McCain: Lieberman watch
Posted: Friday, June 06, 2008 9:19 AM by Mark Murray
Not only did Sen. Joe Lieberman appear on a McCain conference call hitting Obama on foreign policy, but now the Connecticut senator is spearheading a group called “Citizens for McCain” that seeks to draw independents and Democrats to McCain’s candidacy. “I have worked with John McCain for many years in the U.S. Senate and know from experience that he can unite Democrats, Republicans and Independents like no one else in this country,” he writes in a letter today. “He did it in the United States Senate and he can do it as President of the United States.”
“But we need help from McCain supporters such as you to reach out to Americans who are not currently involved in the campaign. Will you help us by recruiting your friends, family, and co-workers who may not consider themselves members of the Republican Party and ask them to join the Citizens for McCain organization? I am confident we will find many Democrats and Independents who, like John McCain and me, put country before political party and will support a leader with a real record of bipartisanship.”
The Washington Post writes that Lieberman’s work for McCain “has tied Democrats into knots. The party has a tenuous 51 to 49 advantage in the Senate, and cannot afford to see him caucus with Republicans because, in a 50-50 Senate, Vice President Cheney could cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the GOP. Unable to punish Lieberman, Democrats publicly say they are just happy to have his vote on key issues, such as this week's legislation aimed at battling global warming.
“‘Joe Lieberman is an important vote for this caucus,’ [Harry] Reid said yesterday, telling reporters that he had a "fruitful" private discussion with Lieberman about his actions. Reid acknowledged he had no intention of attempting to mete out punishment, such as revoking Lieberman's chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.” But: “Granted anonymity, Senate Democrats whisper that Lieberman's day of reckoning could come next year if Obama wins the White House and Democrats expand their majority enough that they could risk his departure. Under that scenario, several suggested, his chairmanship would at least be contested.”
In an interview with USA Today, "Republican John McCain said he won't try to ‘separate’ himself from a weakened President Bush or his unpopular handling of the war in Iraq to try to win the general election against Barack Obama, who has made opposition to the war a focus of the Democratic campaign." More: "McCain touched on a range of priorities: the need to create more jobs and help Americans deal with a slumping economy, the role of race in the fall campaign and his search for a running mate. ‘I eagerly look forward to the contrast between my experience and knowledge and judgment and (Obama's) inexperience,’ McCain said."
Two quick points… One: "On picking a running mate. McCain said he hopes to settle on one before the GOP convention starts Sept. 1 in St. Paul, but he offered no timetable. Late last month, the senator met in Arizona with one of his primary rivals, Mitt Romney, and governors Charlie Crist of Florida and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, but McCain's campaign said the No. 2 slot on the GOP ticket wasn't discussed. Romney has emerged as one of McCain's most active supporters and fundraisers, making several TV appearances on McCain's behalf.”
Two: “On campaign finance. McCain, whose campaign nearly unraveled last summer from money woes, said he has not decided whether to accept about $85 million in public financing for the fall campaign. The senator, author of sweeping changes in 2002 to campaign finance laws aimed at limiting the influence of special interests, has improved his fundraising haul lately but lags far behind Obama, who has set records with his $265 million take so far. McCain has raised about $90 million."
“A top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush’s program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories of executive authority pushed by the Bush administration legal team,” the New York Times writes. “In a letter posted online by National Review this week, the adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said Mr. McCain believed that the Constitution gave Mr. Bush the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor Americans’ international phone calls and e-mail without warrants, despite a 1978 federal statute that required court oversight of surveillance.”
More: “Mr. McCain believes that ‘neither the administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions that most people, except for the A.C.L.U. and trial lawyers, understand were constitutional and appropriate in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,’ Mr. Holtz-Eakin wrote.”
The New York Times profiles Carly Fiorina and her role with the McCain camp. “Ms. Fiorina’s official title is chairwoman of the Republican National Committee’s ‘Victory ’08’ committee dedicated to electing Mr. McCain as president, and she is typically described as an economic adviser to the candidate. To some extent, she is. But Mr. McCain’s campaign advisers say her real role within their testosterone-heavy circle matters more: A high-profile female face for a candidate whose support among women lags substantially behind that of his Democratic rivals.”
The Teddy Roosevelt conservationist in McCain will be on display today in Florida with his Everglades event. "McCain said he would support a 'stand-alone' bill to restore the River of Grass, but that the measure that passed last year was part of a broader $23 billion water bill that he opposed. President Bush vetoed the legislation as too expensive and McCain said he found it unpalatable. The Democratic-controlled Congress overrode the veto.”
“The remarks came a day before McCain plans to tour the imperiled park -- a must-see for any presidential contender looking to woo votes in the state and his last stop of a three-day Florida swing. In Tallahassee, Crist, who -- along with Martinez -- gave McCain a critical endorsement before the January primary, said he wasn't worried about the Republican presidential candidate's opposition to the bill."
"McCain was confronted Thursday about why he opposed an Everglades restoration measure that had broad support from Florida officials, including Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and GOP Sen. Mel Martinez. McCain also drew criticism from Democratic rival Barack Obama for opposing another Florida priority, a national hurricane insurance fund.
"Both issues are meaningful to Florida, a hotly contested state in presidential races because of its rich trove of electoral votes. In both instances, McCain sided against Florida officials and with President Bush, while Obama went the other way."
The DNC has unveiled a new Web video whacking McCain for his campaigns ties to Washington lobbyists.
Meanwhile, the left-leaning Center for American Progress is holding a conference call with reporters at noon to discuss McCain’s policy agenda. On the call will be Rep. Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta, and Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg.
