John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

John McCain - Multi Home Boy

John McCain said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday "that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own."

"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."

The answer, according to the group Progressive Accountability, is an even 10 homes, ranches, condos, and lofts, together worth a combined estimated $13,823,269.

Jed Lewison of The Jed Report prepared a Google Earth tour of the many McCain residences, possibly to jar the Senator's memory:

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McCain's Lobbyists Raked In $1 Billion
From U.S. Clients, Study Says

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John McCain III attended a private boarding school, where he was nicknamed "McNasty" for his willingness to fight. Later, at the US Naval Academy, he gained a reputation as a ladies' man, complained that he was picked on by his commanding officer, and graduated 894th out of 899 in his class. Good site, read more

THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF TEST
Throughout the 2008 election, the question that's been raised is whether Barack Obama can pass
the Commander in Chief Test... well, we think it's only fair that both candidates be put to the test.

John McCain and his staff of lobbyists are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people.

Write to your local newspapers informing your community about a potentially disastrous McCain administration. There are a lot of things to choose from, like John McCain’s constant gaffes suggesting Iran, a Shi’a nation, is supporting Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni group. This from the Republican Party’s supposed “foreign policy expert.” It only confirms what we have long believed about John McCain: he is a third Bush term.

A year ago, no one would have guessed our party's primary season would still be going this strong. But that's not the only surprise of this election season.

Democrats are voting in larger numbers than anyone expected, and this record turnout shows incredible promise for the general election ahead of us.

But we also have a problem. John McCain has already sewn up the Republican nomination, and he's free to raise money and campaign all across the country.

The past few days, he's taken his campaign on a world tour at taxpayer expense. This weekend, he made a "surprise" stop in Iraq, trying to re-frame five years of steadfast support for George Bush's war with photo ops and press releases.

We can't afford to wait for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to win the Democratic nomination -- they're focused on winning the nomination while John McCain is focused on winning the White House. We are the only organization that can look beyond the primaries and lay the groundwork for Hillary or Barack to inherit if they win. They can't run against John McCain yet, but we can do it for them.

I need you to make a donation now so that we can continue our campaign against John McCain. Hillary or Barack will need the infrastructure in place as soon as they're nominated:

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are generating the sort of passion this country hasn't seen in a long time. Both of them are bringing new Democrats into the process -- and reactivating old ones who haven't voted in years.

In Texas, 2.8 million Democratic ballots were cast in our Party's primary. That's more votes than Al Gore or John Kerry received in Texas in the past two general elections.

Now states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, and Kentucky will have their chance to impact the presidential nomination process. That's more states that Barack or Hillary may never have visited if not for the enthusiasm everyone has for them. It's also more states where voters will show up in record numbers for the primary and general elections.

The energy we're seeing across the country is what the 50-State Strategy is all about: giving Democrats a party that can compete in areas we've continually ignored in past elections. It's not easy, and it's not cheap, but it's the best way for our party to win.

But every day that the Democratic primary continues, John McCain is hitting the campaign trail, misleading the American people about his record, contradicting himself on the issues, and attacking Hillary and Barack.

I need you to contribute right now so Hillary or Barack can make it to the White House in November:

It's clear that there are benefits to a healthy, contested primary. But right now, John McCain thinks he can get a free pass while our campaigns are focused on each other.

You and I aren't going to let John McCain get ahead -- and we're going to do that by making sure Americans hear the truth about him.

From the war in Iraq and tax cuts for corporate special interests, McCain has put forth an astonishingly simple agenda: continue the Bush Administration's failed policies for another four years.

It's not just the Iraq War and tax breaks for the wealthy where John McCain falls in line with President Bush. Even on the unconventional issues that gave John McCain his "maverick" reputation, he has traded his integrity for a chance at the presidency.

This may not be news to you, but too many Americans don't know the facts about the Republican candidate for president, and Hillary or Barack can't get started just yet. Make a donation today and support our efforts to take him head-on and lay the groundwork for them:

- - - Howard Dean

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There's a long and disgusting history of people blaming the Jews for their own persecution. The latest to do so is one of John McCain's key backers—Pastor John Hagee.

McCain actively sought Hagee's backing and says he's "very honored"1 and "very proud"2 to have it. But yesterday, a recording surfaced of Hagee "explaining" that God sent Hitler to perpetrate the Holocaust because Jews weren't moving to Israel.

It's hard to overstate how deeply offensive these views are. And how disturbing it is when John McCain aligns himself with extreme religious right leaders like Hagee, while ducking responsibility for their hateful views.

J Street, a new progressive Jewish group, is asking John McCain to renounce Hagee and send a clear message that it's absolutely intolerable to blame Jews for the Holocaust.

= P.S. As J Street points out, it's not just Hagee's views toward Jews that are outrageous. From their alert: "This is the same John Hagee whose support John McCain is 'glad' to have despite 'condemning' some of his views.3 And it's the same John Hagee who has so far had to apologize for calling the Catholic Church a 'great whore' 4 and who said Hurricane Katrina was the judgment of God against New Orleans for planning a gay pride parade.5"

And if you want to see Hagee's actual comments, here they are, as reported today by the Huffington Post:6

Going in and out of biblical verse, Hagee preached: "'And they the hunters should hunt them,' that will be the Jews. 'From every mountain and from every hill and from out of the holes of the rocks.' If that doesn't describe what Hitler did in the holocaust you can't see that."

