I TOLD You I was Sick~

Earlier today, the Instapundit Glenn Reynolds had a poll up about Sen. McCain's determination to hold a meeting with his rival Sen. Obama and Congressional leadership to agree upon a financial package. The question was - McCain's Campaign Suspension is:

Brilliant and patriotic, OR A Dumb stunt, OR Both, OR I'm voting "present" on this one.

After laughing heartily, Porcupine voted - Both. It was totally high stakes, totally unexpected, and yet it was just about the only maneuver that would get that crowd (Obama, Reid, Pelosi, Boehner, Bush, etc.) into the same room on an informal basis. McCain had been saying darkly for days that there WAS no consensus, that there would BE no action, yet the financial markets would flounder without quick action. So he tried to force the situation by endangering what the Democrats wanted more than anything else - the Presidential debate in Mississippi where they presumed that Obama would wipe up the floor with him.

Going in a two o'clock, the Democrats engaged in a little histrionic eyerolling. Of COURSE there was an agreement in principle, of course legislation would pass - within hours! This was just McCain showboating, and while they would humor him, it really was poor form to try to make Congress look divided when everything was decided. Barney Frank went so far as to compare McCain to the late comedian Andy Kaufman, singing the Mighty Mouse song, "HERE I cooome to save the DAaaay..."

Early leaks sneered at McCain for sitting there like a lump and barely speaking, when HE was the one who instigated the meeting in the first place. But by four pm, the picture had changed.

The Senate Democrats, the President, Sec. Paulsen and Bernanke were all on the same page. The House members of Financial Services had apparently been well briefed by their Senate counterparts - the only thing to do was to add more 'constituent' protection in addition to properly punishing the Evil Korprorations. Free mortgage bailouts for all! In fact, Speaker Pelosi had begun to ruminate about getting rid of those credit card balances for the little people as well. And then the House Republicans spiked the entire deal, and it all fell apart.

It's interesting - Anyone who thinks that McCain has 'voted with' Bush by voting with the Republican leadership has been shown just how much control Bush has over Congress. McCain has served in Congress for decades, and knows people like Mike Pence and Boehnor who are adamantly opposed to the bailout. Both say they were never consulted about the bill, but were expected by the Senate and the President to just rubber stamp what was put in front of them. John McCain has actually performed a real service by making these people sit down together, sooner rather than later, and get Frank and Dodd to stop swanning around claiming the problem is solved just because THEY know what they want.

Once again, Obama has voted 'Present' by not knowing the temper of the Congress due to his lack of legislative experience and Congressional connections, and his insistence that trading rhetoric is more important than trading - and listening to - ideas and perspectives. Like the old joke about the tombstone that reads, "I TOLD You I was Sick!" , McCain sounded a necessary alarm and exposed a problem the cognoscenti though nonexistent.

Not that it was necessary or anything....

A Boy Will Always Need His Mother....

Porcupine lost his own mother when she was 64, and cannot imagine a richer experience than to have a wonderful mother throughout an entire life. A very happy Mother's Day to Roberta McCain!

M & M '08?

Many months ago (November of 2006, as it happens), Porcupine was talking with the redoubtable Massachusetts National Committee Man Ron Kaufman about the 2008 race.

It was a badly kept secret that Romney was considering a run, but Kaufman had an interesting insight. "For the last eight years, we've had the vigorous young man with the wise older counselor to guide him (referring to Bush and Cheney). But what about the brave sage, with the energetic and intelligent younger man to aid him and learn from him? THAT would work for eight years as well!"

Of course, Romney's campaign took off in a way that was totally unanticipated, making an obscure Northeastern governor from the wrong party into a national political figure, making him a viable candidate for the nomination itself. But it's interesting that somebody as politically astute as Kaufman may have had this image in mind all along.

And really - can you even imagine a similar photograph of Clinton and Obama?

Its Five Year Mission...To Explore New Worlds....

What began like this - an unprecedented and classy act of setting aside a campaign voluntarily to give the party's nominee a clear field - was perceived as being REALLY this, by cartoonist Paul Szep -


But, with the Associated Press stories today (this one from the Boston Herald, but the same story appears in the Cape Cod Times and dozens of other papers today) it appears that the media's love affair with John McCain is over, and they have discovered his penchant for salty language and his irascible temper.

