Chris Matthews Had A Field Day With This Clip:



Not very... Presidential. Look, they've all done the comedy shows. From Saturday Night Live to Jimmy Kimmel to John Stewart or the Colbert Report, politicians are reaching out to a whole new audience of voters. The problem is, all of this is going to be used to make them look silly eventually. John McCain was just having some fun and if he hadn't done this he would have been accused of being too stiff or not hip. Chris Matthews shoe-horned this into his broadcast in a clear attempt to mock John McCain as the skit is from 2002 - When McCain wasn't running for President.

John McCain's Daughter Goes Republican For Father's Day:

As some of you may know, I have been registered as an Independent since I was 18 years old. However, after careful thought and consideration, I recently decided to change my political party affiliation. This morning, I went to the State Capitol Executive Building in Phoenix with Mom and re-registered as a Republican. I did this as a symbol of my commitment to my dad and to represent the faith I have in his ability to be an effective leader for our country and to grow and strengthen the Republican party when he is elected President of the United States. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Seems like a bizarre present to me but she had to do it eventually. What better day to switch parties than Father's Day?

The 'Incredible McCain Girl' Video Is The Best I've Seen:



Apparently this is from 'Barely Political' which I believe is owned by the same folks who run CollegeHumor.com. Regardless of where it came from or who paid for the production it's probably the coolest viral McCain ad you will see all campaign long.

McCain Reminds Pennsylvanians About Obama's 'Bitter' Remark:

“We’re going to go to the small towns in Pennsylvania and I’m gonna to tell them I don’t agree with Senator Obama that they cling to their religion and the Constitution because they’re bitter.”

Expect this to be used in every Presidential debate that follows...

I Love The Use Of The Ridiculous Phrase 'Anti-Choice' Here:

Here's what you can do: send this video to everyone you know and Digg It! By taking these steps, you can help educate female voters in battleground states about McCain's anti-choice record. And don't forget to donate to Brave New PAC so we can continue our campaign to bring you the REAL McCain.

We're talking about a man who has voted anti-choice 123 out of 128 times. A man who wouldn't require prescription coverage for birth control. A man who voted against allocating $100 million to preventative health services that would have reduced unintended and teen pregnancies. A man who could irreparably damage women's rights in our country unless we get the word out about him now.

These folks are now terrified of even mentioning the word 'abortion'. I mean, anti-choice? Come on. This whole 'Real McCain' campaign has come off very amateurish so far.

I've been sitting back and gauging this first round round of back-and-forth action and I can already tell you that, despite what McCain and Obama will have you believe, this is going to be a dirty campaign. We haven't seen much in the way of 501 action yet but, trust me, we will in the very near future.

John McCain Was Pressed On Past Martial Infidelity Monday:

My second and final question, you talk a lot about the character issue...and...like you, um, I was opposed to gay marriage, I was in always in favor of civil unions but the basic definition of marriage....but, then I get to thinking, that is based on what we consider to be the sanctity of marriage. There is nothing....you see long-term couples splitting up, it's, it's just crazy...I know that you, your own situation, you're going to have to address that in the campaign. Infidelity is just a terrible cancer on this country....and I think if we're going to talk about...gay marriage, it has to be in the context of the preservation of marriage...which I just don't see it, I think we need to make it more difficult for people to get married, or whatever we need to do..if that's...if we're going to be consistent.

Ouch. John McCain chose to ignore that part of the question.

John McCain Trades Verbal Jabs With Anti-War Protesters:



These folks are nothing if not consistent. I thought McCain handled it quite well actually. After the second or third interruption he was clearly flustered but he recovered with the 'I will never surrender in Iraq' line. Eventually, they weeded the loons out and wrapped it up.

John McCain Steps Away From Controversial Pastor John Hagee:

(CNN) — In the face of mounting controversy over headline-grabbing statements from Pastor John Hagee, CNN has learned presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has decided to reject his endorsement.

