How will John McCain fare as a candidate?

Giuliani will stumble; I ust don't see how he can close the deal with a majority of the pro-life anti-gay party. Bush has ruined them on national security as an issue. Hating AIDS patients and pregnant teenagers is the only thing they have left. Those poor bastards.

I fear McCain will be successfully marketed as the beloved uncle or trusting grandfather. The U.S. has a knack for electing presidents on emotion or those that are "comforting" -- father figures or regular guys "you can sit down and drink a beer with." If he gets the nomination and runs against Clinton or Obama I see that as the spin. They'll toss in the "military hero" stuff as a bonus. That could make him look strong.

Hope I'm dead wrong. Maybe in '08 we'll vote smarter as a country.

If he was a Democrat Ann Coulter would come out and say he was a bad soldier and that's why he was a POW.

"...electing presidents on emotion or those that are comforting" and those who pass the have a beer with test. This would help McCain among the issueless marginal voters who swing election after election. WE need to understand this if we have any hopes of winning next year.

Voting smarter in 2008? I doubt that.

being given "his turn", in a year where it will likely look bleak for the republicans.

Can someone please post those photos?

We need to be reminded that he's a smarmy suck-up Bush lover.:puke:

he has lost the support of the moderates, the ones propping him up for the last 8 years. Weathervaine McCain is loathed by a good many in the base.

I give his campaign until the end of April until he pulls it down. I don't think his age, temper, or his hawkish attitude towards the ME is going to do him any favors either.

vote, Giuliani is the "peaked too early" leader in all the polls, and McCain is the "he earned to right to be our unsuccessful nominee like Bob Dole" candidate.

I'm thinking Brownback might pull off an upset if he can unite the fundamentalists who are panicky about a front-running Giuliani, but I think a betting person wouldn't put his money on anyone but Rove's candidate, and Rove's apparently helping Romney behind the scenes while pretending to be neutral (there is some speculation about a deal where Romney would pick Jeb as his VP and further speculation that Rove sees this election as a likely loser for the Repubs and so supporting a Romney/Jeb ticket is part of a plan to tee up Jeb for 2012).

They wouldn't go for Rudy- he's too liberal.

The evangelicals wouldn't go for Romney- he's too Mormon.

Then who else is there?

He is whacko enough...the freepers are likely to back him... I don't know if there are any poll numbers on him yet...hell I am not even sure if he has thrown his tin foiled hat into the ring yet but I'll bet he gets a lot of wingnut support.

All his opponents have to do is show the receipts and he's finished.

Bob Dole also ran as Gerald Ford's Veep in 1976. I always thought Dole was the sacrifice. The GOP insiders (Bush Family?) knew Ford would lose in 1976 due to his pardon of Nixon, but didn't want to waste a viable candidate (Poppy Bush) so Dole was selected. Of course Jimmy Carter won, so the Bushitas went to work to sabotage Carter's re-election in 1980 with the "October Surprise." Having succeeded with that, and giving Reagan/Bush a victory, the neo-con fascists were in business. But when a young lawyer and governor from Arkansas threw them for a loop in 1992, the Bushistas went underground again and, seeing that Clinton was unbeatable in 1996, ran Dole again. But now, since Dole is obviously too old, the GOP insiders could go with McCain in order to leave another Bush--Jeb--untainted for his run in 2012.

Just my take on current events...

McCain is not well liked by some Republicans. It's definitely going to hurt him. But I think he can win some independents.

Personally, I'm not sure we've seen all of the Republican candidates, in the same way I'm wondering if there will be other Democratic contenders.

Having the most publicity is NOT the same as getting the nomination...