McCain Adviser Loves Obama
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James Joyner | Thursday, February 14, 2008 |
When I saw the headline “McCain Adviser Won’t Fight Obama,” I surmised that a challenge to duel was being declined. The real story is actually even more bizarre.
A top adviser to John McCain said Wednesday that he will step down from the Arizona senator’s presidential campaign if the presumed GOP nominee faces Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the general election.
“I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama,” said McCain adviser Mark McKinnon in an interview with NPR’s “All Things Considered.” “I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign.”
McKinnon, who was a Democrat before serving as President Bush’s ad maker in 2000 and 2004, said that he plans to be behind McCain “100 percent” no matter who the Democratic nominee is. He explained, however, that if the Democrats nominate Obama, he will be supporting McCain “from the sidelines.”
It turns out, though, that McKinnon had gone on the record with this position repeatedly, giving interviews to this effec at least as early as last June so, presumably, McCain knew this already. Which, really, makes it even more strange.
The obvious explanation, of course, is that McKinnon presumed Hillary Clinton would be the nominee. That’s much, much less certain than it once was.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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It's time to let this person go. Top campaign officials should have a measure of loyalty to their candidate or get off the bus.
By publicly stating his intentions he has already damaged the McCain candidacy and advocated for a likely opponent. Back stabbing in politics is still back stabbing. Shameless.
A few days ago, I made a point about the Obama Campaign worker, who posted a Che flag.... I said that she'd likely not be associating herself with such things if she figured Obama and Che were working opposite ends of the political spectrum.
I would point out that the same thing applies here; Clearly, McKinnon feels McCaina and Obama are working in the same general neighborhood.
Seems logical to aver also that he only came on with McCain for the purpose of defeating Clinton.
I wonder how many supposedly Indy McCain followers were on McCain's bandwagon because he was seen as the best deal liberals were going to get, assuming a Clinton nomination. How many will follow McKinnon's suit?
Seems logical? What planet are you from that this seems logical????
You work for a campaign because you feel the person would make the best prez. NOT just the best candidate to take on another candidate.
But hardly surprising that a McCain supporter likes Barack Hussein Obama. McCain is a huge moderate, almost a Dem (shudder!!!). But he's our guy and at least better than either dem. So I'm behind him.
Any guy wearing a Key West-style Panama hat like that should be considered suspect, regardless.
McCain should dump him immediately. Given his stylistic predilections, I'm sure McKinnon would be fully embraced by someone like Larry Craig.
Look folks, it would be one thing if McKinnon had taken this stance deep into the McCain campaign, but McKinnon made his position clear BEFORE McCain hired him!!! If you're going to fault anybody, fault John McCain for his poor judgment! This only serves to underscore Obama's broad appeal and the fact that only he can unite this country and lead the free world into the future!
Look folks, it would be one thing if McKinnon had taken this stance deep into the McCain campaign, but McKinnon made his position clear BEFORE McCain hired him!!! If you're going to fault anybody, fault John McCain for his poor judgment!
I for one already have.
Further, I take it as an indication of where his true politics lie.
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