""McCain’s got to make it very clear that this is not a third Bush term, but a John McCain presidency," said Republican pollster David Winston.
"As long as he can make that clear separation, then having a president of the United States on the road, helping with fundraising, going around and talking to people is a very different thing," Winston said.
Bush and McCain exhibited solidarity in the Rose Garden on Wednesday when the president embraced the Arizona senator as the party’s next standard-bearer. But neither offered anything definitive about what Bush’s role would be in McCain’s general election campaign.
Bush, whose approval ratings skidded to 30 percent in February, stresses that the election had nothing to do with him.
"If he (McCain) wants me to show up, I will. If he wants me to say `You know, I’m not for him,’ I will," Bush said. "Whatever he wants me to do. I want him to win. … If he wants my pretty face standing by his side at one of these rallies, I’ll be glad to show up."" Yahoo News
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Now, let’s see… Bush and Cheney can show up at Shad Bakes and woodland training camps for the "Tar Heel Militia" and such like that. They can do the country club speakers circuit. Cheney can address the Rotary Club over in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore where he bought a big, big house with some of that Halliburton money. Am I jealous? You bet I am.
Seriously, Fortune 500 companies will have their corporate luncheon doors open. There are still pals in the Middle East. Friends among the "riche," nouveau or not will always have a warm spot for these guys.
On balance I would think that Bush/Cheney will be a net plus for "fearless John." pl
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080306/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_asset_or_albatross
These pictures will be all over the place. Millions of them an each roadbridge and lamppost.
It will be real hard for McCain to differentiate himself from Bush.
Of course he could try to run as simply Bush III.
Though that might be difficult with the current polls.
But with some terror incident and a little patriotic war at the right time …
On the contrary, I would think Bush and Cheney would be albatrosses for McCain and assets for the Democrats. Of course this view may not take into account the troglodyte like characteristics of the Neocons and their lemming like followers, and perhaps this is what you are alluding to.
Col,
I don’t know if you saw this profile on Adm. Fallon in Esquire:
http://www.esquire.com/features/fox-fallon
but perhaps you’d like to comment about some of the issues raised, namely how he is apparently battling against the neocon to stop them from atacking Iran.
Keep up the good work with your blog.
JV
You are off topic but, no, I will let it lie. pl
Stan
You are underestimating the loyalty of the believers. pl
Too soon to know how Bush and Cheney will play in November. My guess is the Bush’s popularity reflect the economy and domestic policy as much as Iraq. So VP selection by McCain may be crucial in determining outcome. Is it possible there will be an outside the box choice? How about a female VP for McCain? There are some strong candidates, proven vote-getters. Or minority choices? Again there are some candidates? Oddly enough my guess is that events in the Western Hemisphere might just be important to the election outcome by November.
He can’t win with just believers. He’s got to get more than half of the independents. Bush will not help.
Speaking of Cheney/Bush and the family. This is an amazing news. Something tied to daddy Bush can’t pay margin? whoa… Jr’ is really screwing up big time if the family business start shaking.
I wonder what Cheney will do if dollar collapse continues. They may not care about the nation, but they sure need to look after their money. I wonder if Cheney has mortgage to pay.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/business/worldbusiness/06cnd-carlye.html
LONDON — A fund linked to the private equity firm Carlyle Group became the latest investment firm to run into trouble amid deteriorating credit markets when it said on Thursday that it failed to meet some margin calls and had received a notice of default.
The Carlyle Capital Corporation, which is based in Guernsey, Channel Islands, and invests mainly in triple-A rated mortgage securities, missed four of seven margin calls worth a total of $37 million and said it expects to receive at least one more default notice as banks call in loans.
“As the market continues to go down it becomes ever more difficult to meet margin calls,” said Joseph A. Biernat, director of research at the fund manager, European Credit Management, in London. “Even if there is no risk for the securities, no one wants to support high levels of leverage these days.”
My prediction is that Bush will be at fundraisers and that’s about it. I don’t think we’ll see them together in public very often from now on.
He can’t win with just believers. He’s got to get more than half of the independents. Bush will not help.
Agreed.
Colonel Lang focused on the believers. As far as cash is concerned, Bush will be a net asset in those circles.
McCain’s only chance is to keep the “independent maverick” label alive. He knows that only us demented political junkies are paying any attention right now so it doesn’t matter how much he hugs ‘W’.
Bush will slither away as November nears.
Col. Lang:
Thank you. I’m looking forward to eight months of stimulating posts about matters political that won’t necessarily directly involve the Middle East.
re Stan’s “. . . underestimating the loyalty of the believers.”
The question is ‘How many believers do you think there will be by the time November rolls around, or, how big is your ‘net plus?’
Among other things, The Carlyle Group’s margin calls, the Fed reporting today that for the first time home owner’s equity is below 50 percent, that is, the banks have more equity in homes than the mortgage holders do, the continuing plunge of the dollar, all don’t bode well for the economy, the country or Bush/Cheney as assets for McCain.
And that doesn’t even consider the pros and cons of the Iraq conflict.
Further, some members of the groups you mention who might support him are going to worry that Bush/Cheney will obligate McCain to revisit the economic policies of Andrew Mellon who was more concerned about reducing ‘moral hazard’ than solving the country’s severe economic problems of the twenties and thirties.
