You know that old expression when it rains it pours, well such seems my life today. I woke this morning, anticipating blogging on the California Supreme Court’s ruling just after 10AM, then dialing in at 11 for a bloggers’ conference call with Senator McCain.
A couple hours before the call, I checked my e-mail on my GayPatriot account to find that Pajamas wants me to write a piece on the California decision, so I’ve been toggling back and forth, trying to work on both projects.
As soon as I finish this post, I’m going to work on my marriage piece, then, time permitting, will offer some thoughts on the call with the presumptive Republican nominee. I expect other bloggers to post on this right away, so just check some of the conservative blogs, notably Commentary’s Contentions and National Review’s Campaign Spot as bloggers form those sits, Jennifer Rubin and Jim Geraghty respectively, asked the first questions and got great responses (in my mind) from the Arizona Senator.
What impressed me most about the call was the Senator’s good humor and his ability to handle questions about a great number of issues, from the war in Iraq to Lebanon to energy policy to conservative ideas and media bias. This man is very good on his feet (so to speak). He has a great command of the issues.
The focus was on Iraq. McCain found it naive for a leader to want to sit down with leaders countries which are state sponsors of terror and are sending explosive devices into Iraq, referring to Senator Obama’s comments in the Youtube debate in July that he would meet personally with the leader of Iran without precondition. He calls such meetings “unacceptable” and said the Democratic frontrunner doesn’t have the “knowledge or experience” to safeguard our national security.
McCain looked forward to having conversations with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and commended him for ideas, particularly the Contract with America, observing that the ideas in that contract were similar to those of the Gipper.
While many conservatives may be skeptical of John McCain, he does show respect for conservative leaders and understanding of our ideas. But, above all, he knows the stakes in Iraq and the consequences of an all-too-hasty withdrawal.
What a distance we have come from the days of Reagan! (And not in a good way.)
Would Reagan have ever supported McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy (after seeing the collapse of Simpson-Mazzoli which Reagan did support), or McCain’s “cap and trade” massive intervention into the economy to deal with a greatly exaggerated threat? I say no, no and no.
Well, at least when he’s talking to conservatives. When he’s talking to the press and everyone else about conservatives, we’re greedy, corrupt xenophobes who don’t care about the environment (for disagreeing with his economic, electoral, immigration and environmental policies respectively)
Good work under the gun Dan. Unfortunately not everyone in California is thinking as clearly as you are. The Page Seven definition and the dignity discussion are disturbingly shallow.
McCain … does show respect for conservative leaders and understanding of our ideas
I really wish I could believe that. But it is impossible to reconcile that assertion with McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman, or the Gang of 14, which denied good qualified justices an up or down vote for the sake of preserving the privilege liberal Democrats have to block qualified conservative judges. The McCain that takes the La Raza position on immigration, the ACLU position on interrogating terrorists, and the Harry Reid position on blocking conservative judges.
He can talk the talk, but he doesn’t walk the walk.
Not to mention the Al Gore position on Global Warming.