McCain Keeps Bush Fundraiser Under Wraps

UPDATE: Sen. Barack Obama hit McCain over the fundraiser at an event today in Nevada:

"I just had the privilege of visiting with Felicitas Rosel and Francisco Cano at their home here in Las Vegas.

Today, John McCain is having a different kind of meeting. He's holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters. And we all know why. Senator McCain doesn't want to be seen, hat-in-hand, with the President whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years."

EARLIER:

President Bush is lending his massively unpopular hand to help fundraise for GOP nominee John McCain tonight. The fundraiser will be behind closed doors. Bloomberg explains the dance that McCain is aiming to pull off, taking money from Bush while trying to distance himself from his policies.

John McCain's challenge in winning the presidency isn't unique. George H.W. Bush in 1988 and Al Gore in 2000 also struggled to chisel an identity separate from a two- term incumbent president of their party.

There's one big difference: in 1988, Ronald Reagan had a 51 percent approval rating, according to Gallup surveys, and in 2000 Bill Clinton's was 57 percent. Today, President George W. Bush's rating is 28 percent and the leading House Republican political analyst, Virginia Representative Tom Davis, said the president is "absolutely radioactive" for party candidates, including McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee.

Reuters also delves into McCain's contradictory relationship with the President:

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has said he wants help from Bush, who can haul in enormous campaign cash. But McCain has walked a fine line with the unpopular Bush, backing the president on the Iraq war while bucking him on how to address climate change.

Bush will kick off raising money for McCain on Tuesday and Wednesday at three events in Arizona and Utah, but they will only be together at one and it will be out of the public eye. That has raised questions about whether Bush helps or hurts the Arizona senator.

Comments

[ChiGuy]

Look up the word "hypocrite" in the dictionary, and you'll find this reference:

"See; McCain, John."

[kkuate]

And look up the word "idiot" in the dictionary, and you will see a photo of Kyle-Anne Shiver.

[CTmom13]

Vets for Freedom is a swiftboating group now attacking Barack Obama with a nasty smear ad suggesting that he would put America's enemies first. Apparently, John McCain approves -- he calls the group a "wonderful organization."

In addition four of his campaign officials are connected with the group: Senators Lindsay Graham and Joe Lieberman, both campaign co-chairman, also both sit on the Vets for Freedom board of advisors. The group's executive director, Pete Hegseth, is on McCain's Virginia steering committee along with the group's treasurer, Wade Zirkle.

All four men are in violation of McCain's recently announced conflict of interest policy, which states: "No person with a McCain Campaign title or position may participate in a 527 or other independent entity that makes public communications that support or oppose any presidential candidate."

Earlier this month, the campaign asked GOP consultant Craig Shirley to leave the campaign because of the same sort of conflict. If McCain also asks these four men to leave the campaign, the challenge for him will be to explain he lavishly praised as a "wonderful organization" as recently as April 8.

McCain's praise for Vets for Freedom came at a rally staged for the media. At the rally, McCain was introduced by David Bellavia, a Vets for Freedom co-founder and candidate for Congress in New York's 26th district. In his introduction, Bellavia likened Barack Obama to Tiger Words, bringing a big smile to McCain.

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/05/mccain-calls-sw.html

[izAriver]

"Two of McCain's top five advisers -- Charlie Black, and Steve Schmidt -- worked on Bush's 2004 re-election. Nicolle Wallace, the communications director in that campaign, signed up with McCain last month."

Obviously another bushit administration in the making. America can't afford to keep bushit in the white house. Get bushit out of our government!

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

LEAVE ME ALONE BUT GIVE ME THE MONEY -- sounds like 'Free Market Politics' to me.

[lornejl]

We are different but the same.

[ChiGuy]

Step-brothers.

[lornejl]

Goose-Step brothers

[Muzikal203]

So Happy Together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhakR_dork

[WasteNJ]

Yeah this might work. Follow the money, like they say. What we are watching is Bush's purchase of McCain for the continuation of the Bush agenda.

[Donnat]

Is this the exclusive fundraiser that was moved to a private home from the Phoenix convention center after McCain's campaign realized they couldn't fill it, even with a star headliner like George Bush?

In the meantime, Obama's FEC report can't even be processed because it's too big! LOL!!!

Word to Bush and Cheney - 'No surprises' is code for "don't invade Iran until after November, because it will sink me for sure"

[Scytherius]

McCain is one of the great cowards of our age.

[msmaggie]

Oh. My. God. I don't like his politics and I suspect he's a bit of a prick. But a coward? Hardly. The Obama people need to smarten up, McCain has thrown too many unanswered punches. National security experience is McCain's sole card. Obama needs to put this to rest, go on the offensive, show he's got a set. And then move the dialog to the economy.

Calling McCain a coward is the worst possible approach--those photos of him in the hospital belie the statement without McCain having to say a word. And it makes the Obama camp look both anti-military, arrogant and worse, stupid.

You've heard the expression "Give the devil his due". Good advice.

[4AmericaTheBeautiful]

To the Huff Editors: Can you guys PLEASE post a copy of Hillary's latest SD ad? It may be the most ironic political ad of ALL TIME. The topic? Fiscal responsibility and our national debt. The financing to run the ad? Debt.

[madron]

What we have here is two F---ing Morons....

[Muzikal203]

Yep, that about sums it up.

[MBFLA]

Yes, but they make such a cute couple!