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Related Links Arizona Politics Neither of the frontrunners has publicly committed to running. McCain repeatedly has said he will not decide until after the mid-term elections in November. Clinton also has been vague. Among Republicans, McCain was the top choice among more than 40 percent of those surveyed in the Rocky Mountain Poll. McCain unsuccessfully sought the party’s nomination in 2000. He was followed in the survey by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Next were former Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee and Sen. George Allen of Virginia. “Seeing McCain...

The 2008 presidential election is a wide-open contest, and Democrats, as we saw here last week, have responded with a broad field. What could have been an early consensus in favor of Hillary Rodham Clinton is so far anything but, as Democrats fight over how they want to position themselves. The Republican field, by contrast, seems surprisingly underpopulated, again given the givens. Notwithstanding a recent Gallup Poll that gave former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani an edge among Republicans, Sen. John McCain is the Republican front-runner

This September, Senator John McCain's youngest son, Jimmy, 18, will report to a U.S. Marine Corps depot near Camp Pendleton in San Diego. After three months of boot camp and a month of specialized training, he will be ready to deploy. Depending on the unit he joins, he could be in Iraq as early as this time next year, and his chances of seeing combat at some point are high. Of the 178,000 active-duty Marines in the world, some 80,000 have seen a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan, and there are 25,000 bearing the brunt of some of the worst...

John McCain (R-AZ) raised $213,282 last quarter, spending $384,258. His total cash-on-hand dropped by 15% to only $1,112,476. Compare to some other senators who have been considering running for national office. Joe Biden, from tiny Delaware, raised $3,044,942, while spending $911,196. Evan Bayh (D-IN) raised $4,598,553, while spending $830,152. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) raised $3,310,886, while spending $713,198. John Kerry (D-MA) raised $7,442,952, spending a staggering $10,221,956. Some potential candidates are running for re-election this year, but are quite transparently working to build a national campaign treasure. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has raised a mind-blowing $33,180,959, spending $16,725,827 against token opposition. But...

Arizona Senator John S. McCain, III is everywhere. He virtually lives at NBC. If not there how about CNN. And talk shows. And late night shows. Oh, how the media loves him. A maverick who came close in 2000, he is looking to make one more run at the Presidency. And at the same moment, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says he is thinking very seriously about running for President. Rudy, too, is loved by the media. How many times have you heard "America's Mayor" in introducing him. He is available to any network at the drop of a...

How John McCain became the capo of the new, reformed campaign finance syndicate What happens when Mr. Smith becomes Washington? Look no further than Arizona's Senator John McCain, who is busily plotting another run at the Oval Office. This time, he is letting his political action committee (PAC) do the dirty work. Back in 2001, you'll recall, maverick John McCain, a man so honest he once chopped down a cherry tree just so Charles Keating could throw him $200,000 in wooden nickels from across the Potomac, introduced the controversial McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform leg islation and urged his fellow-politicians to...

July 19, 2006 Four in 10 Republicans Would Not Find McCain an "Acceptable" Nominee Clinton, Edwards, Gore most acceptable possible Democratic nominees by Jeffrey M. Jones   GALLUP NEWS SERVICEPRINCETON, NJ -- A recent Gallup Panel poll asked Republicans and Democrats whether they would find each of several possible contenders for their party's 2008 presidential nomination to be "acceptable" nominees. Unlike other nomination ballot questions that measure respondents' first choice from among a list of possible candidates, this question paints a broader picture of the level of potential support and opposition for each candidate.Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner among...

2. McCain Miffed at NewsMax Article A NewsMax.com report about Sen. John McCain’s legendary temper has apparently ruffled the feathers of the probable 2008 presidential candidate. When NewsMax’s Ronald Kessler, who authored the report, appeared on Tucker Carlson’s MSNBC show on July 7 to discuss the story, Kessler stated, “Carlson said McCain’s office was very unhappy that he was having me on.” “I imagine they may have scared off other shows” that might have interviewed Kessler. In his NewsMax report, Kessler wrote in part: “As portrayed by the mainstream media, McCain is an engaging war hero, a man of political...

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) -- Despite a solid showing in early polls, Arizona Sen. John McCain insists he is not the favorite for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. "Most of those polls at this particular time are mainly name identification," McCain said Friday as he began his latest visit to Iowa. "Only political junkies like yourselves are paying any attention to a race that's two-and-a-half years away." McCain unsuccessfully sought the GOP's presidential nomination in 2000 and has assembled a team to try again in 2008. He has hired veteran political strategists and began making trips to key states such...