The Huffington Post had published a recording of Hagee saying that Adolf Hitler had been fulfilling God’s will by hastening the desire of Jews to return to Israel in accordance with biblical prophecy.

“Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well,” McCain said in a statement to CNN Thursday.

He added that his relationship with Hagee did not compare with Obama’s lengthy association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. “I have said I do not believe Senator Obama shares Reverend Wright's extreme views. But let me also be clear, Reverend Hagee was not and is not my pastor or spiritual advisor, and I did not attend his church for twenty years. I have denounced statements he made immediately upon learning of them, as I do again today,” said McCain.

Any comparisons between the Hagee endorsement and the lifetime relationship between Senator Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright are outlandish. The media has chased this story and pushed it, however irrelevant it is, until now. If anything, it proves that there are religious extremists on all sides but John Hagee isn't the lifelong pal to McCain that Jeremiah Wright was to Obama.

John McCain Prepares Weekend Powwow For Possible VP Picks:

IRVINE, California (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain will spend time this weekend with three politicians who have been mentioned prominently by Republicans as possible vice presidential running mates.

A McCain campaign official said on Wednesday McCain would host former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at his ranch in Sedona, Arizona. A total of 10 couples were invited.

"It's a purely social weekend with friends, something he obviously likes to do from time to time," said the official.

Jindal is too inexperienced, the rumor mill says Crist has skeletons in his closet and Romney has made his interest clear. Mitt Romney polls very strong against other fantasy tickets and all signs point to a McCain/Romney ticket. Meanwhile, Obama's VP search begins.

Liberal Paper 'Mother Jones' Tries To 'Wright' John McCain:

During a 2005 sermon, a fundamentalist pastor whom Senator John McCain has praised and campaigned with, called Islam "the greatest religious enemy of our civilization and the world," claiming that the historic mission of America is to see "this false religion destroyed." In this taped sermon currently sold by his megachurch, the Reverend Rod Parsley reiterates and amplifies harsh and derogatory comments about Islam he made in his book, Silent No More, published the same year he delivered these remarks. Meanwhile, McCain has stuck to his stance of not criticizing Parsley, an important political ally in a crucial swing state.

The entire hit-piece was penned by David Corn and lacks any perspective whatsoever. The circulation of Mother Jones is less than 250k and my guess is most of those folks use it to check their oil or clean up spills. That said, I can't blame Corn for his pathetic attempt at a 'gotcha' here, he needs the attention. Problem is, this isn't Reverend Wright. Hell, this isn't even McCain's Reverend. Reverend Parsley supports John McCain, not the other way around.

Are Reverend Parsley's comments out of line? Yes. But they are no more out of line than comments made by strident Obama and Clinton supporters that neither one of those candidates have distanced themselves from. The fact is, Parsley isn't relevant. He's not claiming the United States infected black people. He's not saying that the United States deserved the September 11th attacks. He's not Reverend Wright. Additionally, what he's saying on a grand scale is being taken out of context. Nice try Corn, back to the drawing board.

The Bobby Jindal Buzz Is Stronger Than Ever These Days:

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The young Indian-American governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, said in an interview with Fox News on Monday he did not expect John McCain to ask him to be his running mate for the November election.

Jindal's name has been floated increasingly in recent days as a vice presidential choice of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.

At 36 the Louisiana governor would offer an age counterbalance to Senator McCain, who if elected would be -- at 72 -- the oldest US president to take his first-term oath of office.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal doesn't think McCain will choose him and neither do I but there are many people pushing his name around. Bill Kristol posted an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday talking about the Jindal push and Newsweek elaborated online. Many have compared him to Barrack Obama but I just don't see him pulling in conservative or blue-collar voters on a national level. I still say Romney, Pawlenty and Huckabee are the most likely.

