Posted on 02/18/2008 9:31:33 AM PST by meandog
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush urged disgruntled conservatives on Monday to rally around John McCain, calling their criticism of the Republican presidential front-runner "grossly unfair."
The father of President George W. Bush said he was annoyed by attacks within the conservative wing of the Republican Party against the Arizona senator, the all-but-certain Republican nominee to face Democrats in November election.
Many conservatives distrust McCain because of his moderate views on illegal immigration and campaign finance reform and for having originally voted against President Bush's tax cuts. Persuading them all to vote for McCain in November will be a central challenge.
"His character was forged in the crucible of war. His commitment to America is beyond any doubt," the 41st U.S. president, flanked by his wife Barbara, told a joint news conference with McCain in a Houston airport hanger.
"You know, if you've been around the track you hear these criticisms and I think they are grossly unfair. He's got a ... sound conservative record but he's not above reaching out to the other side," he said.
"So I hear these criticisms and Barbara knows I get a little bit annoyed about them frankly," he said, calling them "absurd."
The elder Bush said even former President Ronald Reagan, an icon of the conservative movement, faced attacks from the right wing of the party, citing several quotations from diaries written by Reagan in his early years in office.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Pardon me, Mr. President, but you are one of the people who has been seriously embarrassed again and again by the likes of this IDIOTIC MAN.
And George W. Bush would now what a conservative is...how?
And the one-term lipreader whines "not fair".
It is the obligation of the voter to QUESTION, AGREE or DISAGREE with the nominee. That is FAIR.
GROW UP, BUSH!
meandog - you stole my joke - UNFAIR! - UNFAIR! - Read my lips, meandog - UNFAIR!
“now” = “know”. Another senior moment...sigh.
They are unfair only if McCain would describe himself accurately as a moderate Democrat, then of course they would be unfair because that in truth, is what he is.
However, he tries to convince the right that he is a Republican and at times —gag— a conservative. On THAT basis, no Mr. Bush, criticism of McCain is most definitely NOT unfair.
Since when does disagreeing with someone equate to being “unfair”? What utter tripe!
Like father, like son... like father. Birds of a feather. Guess he does not like us conservatives throwing a monkey wrench into his New World Order Plans. This is the same George HW Bush that is pals with the Billy Clinton & co. Hey, George, read my lips: NO MORE RINOs!
Old 41 wasn’t above stabbing a few conservative principles himself, if there was anything to gain from it.
Does the Republican party have a death wish?
Also, the quote is by George H. W. Bush, not George W. Bush.
I guess the operation to take the McCain knives out of his back went ok then.
This is George H.W. Bush (41), not George W. Bush (43).
The Bush’s defending McCain makes things worse for him, not better.
I am asking myself the same question about Conservatives who would allow Barack Obama to become the next president rather than vote for John McCain.
I suppose Reagan was a RINO for having Bush as a VP, then?
Re: unfair.... It can be truthfully said that Reagan wasn’t always as conservative as people like to remember him as being. Indeed, if FR were around back then, he would have been called a RINO by some based on a few things he did as governor of CA. I think this could be what HW is getting at.
Give me an actual good reason, please.
Can’t wait for Rush’s reaction
As the first Repuiblican to reach across the aisle and do what the democraps wanted - including the BIGGEST TAX INCREASE IN HISTORY (at the time) he has no idea what he is talking about.
—food for thought—
-—”if you go over a cliff with all flags flying, You’re still going over a cliff”—Ronald Reagan—
We have had exactly ONE Republican President EVER who people on this board would not call a RINO, and that is Reagan. He was a once-in-a-lifetime candidate, in my opinion...and as GHW Bush says, even Reagan got flack from “movement conservatives”.
I remember that doofus. The guy that let Saddam ravage Iraq for over a decade after ejecting him from Kuwait. The guy who wouldn't let engineers from Hong Kong emigrate to the US before the communist Chinese took over ... so they emigrated primarily to New Zealand, The UK, and Australia instead, taking their businesses and all the patents they own with them. Yep, that guy sure was a winner. For globalists that don't have US interests at heart anyway.
McCain has done everything he could to undercut Bush again and again. Bush is proving yet again that compared to McCain he is the better man. He has a grace about him that McCain will never have.
Meanwhile ... back at the voting booth ... McCain
“Can’t wait for Rush’s reaction.”
Neither can some on this board who cannot formulate their own thoughts without Rush’s input.
Interesting to see all these republicans who LOST advising those of us who remember the last BIG winner for the GOP...
Ronald Reagan was unapologetically conservative and won by the biggest landslide in history.....
This is the man John McCain chose to be his "Hispanic Outreach Director." Hernandez is a certified traitor. Born in Dallas, he decided as an adult to become a dual-national Mexican citizen. His last "real" job was serving on Mexican President Vicente Fox's cabinet as his "American Reconquista Director." After that gig ran out, he worked (sic) for George Soros funded internationalist foundations, like the one that published his new book.
The "New American Pioneers" proclaimed in his book are the illegal alien invaders he urges to become settlers in the USA. Hernandez believes all Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the USA should become dual citizens and consider themselves Mexicans first, "to the 8th generation." He believes there should be no border at all between Mexico and the USA, ever.
And this is the man McCain chose for his "Hispanic Outreach Director." In the past week McCain was asked about this choice, and he said he chose Hernandez because he agrees with his positions. If so, McCain is supporting invasion and reconquista.
Then I read our Constitution, Article 4 Section 4, where it says the federal government MUST protect the states from invasion, and I can only conclude one thing: John McCain is our new Benedict Arnold.
"In his own words: McCain’s radical Hispanic outreach director Juan Hernandez on youtube"
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/27/in-his-own-words-mccains-hispanic-outreach-director-preaches-open-borders/
Former President Bush is right. The attacks on Senator McCain are unfair. He’s not a liberal, as has been so unfairly portrayed by some disgruntled people on the right.
Former President George H.W. Bush: Read my lips, McCain is a conservative.
I haven’t noticed McCain trying to get anything from conservatives.
Yup that changed my mind. /s
Rush is already right. We just want to hear if he thinks like us.
He just quoted Bush 41s “Reagan’s VOODOO economics”, lolol. He said he respects 41, is part of some golfing thing 41 has. He is trying not to rip him. I guess I’ll think that Rush sometimes plays golf with 41. Is that okay with you??????????????
YOU DO WANT US TO MIMIC YOUR OPINION RIGHT?????????????
I do the ipod thing, and channel rush while asleep, lololol...
LOL That is great.
This is the same reactionary crowd of talkradio malcontents who either opposed conservative Fred Thompson, or did very little to promote conservative candidates like Duncan Hunter. Instead, many backed the liberal candidates Giuliani and Romney.
Today, conservatives are left with no good choices.
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