What a pity there isn't a cool voice - respected, if a little technical, but of demonstrated loyalty and with efficient analytical skills, to act as a counterweight to the Captain. A team like this one -



Passion and Intellect. Foreign Affairs and Economy. McCain and Romney, 2008.

I'm Strong To The Finish...

From a friend in the State House...

That's the best Popeye imitation since Robin Williams!

"Yuc yuc yuc yuc yuc yuc, well blow me down!"

"Call me soft on immigration, will ya? I'll tear your face off !"

As Maine Goes, So Goes the Nation!

Mainers vote - about 73% of voters cast a ballot in 2004, compared with 64% nationally. Maine has the oldest median age in the nation, is 96% white, and as any visitor knows, over 12% of the state is below the poverty line in a high cost-of-living state.

Today, amid an ice storm and slush, they held their Republican Presidential Caucus to send 18 delegates to the convention this fall. Both popular moderate Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, spoke on behalf of John McCain.

They had a good crowd. According to the Associated Press, "Kim Pettengill, who has been a party activist for more than three decades, said Saturday's was the largest Kennebec County caucus turnout since 1980, the year Ronald Reagan won his first GOP nomination for president. Party Executive Director Julie O'Brien said other counties reported similarly heavy turnouts. In coastal Damariscotta, O'Brien said she counted about 400 people packing the meeting at the Great Salt Bay School, and local organizers said it was the biggest turnout they had seen."

To put this in perspective, Porcupine met Sen. McCain there at a rally for candidate Chan Woodcock in 2006, and 25 people was considered a big event.

But, at the end of the day, the caucus went to Romney, whose son Tagg attended the caucuses. The vote tallied Romney with 53 percent of the vote, John McCain trailing with 21 percent, Ron Paul was third with 19 percent, and Mike Huckabee had 5 percent. Undecided votes accounted for 2 percent.

A couple of observations - Huckabee blew it big-time by not campaigning here. Maine is Oklahoma with pine trees. The tiny town where Porcupine has his summer burrow has only 2,400 people - about the same size as the town of West Tisbury here in Massachusetts - but four competing Baptist churches. Also, all the flap about Romney not being backed by more Republican Governors - if both popular Senators personally spoke on caucus day for McCain, how influential are these endorsements, anyway?

Mainers are concerned about the economy - with good reason - and illegal immigration across their largely unpatrolled border. The 9/11 terrorists began their flight at the Bangor International Airport, flying in from Canada and proceeding to Logan Airport in Boston. Porcupine believes it was Romney's stance on these issues that proved so appealing, and wonders if this vote is a harbinger of next Tuesday.

Tired Old Script

Nowhere has it been more apparent that mainstream reporters are cliche clinging, almost pre-programmed in their coverage of stories, than in the coverage of the primary races.

Recently on Media Nation, Porcupine was debating a Boston Globe article by Jeff Jacoby, called "What Would Reagan Say?" , which implied that Romney's Michigan pledge to reinvent the car industry (something his Dad actually did with the introduction of the compact car) was anti-Reagan pandering.

Well, I'm more of a Goldwater Republican myself, but as to what would Reagan say, per Mr. Jacoby? Reagan would say he bailed out Chrysler.

Reporters like to follow a well-worn rut when doing political reporting. Romney has more delegates, more first place finishes, and more campaign funds than any other candidate and yet the Punditocracy keeps syaing he'll have to drop out. Because he isn't following their script. Of course, the front loaded primaries weren't on their script either, and that is what is driving events. The reporters sound like Paul Harvey talking about what was, not is or will be.

Why was all the media attendion on South Carolina, with 31 delegates, instead of Nevada with 34? Because that's how the old script was written. I'm sorry that reporters loathe Mitt Romney (Why? He's always been unfailingly polite with them...) but media can't shape public opinion any more just like unions can't deliver membership as voters any more either. Actual voters are choosing Mitt Romney - he's gotten more votes than any other candiate, too. In fact, in Nevada, he got more votes by himself that all the Democratic candidates put together!