Former Biden Staffer Asks John McCain An Offensive Question:

Clive businessman Marty Parrish was escorted from Sen. John McCain's town hall meeting by Des Moines police and members of the Secret Service after asking McCain if he had called his wife Cindy an expletive in 1992.


Parrish, an ordained Baptist minister who holds a master's degree in political science, was questioned by Secret Service agents before being released. He was not charged in the incident. Parrish asked whether McCain called his wife Cindy an expletive related to the female anatomy, as has been alleged in the book "The Real McCain," written by Dem strategist Cliff Schecter.

McCain's response got him a round of applause from the crowd: "There's people here who don't respect that kind of language, so I'll move on to the next questioner in the back."

In an interview with IowaPolitics.com, Parrish said his intentions were simple in posing the question to McCain. The former Joe Biden campaign worker stressed he is very concerned about the Republican presidential nominee's temperament.

"We have a man whose temper can get the best of him," Parrish said. "What I am worried about is his temper. Our country is in a serious crisis. This election is the most significant one since 1860. It appears America is asleep -- so I stood up and asked the question."

Apparently Marty Parish was at the event as a correspondent for the Arianna Huffington's Liberal website The Huffington Post.

Romney, Pawlenty And Huckabee Top The List As Others Bow Out:

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said today that he does not consider himself a likely candidate to be on presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain's short list for a running mate because he is still on hurricane duty, and he said the Arizona senator ought to wait until it is clear whom his opponent will be before picking a vice presidential nominee.

OK, so Barbour's out of the running. What about Senator Thune?

BROOKINGS (AP) -- U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., says he does not expect to be selected as Sen. John McCain's running mate in the presidential race.

But McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, may pick South Dakota's junior senator, predicts MSNBC's "Hardball" talk show host, Chris Matthews.

Thune is adding no fuel to the fire.

"I very much like what I do," he says. "I don't have any desire to do anything else."

Thune is out as well. Add to this our earlier updates on possible VP choices for McCain and it's down to three. Huckabee, Romney and Pawlenty are the obvious favorites and I think one of them (or an unknown as of yet) will be chosen by June.

Update: Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn is generating a lot of buzz as a potential choice as well. She's been hard at work rallying the local GOP in her district but she's relatively unknown on a national level. Also, it looks like Blackburn may have trouble simply retaining her current position in Congress. She did have an interesting back-and-forth with MSNBC's David Shuster when he hyperventilated at the thought that she couldn't name the last soldier who died in Iraq from her district. Shuster later apologized for the incident. Blackburn is also dealing with some campaign finance violation issues. Too dirty. Too unknown. Too unimpressive.

Update: Bob Novak says Romney leads the list of potentials.

Will McCain name a vice presidential candidate in mid-July to step up fund-raising before the national convention, or will he wait until Democrats make their choice in late August? A rumor running through the political community now puts former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the lead for VP. But Romney has many critics in the McCain inner circle, and we don’t think the decision has been made.

Former Hewlett Packard Chief Carly Fiorina Is A Bad Choice:

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KCBS) - Former HP chief Carly Fiorina is rumored to be near the top of a very short list of possible Vice Presidential candidates.

Fiorina has already joined the Republican National Committee as the party's "Victory Chairman." She has been promoting presumed GOP presidential candidate John McCain on the campaign trail. "John McCain has the right vision for our country and the character, experience and judgment to lead," she has said.

Will this former Silicon Valley CEO's support of McCain translate into her selection as running mate? A top Republican party official has suggested that McCain "could do a lot worse than Carly."

I don't have a lot of positive things to say about Carly Fiorina. She was a failed executive a Hewlett Packard and If she can't run a computer company, she certainly can't run this country. When Fiorina was forced out at HP the stock bounced up as much as ten percent. "The stock is up a bit on the fact that nobody liked Carly's leadership all that much," said Robert Cihra, an analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners. I think this is a calculated move to confuse the DNC in their attempt to guess who McCain will chose. Either that or Carly Fiorina is looking for a little positive publicity for herself.