Even worse, I think they may well no longer believe that anyone associated with Bush/Cheney is capable of returning to basic conservative principals that include fiscal responsibility
Granted, McCain has already publicly established his lack of bona fides in this area, but, Phil Graham as an economic advisor is not likely to help overcome the Bush/Cheney taint.
On a lighter note, Cheney may have more trouble with the St. Michael’s Rotary Club than you think given the unusually uniform gene pool in that Eastern Shore area. I wondered how well he would fit in when the location of his house was made known to the public.
As you know, both the genes and the money in that area are very old and not much interested in out-landers.
As to JV’s comments about Adm. Fallon:
In the area of the military I think your ‘net plus’ gets even smaller.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is also Navy. In fact, there hasn’t been an Army Chair since Gen. Shinseki, and, military types are reported to be moving away from Republicans to either Democrats or Independents.
Overall, this is not to say that your assessment that Bush/Cheney can be helpful to McCain is incorrect. The problem remains, however, is how many woodland training camps and Tar Heel Militia B-B-Qs do you need to attend to make a difference?
Remember, in the recent Texas primary, roughly 2.8 million voted for all the Democratic contenders. Less than half that voted for the Republicans.
If Bush/Cheney don’t attract voters for McCain at a much high level, Albatross will be the kindest word the Republicans will use to describe their role in the 2008 presidential election.
You know this is actually an interesting question. More so than superficial “is that guy still cool or not”
But how does the Bush/GOP circle operate exactly, specially when it comes to money and politics. The pictures is so large I don’t even know where to begin.
But one thing is certain, the imploding economy starts to affect the super-rich as well. The dollar is imploding and a lot of banks can’t catch up. Hedge funds are popping left and right.
The damage is quite extensive.
When the troops come home, they gonna want some answer what happens.
http://www.financialsense.com/Market/wrapup.htm
But as the Bernanke Fed slashes interest rates to stop a slide in the US housing and stock markets, and expands the MZM money supply, at a hyper-inflation rate of +15.7%, it’s also simultaneously blowing enormous bubbles in the precious metals and commodities markets. The surge in agricultural and energy prices have led to a +7.5% jump in US producer prices, the biggest 12-month gain in 27-years, and consumer prices are up +4.3%, a 17-year high.
However, “In my view, the adverse dynamics of the financial markets and the economy present the greater threat to economic welfare in the United States. Policy-makers must take into account the possibility of very unfavorable developments,” said Fed deputy Donald Kohn on Feb 26th. “We have the tools. As Chairman Bernanke often emphasizes, we will do what is needed!!” Kohn warned.
http://elainemeinelsupkis.typepad.com/money_matters/2008/03/a-yen-and-a-gol.html
The US banking system is pretty much on the verge of bankruptcy. Only because the G7 nations and other trade entities want us more alive than dead, are our banks even functioning. Indians working in Arab lands are told to convert their dollars to gold immediately upon being paid. Japan’s FOREX reserves shoot over a trillion dollars. Japan even admits this fund is for ‘currency stability’. Meaning, to stabilize the dollar. Time to look at what dollar bills said about themselves over the last 150 years using dollars I own, many of them interesting antiques. Also, the US real estate market looks more and more like a cemetery estate market. Six feet under or mausoleums.
Apropos commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7gI5lMB7M
I guess McCain needed the hugs and endorsement from GWB to quell the queasy tummies of Wall Streeters worried about his earlier position on the Bush Tax Cuts and campaign finance reform. But how well can the Iraq war still be playing on the Street now that GWB’s Iraq Big Adventure is being characterized as the driving force behind the massive subprime lending crisis? I’m not sure W’s endorsement’s gonna work out to be a net plus.
Re: Bush and Cheney
As they lose power, we will gradually see more of what actually happened during their time.
Strange, is it not, that Bush and the GOP is now trying to boast about the lack of attacks on US soil AFTER 9/11 which occured as he was the Commander in Chief, i.e. while it was his so called “most solemn oath” to protect the US from attack?
If he is such a great commander in chief, why the fuc* did 9/11 happen in the first place?
We are the best at security and you will just have to forget about that lil incident called 9/11?
WTF???
E.g.:
They knew, but did nothing. Philip Shenon. March 8, 2008
[snip]
The warnings were going straight to President Bush each morning in his briefings by the CIA director, George Tenet, and in the presidential daily briefings. It would later be revealed by the 9/11 commission into the September 11 attacks that more than 40 presidential briefings presented to Bush from January 2001 through to September 10, 2001, included references to bin Laden.
[snip]
Before the attacks, he said: “I was not on point, but I knew he was a menace, and I knew he was a problem. I knew he was responsible, or we felt he was responsible, for the previous bombings that killed Americans. I was prepared to look at a plan that would be a thoughtful plan that would bring him to justice, and would have given the order to do that. I have no hesitancy about going after him. But I didn’t feel that sense of urgency, and my blood was not nearly as boiling.”
http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2008/03/07/1204780065676.html
Homer:
I think you are being unfair to Mr Bush and Mr. Cheney – surely if some one wants to get you and does not care what happens to him in the process he will get you and there are no defenses.