McCain cannot win without independents to prop up his numbers in open primaries. In the closed primaries coming up, Mitt Romney will secure the nomination. Florida will be the beginning.

YouTube Republic

Well, the snowman was there and said Hi! to Mitt Romney in his helium voice. The Florida Republican YouTube debate was tonight. A CNN transcript is HERE, and YouTube's video recap is HERE.

Porcupine thought the questions were decent enough on the whole, if a little predictable. Why there were no questions of the enviornment, health care or education is a travesty. It was nice to see all the candidates get some time, and Duncan Hunter was a particular beneficiary of the work of Anderson Cooper to give all eight a chance to participate. UPDATE - the mom with toys from China was a union manager; the girl asking about abortion works for the Edwards campaign; and the Log Cabin Questioner is a declared Obama supporter, in ADDITION to the Clinton campaign plant - Porcupine's opinion of the questions and the editing process has just taken an elevator ride to the basement.

Each candidate got their own 30 second YouTube spot as well. Guiliani’s 30 second spot was the very best, using his quirky humor to take credit for 'Decreased Snowfall in New York!'. But the humor blew up in his face when he accused Romney of not merely having a sanctuary city, but a sanctuary mansion by having illegals work on his law. “Wait a minute – if you hire a company to paint your house or put on a roof, do you go out and demand to see the papers of anybody who is a different color or has a different accent than you? THAT is Un-American!”. Later, Fred Thompson chipped in that he was surprised Guiliani would bring up employees, as 'I guess we've ALL hired some people who didn't work out exactly the way we thought they would...', a reference to Bernard Kerik.

McCain was the straight talk guy again. On amnesty to Ron Paul - 'That kind of isolationism brought on WW II'; on torture to Romney - 'I am shocked that you think that kind of tretment could ever be used by Americans' and suggesting that we need to either abide by the Geneva Convention or leave it. Romney said he didn’t think it was wise for a candidate to be too specific, which Porcupine happens to think is a prudent position but a poor debating point.

Mike Huckabee had the best spontaneous jokes of the night, and his appeal is obvious. He personifies compassionate conservatism, and comes across as warm and engaged.

The only real ringer of the night was a YouTube question selected from retired Army general, Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr. After listing his military credentials, he said at the end of his video that he is an openly gay man and wanted to know why gays can't serve in the professional military. It produced discomfort from all the candidates as Anderson Cooper needled them to respond. Later, Politico reported that Kerr was on the Steering Committee of "Veterans for Kerry", and now Nightline reports that he serves on the advisory committee for the Clinton campaign.

Anderson Cooper opened the debate by saying that "All the questions come from you", and that there were 5,000 questions, about 2,000 more than the Democrat debate attracted. CNN represents this as 'The People's Debate'. Based on Cooper's choice to have the Clinton campaign not only be selected to ask the questions, but to be seated in the audience for follow up, Porcupine is curious as to what 'people'they refer to, as Porcupine awaits the use of Karl Rove as a questioner in the next Democrat debate.

Wheat and Chaff

Now that the dust has begun to settle from the Ames, Iowa straw poll, Porcupine has some observations about some common themes, and some ideas of his own to present.

First, the Chaff -

The straw poll this year has less significance, as the turnout was so much lower.

Actually, as the Des Moines Register pointed out, attendance this year was more in line with previous polls - it was the heavy turnout in 1999 that was the exception. In 1995, attendance was described as having 'ballooned' to 11,000, while this year it was 14,302, and for the first time, a valid Iowa ID was required. Back in 1987, it was only 3,500 attendees.

The poll is not really a victory for Romney, because the other top tier candidates didn’t compete.

Please explain to Porcupine why building such a well run team that your opponents are afraid to compete, as it might muss their MSM story-lines, isn’t a victory.

Romney did just about as well as expected.

Actually, Romney did better than expected. A Friday poll had Romney at 25%, Giuliani at 23%, McCain at 21%, and Huckabee and Brownback tied with 8% - the others were less than 3%. Romney got 32% of the vote - a slightly better percentage than George Bush in 1999 - and Giuliani and McCain got less than 1%. In fact, McCain got 101 votes overall, fewer than every other candidate but John Cox. Additionally, while Romney beat his nearest competitor by 13%, Bush only defeated Steve Forbes by 10%.