So, is anyone else baffled by the fact that John McCain is listed as the "strong frontrunner" among GOP 2008 presidential hopefuls? The political pundits all have him as the head honcho (usually followed by Romney and Allen) as evidenced here, here, here, here) and in the most recent National Journal 2008 Republican Insiders Poll. This was not always so . . . just a few months ago to a year ago Allen was leading in that Insiders Poll (actually, you can look at the figures and find that Romney has been gaining the most, percentage-wise, of any candidate.) However,...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is considered a front-runner for the 2008 race, but does McCain have the temperament to be president? As portrayed by the mainstream media, McCain is an engaging war hero, a man of political moderation positioned between the left and the right. But to insiders who know him, McCain has an irrational, explosive side that make many of them question whether he is fit to serve as president and be commander in chief. Nowhere is that sentiment stronger than in the Senate, where McCain has few friends or supporters. In fact, when McCain ran for...

John McCain showed such moral uprightness in 2008--Kerry Tried to use him as a pawn but Kerry found him to be more of a Bishop or a Knight, the dudes a POW, he's sensitive yet again-he stands up for whats right. An Officer and a Gentleman---Questions? Answers? Whatever your race or creed, I think this guy deserves a serious look, more serious than 2004.

SENATORS LINDSEY GRAHAM AND JIM DEMINT cordially invite you to attend VICTORY 2006 An Evening with Senator John McCain honoring Governor Mark Sanford and the November slate of South Carolina Republican Candidates Thursday, June 29th, 2006 6:30- 7:00pm Business Roundtable 7:00-8:00pm Private Reception 8:00-9:00pm General Reception Governor's Mansion Complex The Lace House 800 Richland Street Columbia, South Carolina [NOTE: verbiage and link for donations has been removed]

State GOP Pick Gingrich In Presidential Straw Poll (AP) Minneapolis Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who engineered the Republican takeover of Congress a dozen years ago, got a boost Friday from Minnesota conservatives who want him to run for president in 2008. Gingrich was the top vote-getter in a straw poll of GOP activists at the state party convention. But the vote is at best a limited reflection of Republican sentiment in the state -- the ranks of the 1,275 delegates had thinned down considerably by the time the poll was taken, and 540 valid votes were cast. That was...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain has returned $20,000 donated to his Straight Talk America political action committee by two Texas businessmen who helped finance ads that criticized the Republican during his 2000 White House bid. Published reports last year said brothers Charles J. Wyly Jr., and Sam Wyly were being investigated for their handling of money in offshore accounts. Government agencies declined to say whether any probes are ongoing. The Wylys have been active in Republican fundraising for years. "Through our vetting process, when we find any controversy, we return the check," said Craig Goldman, executive director of Straight...

Journalist Froma Harrop insists that McCain is a "thoroughbred no longer," and that his presidential chances have been gutted by his recent embrace of the socially conservative wing of the GOP, including his visit to Falwell's university, and that moderates and swing voters will flee from the Arizona senator, leaving him only with his always-tepid support from Republicans and conservatives. Harrop's argument seems plausible upon examining the most recent FOX News poll that shows McCain beating Hillary by a mere four points, a dramatic fall from his once Herculean lead over the senator from New York. Has McCain been tainted...

If the 2008 presidential race were between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain, the country could be in for another nail-biter. The next presidential election may be more than two years away, but the politicking has already started and many consider Clinton and McCain the front-runners for their respective political parties. In the latest FOX News national registered voter poll, McCain bests Clinton by a slim 4-percentage point margin — 46 percent to 42 percent — in a hypothetical matchup. Given the poll’s 3-point margin of error, that means this race could go either way. The Republican edge widens...

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a White House hopeful in 2008, said Monday that the party has plenty of work to do to regain the backing of GOP voters frustrated by deficit spending, the Iraq war and illegal immigration. Five months before the midterm elections, McCain spoke about the outlook for the Republican Party amid concern within the Bush administration and the GOP leadership about losing majority control of Congress. "Spending is out of control and a significant part of our Republican base is angry because we have allowed this to happen," he said....

Holding a grudge in politics is particularly foolish, says Sen. John McCain, and taking an expedient political position usually does not turn out well. McCain has been criticized for reconciling with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, with whom McCain clashed during his failed campaign for the Republican nomination for president in 2000. McCain, considered a leading GOP hopeful for 2008, gave the commencement address at Falwell's Liberty University this month. "I think one of the stupidest things you can do in politics is hold grudges. It's a waste of time and it doesn't do anything for you or for your constituents,"...

All successful politicians must have at least some talent for lying about what's in their hearts and convincing people that it is the truth. But Sen. John McCain has a unique genius for telling the truth from his heart and making people believe that he is lying. And these people are his supporters! They admire him as a straight talker and they forgive him for taking positions on big issues that they find repellent on the grounds that he doesn't really mean what he says. "Oh, he has to say that to get the Republican nomination," explain many Democrats with...