Senator John McCain is so quick to pick up his gold-colored cellphone to solicit advice — from senators, campaign consultants, even the stray former deputy press secretary — that aides, concerned about his tendency to adopt the last opinion he has heard, have tried to cut back on the time he has to make calls.
Mr. McCain is known to sign off on big campaign decisions and then to march off his own reservation. Two weeks ago, he publicly disagreed with his own spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, after she used a line of attack against Senator Barack Obama that he had approved after careful strategizing within his campaign. Ms. Hazelbaker raced out of the Virginia campaign headquarters and refused to take Mr. McCain’s calls of apology, aides said, and a plan to have Republican members of Congress use the same critical line about Mr. Obama’s foreign trip fell apart.
Out of his hearing, Mr. McCain is called the White Tornado by some people who have worked for him over the years. Throughout his presidential campaign, he has been the overseer of a kingdom of dissenting camps, unclear lines of command and an unsettled atmosphere that keeps aides constantly on edge. …
Ideology entirely aside, deliver me from living in a country — heck, working in a pop stand — run by this guy.
I can agree with that comment, lotus.
But please let us also be delivered from a country run by the empty suit and the puppeteers who are controlling him.
In case you missed it, he has said he would unilaterally engage in military action inside Pakistan, and while in the Middle East declared that Jerusalem should remain a unified city (which scared the hell out of both the Jews or the Palestinians simultaneously).
Hilliary needs to snatch the nomination back before it is too late.
Yeah, I read that in the NYT yesterday and had to put the paper down and walk away. It ‘s just one of the things lately that makes me seriously consider finding some remote island and going there to live out my “golden years”. I’d sure miss the okra though.
Observer, help me out with this one, please. I’m always amazed when some y’all try this “empty-suit” meme on Obama. Whatever ideological differences you might have with him, or whatever other unspoken (I suspect: race) agenda motivates some commenters — not you that I can tell, but some I’ve seen here and elsewhere — the “empty-suit” thing is ridiculous, as is the “puppeteers” bit.
Specifically, what are you talking about?
Observer’s comment about “the empty suit and the puppeteers who are controlling him” fits George W. Bush far better than it fits Obama. Having listened to him discuss issues with the editorial boards of several national newspapers, including the nearly two-hour LA Times meeting where he was sitting alone and without notes, Obama comes across as informed, thoughtful, articulate and reasonable, even right-of-center on many issues. I think he will be more disciplined in his decision-making than the ideologues controlling the empty suit currently hanging in the Oval Office.
Absolutely, soms. I don’t like all his stances by any means, but “empty” he surely ain’t.
“so quick to pick up his gold-colored cellphone”
Sure they don’t mean “gold-PLATED”?
How about this advisor?
It gets scarier and scarier…yesterday, McCain launched a diatribe against Russia that can only be regarded as reckless.
Why? No mystery there. McCain’s top foreign policy advisor, Randy Scheunemann, was until earlier this year, a paid lobbyist for the Georgian government. Currently, he is registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent working on behalf of the government of Georgia. The only reason Scheunemann is no longer on the Georgia dole is because his actions were uncovered earlier this year, so he had to choose his master.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080809/pl_politico/12409