Romney purchased the poll, spending almost $500 per vote.

If Ames were the only Iowa event, that assessment would be correct. As it is, Romney has built name recognition for the caucus, and has established a working team on the ground for that - something his 'top-tier' rivals, those MSM darlings, have yet to do.

Now for the Wheat -

Almost as satisfying as Romney’s first place was Huckabee’s victory over Brownback.

Consider – CNN polling had them both at 8%, and then Sen. Brownback went on a spiteful tear against both Romney and Huckabee, saying that they weren’t Christian or Conservative. Huckabee blew up and pushed back against the television ads and robo-calls, and was rewarded with a second place finish over the candidate who had hired over 100 buses to ferry in his support. There is a phenomenon in Iowa known as ‘faithless riders’ – that is, people take the free ride, maybe even the free ticket and free lunch and swag bag with the tee shirts and foam toys, but still cast their secret ballot for somebody else. At one point on Saturday, Huckabee said, “I can’t buy you. Heck, I can’t even RENT you!” in describing his spending. The secret of his success had to be Faithless Riders, and it gives Porcupine a great deal of pleasure to see such mean spirited and petty tactics blow up in a candidate like Brownback’s face – it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

The Three Wise Men – Giuliani, McCain and Fred Thompson – goofed up badly.

The day after the Ames straw poll, the announcement was made that the Iowa caucuses are moved up an additional three weeks, and the New Hampshire primary will be in early January as well. So instead of having a team in place to work now, they have less than five months to put one together, and get to explain why they blew off the state’s single most important GOP fundraiser as well.

Tommy Thompson is an honest man.

He said if he didn’t finish at the top, he would drop out – and he did. That’s what a Straight Talk Express looks like.

Oh - and Ron Paul is apparently a Virtual candidate, as few actual Human Voters showed up for him despite his vast Internet poll victories. Once again - the only polls that count are taken every two years!

Krusty Konservative: Don’t call it a come back...

Porcupine admires many other conservative bloggers, and none more than Krusty Conservative.

Porcupine will NOT call this a comeback, in deference to his wishes, but rather a Revival. Krusty casts all of the GOP candidates as characters in the new 'Simpsons' movie, and is grateful that Mitt Romney escaped being cast as Ned Flanders.

Now, he'd ONLY thought to cast Lisa as Condi Rice....and perhaps GWB as Moe....


Krusty Konservative: Don’t call it a come back...

What, Me Worry?

(Porcupine is well served by his friends....knowing he is only recently returned and is catching up on all things political, one of the Dark Lords of the Golden Dome sent this as a picture to amuse. Meanwhile, Porcupine is trying to determine if he can have Mitt Romney's left over makeup session, and is doing some research into the depradations of that scalawag par excellance, Sen. Ted Stevens [R-Greedyville]. McCain's turn as Alfred E. Newman is particulary appropriate as he just lost his South Carolina chair...)

Sunday Summer Sing Along - Number Two!

Porcupine was almost afraid that his second entry in the Sunday Summer Sing Along would be too late, given the rapid course of recent events. Lest you think that Porcupine revels in the misery of others (well, yes, he does but that's beside the point) be assured that this song for Sen. John McCain was written a while ago - and has another Cole Porter classic as its melody, 'Down in the Depths on the 90th Floor'.

With a million neocon pundits ready to hang me,
And a million hack reporters raising a roar,
Here I sit, Straight Talk Express,
Making sense of this huge mess,
Down in the depths
The front runner no more!

Since I lost to Bush I’ve Been the Media’s Hero,
I’m the Senate Maverick with the BIG ’08 Roar,
Now deserted and depressed
With my pitiful war chest,
Down in the depths
The front runner no more…

When Your One Last Chance Just Slips Between Your Fingers,
What's the Use of Rank and Senate Cachet Galore?
Why, Even That Nobody, Mitt,
Has Been Turning Into a Hit,
And Here I Am, Facing Tomorrow,
Alone in my Sorrow,
Down in the Depths
The Front Runner No More….
Deep in the Depths, The Front Runner No More…

Next week: A Ballad for Barack!

