Posted on 09/19/2006 12:03:35 PM PDT by Froufrou
Republican Sen. John McCain's standoff with the White House over treatment of detainees _ an issue the former POW knows intimately well _ threatens to exacerbate his already contentious relationship with conservatives.
"Maverick status is looked upon as a strength in Congress, but a maverick in the White House is not looked upon with great admiration from our folks," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Monday.
Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006 during a hearing to consider the nominations for commander of the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. European Commands. McCain's standoff with the White House over treatment of detainees _ an issue the former POW knows intimately well _ threatens to exacerbate his already contentious relationship with conservatives. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) "Politically, this isn't wise," added the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, which supports the president's call for Congress to approve tough interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects.
McCain, with his eye on a 2008 presidential bid, had taken steps to improve his relationship with conservatives, addressing a graduation class at Liberty University earlier this year at the invitation of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a former adversary.
The Arizona senator has been a staunch supporter of President Bush on the Iraq war. He has alienated conservatives, however, for opposing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and supporting federal expansion of embryonic stem-cell research.
Social conservatives also have taken issue with his effort to overhaul the immigration system, in part, by granting millions of illegal immigrants a path to eventual citizenship, and his work with a rogue group of senators to avert a Senate fight over Bush's judicial nominations.
The warnings from conservatives over the detainee issue illustrate the risk McCain faces in taking on the White House _ alienating a base of support he would need to win the Republican presidential nomination.
As the clash escalated, McCain shrugged off suggestions that the dust-up could hurt him politically, telling reporters last week that his "credibility with the American people is that I do what I think is right."
Meantime, one of McCain's potential rivals for the GOP nomination, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has made it known that he supports the president's immigration position, saying that Republicans who have broken rank with Bush "made a big mistake."
Still, McCain could benefit by showing voters he stands alone and inoculating himself from future efforts to link him to the legacy of Bush, whose support in public opinion polls hovers in the low 40 percent range.
McCain advisers brush off the notion of long-term political consequences.
"At the end of the day, he's going to do what he thinks is right, and when he does that, it works out politically," said John Weaver, a senior political adviser for McCain. He added that when McCain doesn't hold true to that, it usually "blows up in our face."
Long known as a maverick, McCain's latest tussle with the White House is over the president's insistence that Congress allow the CIA to use aggressive methods against terrorism suspects.
McCain and a growing group of Senate Republicans contend the United States must adhere strictly to the Geneva Conventions international standards.
Bush wants Congress to quickly pass his own proposed legislation authorizing military tribunals for detainees and harsh interrogations of terror suspects. Last week, he singled out McCain, a rival for the presidential nomination in 2000, making clear whom he blamed for standing in the way.
Gee, Ya Think?
"SOME" conservatives????
There are conservatives he hasn't alienated yet?
"McCain May Alienate Some Conservatives"
Mccain Will Alienate All Conservatives (there I fixed it for you) :)
Must be a trick question.
"May?"
My thoughts exactly.
McCain didn't have any conservatives on his side to alienate.
Where's that "Master of the Obvious" graphic?
Hello ?
Well, he has alienated me.
I think he's licking his wounds that his Shamnesty didn't pass...or did it?
A keen grasp of the obvious!
No... I'm convinced that all conservatives agree with McCain on everything. The author is obviously trying to stir up trouble...
How about *did*, *is*, and *will*? We KNOW McCain. He's not going to change. And neither are we.
Duh.
Hey Frou, I appreciate that McCain can think outside the box, but upon analysis I really don't care for him. Toooo quirky.
"Some?"
McCain is loathsome and he will NEVER, EVER get my vote.
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