Oh yeah, and those Bobby Jindal rumors are bogus as well.

Meet Ashley Zais, Miss South Carolina And A McCain Staffer:

Ashley Zais, a recent Wofford grad, will serve as McCain's intern coordinator at the campaign's headquarters.

She met McCain last year when the senator gave a speech at South Carolina's Newberry College, where her father is president. Mitchell Zais, a retired Army general, and McCain became friendly after Zais published a piece in 2006 critical of how Rumsfeld's Pentagon had handled the war.

The younger Zais, it should be made clear, is NOT the same South Carolina beauty queen who has become a YouTube legend for her painful flub of a paegant question.

I've never heard of Wofford but I'd hire her in a split second.

Update: A commenter below claims the third photo isn't Zais.

Polish Political Sources Say Tim Pawlenty Will Get The Nod:

John McCain, the only republican candidate for the American presidency, is now to name his deputy, possibly a Pole, informs GAZETA WYBORCZA. Many politicians would like to become candidates for the post of vice-president. Former McCain’s rivals, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, are still on the list. However, some experts claim that Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, is a No. 1 candidate. Pawlenty, or actually Pav-lenty, was born into a family of Polish immigrants. He’s a lawyer, like many Polish Americans of the second or third generation. He’s just 47, so he’s pretty young, and rather conservative.

I can't vouch for the reliability of this source but it's an interesting choice. Many McCain camp insiders have hinted that the Vice Presidential candidate would be a relatively unknown governor and Pawlenty would certainly fit that mold. He wouldn't outshine McCain and, at 47-years-old, he's much younger. He's been a very vocal supporter of John McCain this election cycle and, as for conservative credentials, he's been called the most conservative governor of Minnesota since the 1920s. Robert Novak points out some potential problems with Pawlenty here but I think this could be McCain's pick.

Could this be a glimpse into the future for the Republican Party?

John McCain Releases Tax Returns From Both 2006 And 2007:



[McCain Tax Return For 2006] [McCain Tax Return For 2007]

Peter Doocy Is Fox & Friends Co-Host Steve Doocy's Son:

A second student raised Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's weekend visit to an Indiana bar, where she knocked back a shot of whiskey.

"I was wondering if you think that she's finally resorted to hitting the sauce just because of some unfavorable polling. And I was also wondering if you would care to join me for a shot after this?" the student asked.

Hoots and hollers came from the audience. McCain laughed, too.

"I did not see the clip of it but I certainly heard about it, and whatever makes Senator Clinton happy is ... is certainly, uh, certainly ...," McCain said with a broad smile, chuckling and raising his eyebrows.

I hate Steve Doocy but I think his son will grow up just fine.

John McCain And Condi Rice Seems To Be A Winning Ticket:

In a new poll conducted by Marist College and WNBC, a McCain-Rice ticket would beat a ticket that includes both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in New York — a state that reliably votes for the Democratic candidate. (In 2004, John Kerry beat President Bush there by nearly 20 points. In 2000, the margin between Al Gore and Bush was an even higher 25 points.)

But should McCain and Rice team up, the poll suggests the two Republicans would carry New York, defeating a Clinton-Obama ticket by 3 points (49-46 percent) and an Obama-Clinton ticket by 5 points (49-44 percent.)

Keep in mind, Rice continues to deny any interest in the position.

Dan Senor On ABC News 'This Week' Says Condi Is Campaigning:



You'll remember our post about John McCain's 'short list' of potential VP candidates. Condi was the odds-on favorite for the spot according to that leaked list and this seems to confirm that she is, at the very least, interested in the job. Condoleezza Rice seems like a smart choice for several reasons. If Hillary is the Democrat nominee, McCain has a woman to balance out the ticket. If Obama wins, he has a black woman. Above and beyond race and politics, Rice is extremely experienced and would be ready to assume the Presidency if need be. She seems like a good candidate to me.