McCain Gears Up for 2008 Presidential Campaign

In 1986, the illustrious Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate. I was asked to help with the campaign of the man who wanted to take his place. The man's name was John McCain. The GOP in Arizona saw McCain as a Vietnam War veteran, a statesman who'd served his country faithfully and was now willing to serve the State. Most people considered him a fiscal conservative compared to his opponents. John McCain won the election in 1986 - and that began a national political career that now spans more than 20 years.

In 2000, John McCain decided to run for President. I remember chatting with his wife Cindy at a fundraiser in Columbia, South Carolina. We discussed the uphill battle he would have in my very conservative pro-Bush state. In September, McCain shocked the GOP by winning the primary in New Hampshire over his opponent George Bush. Then came the McCain temper tantrum debacle in South Carolina. Despite the fact that he's been the media darling, his politics and personality have been on a downhill slide since the election in 2000. John McCain is not the same man he was in 1986.

This is a war veteran who was tortured in a Vietcommie POW camp, and now he is saying that what happened at Club Gitmo is similar or worse than what happened to him in the Hanoi Hilton. McCain attempts to explain that torture is not a reliable method of retrieving intelligence about the enemy, but there have been many published reports explaining how information gained at Gitmo has been used to foil terrorist plots. Water-boarding, in particular, has proven effective in breaking down the Islamo-facist bomb-making experts at Club Gitmo. The disgusting thing is that McCain's POW history has nothing to do with his comments. It is apparent that he simply wants media attention!

The people here in South Carolina have not forgotten what happened in 2000. That's why it is surprising that John McCain would be courting Lindsey Graham as his potential running mate. Graham replaced Strom Thurmond in 2002. But replacing popular senators is not the only thing the two have in common. They both serve on the Armed Services Committee in Washington. Graham made a name for himself during the Clinton impeachment hearings, but he is also not the same man he was in 1998. McCain and Graham are looking toward 2008 and following a page out of the Hillary Rodham playbook - and no respecting Conservative would vote for them.