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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 30, 2005
/ 25 Av, 5765
Time to hedge bets on McCain bid in '08
By
Robert Robb
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Everyone I know who knows John McCain better than I do thinks he will run for president in 2008.
Until now, my bet has been that, in the final analysis, McCain would decide against it. But McCain's appearance and performance at an East Valley Republican town hall last Thursday has caused me to want to hedge that bet.
My skepticism has been based on the fact that McCain has the best job in politics.
He is influential on any issue he wants, anytime he wants, irrespective of which political party is in power. He has unlimited access to the national media. In the last presidential election, McCain became the semiofficial referee of fair campaign practices and tactics.
If McCain runs for president, he will not lose his Senate seat. But he will lose his special status.
You can't be the referee in a game you are playing. And even though McCain enjoys a remarkable relationship with the establishment media, ultimately the actions of a serious presidential contender begin to be viewed through the prism of perceived ambition and self-interest.
Moreover, McCain's quest for the Republican presidential nomination will, in all likelihood, prove futile.
Richard Nixon propounded what remains the winning formula for a successful Republican candidate. A Republican, Nixon observed, cannot win without the right. But a Republican also cannot win with only the right.
McCain should be well positioned to take advantage of this formula. He has, overall, a generally conservative voting record. And he has an obviously strong appeal to the general electorate.
But there is a distrust between McCain and conservatives that goes beyond the record and issues. Social conservatives do not feel instinctively that McCain is one of them.
And fiscal conservatives, while cheered by McCain's high-profile fight against pork-barrel spending, lament his abandonment of growth-oriented tax policies, particularly the need to reduce high marginal-income tax rates.
McCain, for his part, let his combative juices get the better of him in his last presidential bid, and lashed out at social conservatives in a way that still lingers.
That set the backdrop for McCain's town hall last week. There is a disgruntlement about McCain in some state Republican activist circles over these issues and, most prominent these days, immigration. And, needless to say, that sentiment is well reflected in the East Valley.
So, there was some tension associated with McCain's meeting with party activists from four East Valley legislative districts. McCain was there, nevertheless, and fielded questions for a couple of hours.
McCain did try to burnish his conservative and Republican bona fides a bit. He played up his campaigning for President Bush in the last election and his support for the Iraq war. He frequently cited the fact that he took the same position on issues as Bush or other conservative figures Nancy Reagan, Orrin Hatch as partial defense when he did not, such as on stem-cell research.
But for the most part, McCain did not play to the crowd, as politicians are wont to do. In one notable exchange, a guy sporting a McCain 2008 sticker within an international "No" symbol was prattling on about how a free trade of the Americas would destroy U.S. sovereignty by allowing free movement of people as in the European Union, rather than being limited, as U.S. trade treaties invariably are, to the movement of goods and services. McCain said he couldn't really answer because the guy was on a different planet.
My belief that McCain ultimately wouldn't run has been based on the assumption that McCain has something he was likely to lose that he cared about. As I watched McCain at the town hall, however, I was struck by how much he acted like someone who has nothing to lose.
McCain has always approached politics with more insouciance than the usual pol. As a former POW, he has obviously faced more dangerous disgruntled questioners than a group of Republican activists. But his sense of freedom before at least a somewhat hostile crowd seemed enhanced.
Most politicians run, in part, because they crave the attention and the approval. In some cases, it takes a lot of self-deception to perceive the approval. But the desire for it is usually there.
McCain obviously still craves the attention. But he may run for president, paradoxically, because he has become increasingly indifferent to the approval.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Robert Robb is a columnist for The Arizona Republic. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2005, The Arizona Republic
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