Monday’s campaign round-up

Research 2000 shows McCain leading Obama in North Dakota by just three, 45% to 42%.
It is my most fervent hope and prayer that North Dakota finally wakes up and goes for Obama. It would be the first time since 1964 that this state went for the Dem. In all the years I have been voting this is the tightest race I have ever seen for pres. here in nodak land.

Did I miss an update on McCain reversals? I realize it may be hard to keep track, but I think, after reading today’s posts, he might have raised the bar? Question: Is a reversed reversal a flip? What about refusing to discuss a position – such as the Social Security issue? Flop?

I think, as McCain marches towards 100, serious specifics might be need to be addressed. By that time, there could be a National media awareness, and more scrutiny could be applied to the inclusionary requirements. ( I know there’s a special page for the flip-flops, I just didn’t have the link.)

I also know a greater awareness is unlikely, but at what point does it become blatantly obvious and unavoidable for the Courics of the media world?

Seriously, who do you think is the least worst Republican option for him? [McCain}

Well, it won’t be a Budweiser Clydesdale—the only horse that works well for them is a dead one.

And it won’t be Pinocchio—his nose would never stop growing.

Maybe he will pick Lieberman, and do the world a favor.

To answer the question seriously, I think that Pataki would be a good choice. He wasn’t an awful Governor, it would give McCain a chance to use the Spitzer scandal (“Unlike my successor…”) and he might appeal to the Independents McCain is still hoping to get. Susan Collins would be even better for him, but as one of the few Republicans likely to hold on to her seat, she’d never take it. Chris Shays is another possibility.

If he chooses to go for someone who could appeal to his ‘base’ more, it is harder. Maybe a Duncan Hunter or a Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

I like Wesley Clark closely followed by Chuck Hagel for Obama.

As for McCain, David Vitter and Larry Craig share his positions on the all important “family values” wedge. I don’t think Cindy has enough money to bribe a viable politician to sacrifice his/her career and join the ticket. Qualified candidates will stay away from the hopelessly mis-managed McCain campaign like it’s the Republican National Convention.

Prup, it isn’t clear Shays can get re-elected to his present position; that is never an attractive trait in a VP candidate.

Winkandanod, no progressive or Dem should want to see Hagel as VP. Other than Iraq, his positions are quite right-wing. He is anti-gay-rights, anti-choice, anti-social-safety-net — and he would be positioned to be Pres in 2016. Even if he were too old, there would be no Dem well positioned. And god forbid something happen to Obama before then and suddenly a country that elected a modestly progressive Democrat suddently finds themselves with a modestly independent but still very conservative Republican president. yikes.

* Terry McAuliffe, one of Hillary Clinton’s most enthusiastic supporters, is now promoting someone else for the Obama ticket: “Virginia Governor Tim Kaine would be his party’s best choice as Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate.”

I actually agree with Terry McAuliffe on something. I can think of at least a dozen good choices, who would bring different strengths to the ticket, but I would put Kaine at the top of the list too.

The rabbi who supervises Jerusalem’s Western Wall condemned the removal of a prayer note purportedly written by Sen. Barack Obama, saying the action was ’sacrilegious.’

The thief took it home to put with the Catholic wafer he stole last week

I just thought of something – I don’t want an Obama-Kaine ticket because it sounds too much like “McCain”… 🙁

I don’t know why Mittens would want the VP position. With any other nominee for Pres. it would be a prestigeous offer and there is the potential succession issue – a plus for a guy with ambitions. But in the mean time, who would want to be tied to a probably loser with no integrity? How could he be an attack dog for a dog that’s already rabid himself?

I also don’t think McCain would want him. He would have a younger, ambitious man breathing down his neck and just the visual of them together would make McCain look like the Crypt keeper.

I’m not sure that McCain would pick a woman. He disrespects his wife enough to drop the C-bomb, I doubt he holds any woman in high enough regard to serve as his VP. I also don’t think the extreme right would welcome a female choice, a la not good enough to serve as my pastor/priest, not good enough to serve as my VP.

That said, for the reasons that Zeitgeist listed, we should hope that McCain picks someone like Hagel who underscores his own right wing positions. This could finally help some of these folks (who don’t see the real McCain) get off the fence and vote for Obama.

Romney would want the vice-presidency because it’s his best route to the presidency: it would get the Republican base past past the “scary cultist” issue, and he’d have an excellent chance of becoming his party’s standard bearer in 2016 or 2012, if not directly inheriting the presidency even earlier.

The thought appalls, but SadOldVet (#8) nails it: Jeb. McC’s “base” (including MSM) loves the Bush brand, and Jeb is supposed to be the “good” one; he has a Hispanic wife; he’s been helpful in in the past in, um, contested elections and allowing them to, um, occur. The only think SOV missed: the neo cons won’t declare McC incompetent or otherwise order his withdrawal from the Oval Office until he’s been there long enough so that when Jeb succeeds him, he will still be able to run for two full terms.

I’m not interested in a vice president who I just send off to go to funerals.” — Obama

So, McCain will do him one better; he’ll go to all those funerals himself, while letting Jeb take care of the pesky details of running the country.