Report: McCain Camp Divided Over Facing Clinton, Obama

Texas Monthly:

Last night I moderated/facilitated a conversation at the Headliner's Club in Austin between old (and still) friends and (possibly future) collaborators Mark McKinnon and Matthew Dowd, whose work on the '00 and '04 Bush-Cheney campaigns is near-legendary. McKinnon is today, of course, a diehard McCainiac, at the center of the Arizona Senator's '08 campaign. Dowd is happily on the sidelines this election cycle but is only too happy to kibbitz about the race. They were terrific separately and together: bracingly candid, congenitally charming, full of insight and foresight. Here are my takeaways, in no particular order, from a great hour-plus:

1. McKinnon says the McCain camp is divided on which Democrat would be a tougher opponent in the fall election. Half think Obama would be more formidable (he puts himself in that group). Half think Clinton would.

Read the whole story: Texas Monthly

Comments

[rrafiringa]

I must say McCain's reasons to remain in Iraq have some merit, however, due to the very nature of this war, which started with a fallacy, staying there would be a major breach of ethics and thus a disservice to the soldiers fighting there first, the American people, and the Iraqi. Also those merits can be speculated as no one really knows how it will turn out if we stay in Iraq on our own.
I prefer Obama's approach, which consists of refocusing our military forces in Afghanistan. Wherever our army goes, that's where Al Qaeda will follow. In Afghanistan, we'll be able to give our army some respite because NATO forces are there as well.

[MACS]

.
As Gomer Pyle would say, "SURPRIZE, SURPRIZE."


NOT
.

[tumblewind]

All I see in McCain is another Bush!!!! Every time he opens his mouth nothing but lies and ignorance rolls out in torrents. He is always sticking his foot in a pile of cow s... that he is forced to backtrack and pull it out of. He has to have one of the old Republican guard there to correct his missteps. If that's all the Republican's have to offer as a candidate I will pass!

[stupidme]

John McCain, and his "Whitebread Express" is going fail beyond imagination. And in the end, he will be his own worst emeny -- and Republican's know it. Even the eventual "terrorist warnings" that will come in the fall won't help. And as an aside, I'm thinking that HuffPo should run a contest to predict the number of warnings, the colors, dates, etc. that Bush is going to issue.

[neocon43]

Explain to me then how Obama wins nomination without Florida,Oh­io,P.A.,Mi­chigan which Mccain will win.

[milo9]

To beat the republicans, attack them at their "strong point" : Karl Rove. His indictment would be so beautiful.

[dax49]

i want to know where the republicans dig up these bottom feeders. the list of carnivores just keep growing

[Subtle]

McKinnon had maps of the states broken down by electoral votes -- what McCain was likely to get in a race vs. Obama and, separately, in a race vs. Clinton. He didn't talk about them, but I thought it was interesting that the printed header on both read "Karl Rove & Co." I thought Rove wasn't doing work for McCain. Maybe he's also just "cheerleading"?

No surprise here. I'm sure most people noticed Rove left the White House when McCain's campaign was dead and done and that McCain's campaign miraculously resurrected not long after. McCain sold out to support Bush in '04 and it's not hard to connect the dots and realize what the deal was. White House hard disks can't be erased at will anymore. Thus Karl couldn't orchestrate McCain's campaign from the White House.

[GOP4MoreTears]

Why does the GOP hate America so much?

[neocon43]

You would be the perfect person to explain hate.