Posted on 10/11/2008 10:56:44 PM PDT by pissant
It’s too thinly sourced to be taken very seriously, but since our readership revels in the idea of the ‘Cuda being the scrapper to McCain’s squish, I figured you’d dig it.
The bit about Mark Salter does strike me as plausible.
With his electoral prospects fading by the day, Senator John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign…
Mark Salter, McCain’s long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to suffer an “honourable defeat” rather than conduct a campaign that would be out of character – and likely to lose him the election.
Palin, 44, has led the character attacks on Obama in the belief that McCain may be throwing away the election and her chance of becoming vice-president. Her supporters think that if the Republican ticket loses on November 4, she should run for president in 2012…
A McCain official confirmed that there was dissension in the campaign. “There is always going to be a debate about the costs and benefits of any strategy,” he said.
“After November 4, the feelings of individuals will come to light. It is only natural and will be expected.”…
A spokesman for McCain denied he and Palin had fallen out over her aggressive attacks. “Vice-presidential candidates are typically the tip of the spear and further out in front than the candidate for president. This is pretty standard fare,” he said.
Quoth an unnamed Republican consultant: “Sarah Palin is no fool. She sees the same thing [i.e. a likely defeat] and wants to salvage what she can. She is positioning herself for the future. Her best days could be in front of her. She wants to look as though she was the fighter, the person with the spunk who was out there taking it to the Democrats.” Any reason to believe that she and McCain really are at loggerheads? Well, (a) as the Times reminds us, she’s publicly questioned the campaign’s strategy in pulling out of Michigan as well as McCain’s decision not to go after Obama on Wright, (b) while Maverick’s begun inching away from the brass knuckles approach, she’s still telling people how eager the base is to see them take the gloves off, and (c) she’s famous in Alaska for not deferring to her political patrons when she thinks there’s something to be gained from opposing them. She’s built her career on it. If she wants to go out there and take it to Obama, there’s not much McCain can do except scream at her on the phone and hope she listens.
Exit question one: Is McCain’s attempt at calming the crowd yesterday the first inkling of the Salter “strategy” being put into effect? It’s worth noting that Palin herself eased off the Ayers stuff, but only in order to hammer Obama with one of the most red-meat social con speeches I’ve ever read. Exit question two: If they do lose, just how bad will the fingerpointing within the campaign be? I have visions of anonymous quotes starting to appear in the NYT circa mid-November about Palin’s Couric interview and McCain not being “tough enough”…
Why the hesitation? I don’t think McCain wants the presidency.
McCain is leading among independents in the Gallup and even Newsweek polls.
Maybe, just maybe, the polls a crap because they’re oversampling Rats and McCain is playing a good strategy of keeping the independents on board.
Maybe.
Let me get this straight: Salter is telling McCain to lose the election rather than run a campaign that might lose him the election?
If it is true then the Republicans should just rename themselves The Grand Old Loser Party.
[i.e. a likely defeat]
I don’t buy that.
I am so tired of so-called leaks coming out the McCain camp that never happened before the Convention but after the Convention when Bush people offered to help, the leaks started.
If I don’t hear it from Davis or Schmidt then I am not paying attention.
As for some Republican consultant, I bet it is the Romney one that keeps getting quoted.
Or is he a RINO of long standing, or what?
Cheers!
If he’s not running to win, then he should do the honorable thing and drop out and let Romney, Guiliani, or Palin run for President in his stead.
That's why we must pull over the finish line.
Palin still can be the attack dog while McCain describes the effect the Obama economic and social plans will have on the nation.
It's all up to Team McCain.
Its probably more “Tokyo Rose” type propaganda to demoralize republicans. It must be fun for them to throw out this stuff and then watch FR freak.
McCain and Palin have to know that this election is not about having a dem or pubbie president and all that historically entails, the very fate of our republic is at stake, and Israel too. If Mac is more worried about his after loss dignity than saving this country then he certainly is not putting COUNTRY FIRST he is putting mac first. I dislike a LOT of things about mac but I would like to believe that he really believes in COUNTRY FIRST.
“Mark Salter, McCain’s long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to suffer an “honourable defeat” rather than conduct a campaign that would be out of character – and likely to lose him the election.”
So McCain’s been in politics for 3 decades and we’re supposed to believe he intended to win the Presidency without going negative at all?? Thanks for your help, John and Mark - do you mind terribly if Palin takes over from here? A$$hats!
I think his “good friend”, Senator Clinton is still available for duty.
It’s like he takes one step forward then falls back two.
Hit’em again, harder, harder.
This is absolute baloney.
McCain is standing right there on the stage with Palin when she makes her most cutting remarks about Obama. They haven’t had a falling out. All you have to do is use your own eyes and ears and watch their rallies.
Also, the McCain ads are now tying Obama to the ACORN voter fraud. The idea that McCain doesn’t want to win is ludicrous. He can’t “get angry,” because that’s what the press is waiting for.
“Crazy Mac!” “Erratic!” “Racist!” “Driven nuts by the Vietnamese!”
This is psy-ops meant to demoralize you.
Don’t fall for it.
As Tammy Bruce said today, Reagan vs. Carter was decided in the final 72 hours of the campaign.
McCain will win this thing, as long as conservatives don’t let the enemy psyche them out.
It no longer matters whether McCain wants the presidency. His options regarding that matter expired when he entered the primaries. His duty is to do what it takes to win.
There is nothing honorable about letting down the people you represent - with intent. How sad.
Sometimes “leaks” are disinformation to confuse the opposition. I believe McCain still has enough fight in him to take this over the top. Let Gov Palin be the point of the spear — but drive the spear home.
People who have real gray matter between their ears knows that Obama has the media in his hands and the European media wants him to win as much as the American media..
There is going to be lots of articles like this because, unlike Obama, who has a warehouse full of scandals in his portfolio, McCain has actually kept his nose clean. The only way they can beat us is to demoralize us and this article is trying to accomplish that very thing.... and people are playing right into it.
Either we all have a backbone and will stand and fight and ignore the crap coming our way or we will lose, because we let the crooked media make us lose...
People need to learn to think for themselves instead of being led like sheep to the slaughter.
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