Out of State Adventures in the Alternative Universe

The Minute You Think You’re Out, That’s When They Pull You Right Back In Again
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Godfather III

Porcupine really does try to go on vacation. Really.

Sitting up in Maine, in a little place off the electric grid, Porcupine was musing about why he tried to treat himself with insect repellant when the insects appeared unfazed by these nostrums, and why he bothers with screens when the various flying insects breeze through them laughing. Typical Maine summer activities, not political at all. Turning a limp page of a local paper on a humid day, Porcupine saw a notice that jolted him out of his apolitical torpor – Senator John McCain would be making a campaign appearance with gubernatorial candidate Chandler Woodcock, and would be pressing the flesh at the Yarmouth Clam Festival. The proximity of Yarmouth, Maine was too much to resist.

Porcupine spoke to the director of the Maine Republican Party to be sure he was welcome, and then went to the morning press conference at DeLorme, a fantastic map company with an accurate and proportional three story tall globe called Eartha which slowly turns on its axis, replicating the movement of the earth. Porcupine has long been a fan of the DeLorme map books, and has been to the plant before, and would urge it upon anyone going up Route 295 to Freetown.

A Maine crowd is very different from a Massachusetts one – for instance, it’s smaller. When Sen. McCain arrived with Candidate Woodcock, there were only about twenty people there, excluding reporters, so Sen. McCain was autographing books and posing for photos in a leisurely fashion. It’s interesting to meet presidential candidates in person. He is shorter than you might think, and a little slighter (Mitt Romney is also slight, almost like a greyhound, but very tall). He is a little frail, but has a good strong handshake, and seems a little older until he steps in front of the cameras (rather like Ted Kennedy, who lights up when TV cameras are pointed at him).

After taking his place at the podium with Woodcock, McCain took questions from a bevy of reporters. He had been to Maine earlier, and had campaigned on behalf of Woodcock’s primary opponent, saying he had a special reason to make such an appearance. An aggressive redheaded young lady from the Portland Press Herald reminded him of this in a sneering way, and demanded what his special reason for appearing with Chan Woodcock might be.

“That’s easy”, McCain calmly replied. “He won.”

This same young lady asked the Senator about Lebanon. What response did he have to the condemnation of our European allies for being so one-sided in this matter, and wasn’t the US trying to go it alone once again with cowboy diplomacy?

The Senator’s lips compressed into an angry line. “I’m very disappointed in our European allies. We need to keep an important fact in mind here – Israel was the one attacked. Hezbollah has as part of its charter the goal of destroying Israel, of murdering them all, and we need to remember that our country can never be a party to such extermination. It’s about time we remembered to look at this through the eyes of the Israelis who live in terror, not just the Palestinians.”

John McCain gave a brief speech on international relations, the importance of party loyalty, the excellence of Chan Woodcock as a candidate (running against a disaster like Baldacci, he should win in November!), and the enjoyment he gets out of serving with Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, Maine's two Republican women Senators. He then went to the Clam Fest after a cordial leave taking, as Porcupine headed north to take the mosquitoes on again.

Porcupine’s overall impression? His chance was six years ago; he is a little old now. His energy and intelligence are still at high ebb, but the burden of the Presidency, combined with his age, makes him a less than excellent candidate for 2008. Porcupine has many bones to pick with him, McCain-Feingold among them, but John McCain is an intelligent, dedicated and thoughtful leader, and it is to be hoped that he will be given a prominent role – be it as a Cabinet appointment or advisor – in our next Republican administration. It was a real pleasure to meet a bona fide American Hero, but then again, Maine is The Way Life Should Be.

There are two items Porcupine wishes to call to your attention. First, Porcupine has a truly exceptional tenant this week - Ogre's Politics and Views - and he hopes all visitors wil take the time to visit the venerable Mr. Ogre by clicking on the Rent My Blog box. Secondly, for a long time, Porcupine has had an icon stating "I'm A Proud Friend of Israel" on his blog, but in light of current evets, he has decided to move it to the top of the page. Porcupine urges all bloggers to similarly register their support, and to keep those trapped in the situation in the Middle East in our thoughts and prayers.