Well, it’s good that McCain is getting such experienced help and we all know what an evil genius Rove is (I bet he was involved somehow in this kooky Democrat delegate sharing scheme that is prolonging the agony of the left — you know, if you guys (meaning the Democrats, I thought I would make that clear cause some commenters thought I meant beliefnet readers the last time I said “you guys”) had more winner take all states this would have been over a month ago with Obama winning the nomination and you wouldn’t be looking at the superdelegates to break the tie 
.
John McCain is getting much more than President Bush’s endorsement and fundraising help for his campaign. He’s getting Bush’s staff.
It’s no secret that Steve Schmidt, Bush’s attack dog in the 2004 election, and Mark McKinnon, the president’s media strategist, are performing similar functions for McCain now.
But other big-name Bushies are lining up to boost McCain, too.
Ken Mehlman, who ran Bush’s 2004 campaign, is now serving as an unpaid, outside adviser to the Arizona Republican. Karl Rove, the president’s top political hand since his Texas days, recently gave money to McCain and soon after had a private conversation with the senator. A top McCain adviser said both Mehlman and Rove are now informally advising the campaign. Rove refused to detail his conversation with McCain.
The list could grow longer. Dan Bartlett, formerly a top aide in the Bush White House, and Sara Taylor, the erstwhile Bush political adviser, said they are eager to provide any assistance and advice possible to McCain.
[...]
Dowd also argued that he believes that the proximity of Bush’s advisers could lead McCain to a strategic mistake: refighting the 2004 campaign. “There is a real danger of that,” Dowd added. “And I think some of the things John McCain has done, and how he’s done it, has been a fight or a battle that’s gone. I don’t think this is going to be a terrorism election or a national security election.”
(via)
Rove is a lot smarter than that. He was on the Hewitt show yesterday and he didn’t sound like he was recommending a 2004 strategy for November. We are still at war and the case has to be made what we are going to do looking forward. Even Obama and Clinton understand that they will be tasked to fight the war (remember that Obama is ready to invade Pakistan if necessary), that’s why Clinton is trying to make the case that she can lead this nation and the military as the commander-in-chief and that Obama cannot. If this was a nonissue she wouldn’t be making those ads.
posted March 9, 2008 at 1:19 pm
If they are smart they will play down the security angle until just before the election. Right now the public is sick of it, could not care less about terrorism (“How do you know the FBI is lying? They’re claiming to have found another terrorist group.”) and Iraq is just, well, Iraq. The only issue that matters to the vast bulk of the voters is the economy and if McCain cannot effectively address that he will lose.
posted March 9, 2008 at 1:34 pm
The Darth Lords rise again! When will the rebel Alliance be able to break their hold and allow our nation to live in peace. Obi Wan Obama, you are our only hope.
posted March 9, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I always said that McCain did an about-face and started supporting the President who did the nasty push-poll about his KID because it’d mean he’d get custody of Rove after Bush no longer needed him.
posted March 9, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Well, if he did then it showed a brilliance that he hasn’t really exhibited.
posted March 9, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Left is right. Up is down. Evil is good.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
posted March 9, 2008 at 3:08 pm
It doesn’t take brilliance, only a sort of low cunning and ability to sell his ‘straight talk’ for the known success of Bush’s team.
I mean, the man is in his 70′s and been a politician since 1982, that’s 26 years. He was involved in the Keating scandal, though only on the level of ‘poor judgment’.
He’s also done an about face on just about every issue he ever campaigned on. He’s changed his tune regarding the religious right (though they don’t seem to be buying it), campaign finance reform, and became buddies with the man who played one of the dirtier tricks in the last decade or so by casting aspersions on McCain’s adopted child. Well, when he’s there. He’s also missed about 500 of the 3000 or so issues come up for vote. But that’s hardly notable even in the absence. And this outsider/maverick votes with his party around 87 percent of the time.
No matter how much of an outsider he likes to portray himself, we can’t assume he doesn’t know how the game is played, no matter how much of an outsider he likes to play.
posted March 10, 2008 at 8:14 pm
While I am an Obama supporter, I have had immense repect for Senator McCain and have not ruled out voting for him in the final analysis. But this news really, really disapoints me.
posted March 12, 2008 at 12:06 am
mehlman is a wiener and rove is yesterday’s news.
posted March 12, 2008 at 10:09 am
I hope the Obama camp thinks the same thing