Posted on 03/28/2008 7:36:22 PM PDT by Jean S
A senior Republican Party official demanded that Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean apologize late Friday afternoon for calling Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) “a blatant opportunist” who has “cast aside his principles.”
Frank Donatelli, the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), sought to drive a wedge between Dean and Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) over the comments.
“Howard Dean owes John McCain an immediate apology and both Senators Clinton and Obama should unequivocally denounce this disgraceful attack,” said Donatelli.
While the candidates have generally tried to stay above the fray, the parties and surrogates have not held back in their criticisms.
Dean turned up the rhetorical heat Friday, blasting McCain over the war in Iraq and the faltering economy.
“John McCain can try to reintroduce himself to the country, but he can’t change the fact that he cast aside his principles to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Bush the last seven years,” said Dean. “While we honor McCain’s military service, the fact is Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn’t understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years.”
Dean’s comments came in response to a new television ad McCain unveiled Friday touting his experience and military service.
The DNC chairman also questioned McCain’s ethics.
In an interview with National Journal last month, Dean said “McCain has done things that are legally questionable — the Keating Five business back in the ‘90s — but he doesn’t seem to really have an ethical compass,” in reference to a savings and loan scandal that ensnared McCain and four Senate Democrats.
Last month, McCain tried to set a dignified tone for the general election when he pledged: “My entire campaign I have treated Senator Obama and Senator Clinton with respect. I will continue to do that throughout this campaign.”
McCain made his pledge while disavowing the comments of a radio talk show host, Bill Cunningham, who called Obama a “hack, Chicago-style” politician.
On Friday, Republican officials pressured Obama and Clinton to distance themselves from Dean in a similar way.
DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney, however, accused the Republicans of making a fuss because Dean’s comments hit a vulnerable spot.
"Clearly the RNC recognizes that the biggest threat to John McCain, as we heard loud and clear from voters in our recent focus groups, is the damage he inflicted on his ‘independent’ image and reputation for ‘straight talk’ by shifting his positions to make them more acceptable to the right wing of the Republican Party,” said Finney.
Finney emphasized that Democrats respect McCain’s military service but disagree with his positions on the economy and the war.
I gotta better idea. Why don’t you challenge him to a duel?
What a useless pursuit. Dean is a hack. Any pubbie attempt to paint him otherwise is dopey.
Yeah, because there's not a picogram of difference between them.
They're all three power-mad liberals.
In the cases of McVain and the Hildabeast, add the qualifier maniacal.
There is a RNC? Could have fooled me, who is the chairman? Never hear of them unless they want money.
What a coincidence. Did you see yesterday’s “Dueling” thread and THE PARAGUAY OPTION for Hillary and Obama?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992951/posts
I’ve grown very weary of apologies and denunciations being demanded by every person or group that gets offended these days. Dean has an opinion, as do many others. Personally, I don’t listen to Dean and couldn’t possibly care less about what his opinion is. If he is off-base with his comments, say that he is off-base and why.
Actually, your right about the apology phase right now. I don’t care either yet coudn’t resist captioning my own post. :^)
Yeah. I’ve been away from home for three weeks. Itching to get back so I can collect all the begs from the RNC from my mailbox and send them back with a “no $$ from ME” statement in the envelope. Along with instructions on how to GET a donation from me - ditch McVain, nominate Duncan Hunter or Tom Tancredo, or Fred. Failing that, I MIGHTH consider having all McVain’s kids held hostage in an undisclosed location until he nominates three true conservative SC judges, builds the fence and puts the military on the Mexican border with shoot-to-kill orders, disbands three Cabinet-level agencies of my choosing, and kicks the UN out of the USA.
We gotta keep the pressure on !
Do not be suckered by Hannity and the rest who are trying to sell the idea that the least of the three evils is good enough. It is NOT good enough !
-let him do the dean scream again.......that’ll settle the issue. LOL
No, dueling must be in the air...it's the fruit of all this unity that the democrats emanate.
So let them prove that they are as noble as the founders and make like Burr and Hamilton. They were strong on the economy and on terrorism.
Undermedicated, would be my guess.
I hope the Democrats keep Dean talking(screaming would be even better). Every time this idiot opens his mouth he embarrasses himself and his party.
an ethical compass?
This from Howard Dean - a man who got a draft deferment from service in Vietnam due to a back injury and subsequently spent the next year in Colorado as a ski bum.
>Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) “a blatant opportunist” who has “cast aside his principles.”<
My only issue with this is the implication that he actually had any priciples to cast aside in the first place!
Dean is just a loser; no wonder so many foreign-doctors come to the U.S. to take up practice— Dean is representative of their competition. Dean would be out of step in a one-man parade; Dean would be out of step to the distant drums he attempts to march to; Dean consistently fails to live up to the low standards he sets for himself; and Dean tends to give anything he stands for a bad name. As someone here so nicely phrased it, I fart in his general direction (and feel better whenever I do so).
Dean's clearly an closet Obama supporter, though. He hasn't lifted a finger to enable Michigan and Florida to be counted, and keeps insisting the race has to end soon.
Pelosi attacks McCain for backing Calif.’s 2005 special election
KTVN-TV | March 28, 2008
Posted on 03/28/2008 8:39:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993461/posts
And the guy from the RNC demanding an apology?
Pitiful.
“Supercharged Merlin” has it right.
Hold back donations from the RNC and McCain until they wake up to the fact that Conservatives supply half the money, and ALL of the intellectual energy, to the Republican Party.
I can't wait to see McCain's fund raising numbers for March.
C’mon, John - rally those Independents and center-left Dem's!
There is a RNC?
That is true. Who is it now? I know Martinez left. Did they name someone else or is he still lingering until after the election?
“Dean’s comments came in response to a new television ad McCain unveiled Friday touting his experience and military service.”
Why doesn’t Dean and the DNC run a commercial for their candidate’s military service? Oooops they don’t have one. Tsk..tsk...
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