.

I doubt if McCain would take a position in the Kerry administration. I think is ambitions are solely within his party.

[demokatgurrl]

17. McCAin

If Chimpy goes down in flames... McCain will next try kissing up to Kerry. He's a chameleon, and unsure of who the hell he is.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. A Man Of Integrity Would Do The Right Thing Regardless Of Consqequences

nt

[TNMOM]

19. He's disgraced himself. On principle, he should

stop campaigning for chimpshit. Talk about flip-flop. This guy wants it both ways. I liked him at one time, but since he continues to promote the cabal whose behavior he condemns as dishonest/dishonorable, he's enabling the dirty tricks. Hate him. Won't miss him. Will support whoever runs against him.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

20. Did you guys see this?

http://nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/08/21/politics/campaign/20040821_MCCAIN_GRAPH.html