He goes on: "Theodore Hertzel is the father of Zionism. He was a Jew who at the turn of the 19th century said, this land is our land, God wants us to live there. So he went to the Jews of Europe and said 'I want you to come and join me in the land of Israel.' So few went that Hertzel went into depression. Those who came founded Israel; those who did not went through the hell of the holocaust.

"Then god sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says—Jeremiah writing—'They shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the holes of the rocks,' meaning there's no place to hide. And that might be offensive to some people but don't let your heart be offended. I didn't write it, Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel."

Sources:

1. "McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran'," Think Progress, February 28, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3553&id=12705-7712815-w4rH6A&t=2

2. "The McCain/Hagee story picks up steam," Salon, February 29, 2008.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/02/29/hagee/

3. "McCain Admits Hagee Endorsement Was A Mistake," ABC News, April 20, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3685&id=12705-7712815-w4rH6A&t=3

4. Press Release, John Hagee Ministries Website.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3688&id=12705-7712815-w4rH6A&t=4

5. "Pastor John Hagee on Christian Zionism," NPR, May 22, 2008.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6097362

6. "McCain Backer Hagee Said Hitler Was Fulfilling God's Will," Huffington Post, May 21, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3687&id=12705-7712815-w4rH6A&t=5

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HOW FAR WILL OUR HYPOCRISY GO? JOHN McCAIN AND HIS FANATICAL MINISTERS

Posted by Charlotte A. Weybright on May 12, 2008

Barack Obama has of late taken a great deal of criticism about Reverend Wright and his hate-filled speeches and positions. Out of necessity, Obama has broken the ties with the controversial minister who has been Obama’s mentor, friend, and pastor.

But Obama is not the only candidate with a fanatical minister who spouts a hate-filled philosophy. John McCain has his very own version of Reverend Wright. In fact, McCain has embraced two - count ‘em - two controversial ministers - and they have embraced him.

On February 26th of this year, McCain appeared at a campaign rally in Cincinnati with the Reverend Rod Parsley of the World Harvest Church of Columbus, a supersize Pentecostal institution that features a 5,200-seat sanctuary.

With Mike Huckabee’s success at co opting the religious right, McCain had to do something - anything - to generate support from that sector. His desperation to land the support of right-wing religious conservatives has led him to throw common sense to the wind and to accept the endorsements of the ranting televangelist Rod Parlsey. The following YouTube clip provides a flavor of Parsley’s philosophy.

 

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John McCain wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years, but his lobbyist-ran campaign has and will continue to viciously attack anyone who remind the American people.

We know it -- we have it on tape to prove it -- and with your help, the American people will know it as well with our latest ad on John McCain and Iraq.

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No matter what happens in Iraq, the Bush administration and John McCain always have an answer: 6 more months.

When the "surge" began a year ago, they told America things would get better by September. In September, they said we'd know more by spring. And this week, General Petraeus is on Capitol Hill asking for—you guessed it—6 more months. Senator McCain and President Bush couldn't agree more.

They don't have a plan for getting us out of Iraq. So they're trying to sell endless war on an installment plan.

Six more months won't change anything—except the body count and the price tag. It's critical that the news media and voters know that the Bush-McCain strategy in Iraq is to keep us there indefinitely—6 months at a time.

Endless war on the installment plan

This video makes it clear: No matter what happens in Iraq, the Bush Administration and John McCain always have the same answer: 6 more months. They're at it again this week, asking for six more months. But six months won't change anything—except the body count and the price tag.

What exactly are they saying?

In early April, John McCain said the same thing he's been saying for the last 5 years: We have to stay in Iraq, but "success is in reach."

And General Petraeus told the Senate that it would be fall before he could say whether, or when, to draw down troops below the "pre-surge" levels. (Specifically, he recommended a 45-day period for "evaluation" starting in the summer, followed by an open-ended "assessment" process to decide what to do next).1

It all boils down to this: Demand more time and promise that victory is just over the horizon. Unfortunately, according to experts from the Iraq Study Group, the "surge" has gotten us "no closer to being able to leave Iraq than [we were] a year ago."2

More than 4,000 Americans are dead. We've spent almost $500 billion on this war. A year after the "surge" began, Americans are no safer, and there is no end in sight.

With the Bush-McCain wait-and-see strategy, we can expect to hear "6 more months" for years and years to come.

We can't just sit by. We've got to speak out now—please help spread the word.

 

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
More of the McSame

* John McCain recently said, "No one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have." He was Bush's strongest ally in the march to war in Iraq. McCain consistently repeated the same misjudgments made by Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and President Bush. More than 4,000 American troops have lost their lives because of these misjudgments.

* McCain says we could be in Iraq for 100 years, and has consistently opposed any plan to withdraw troops from Iraq. He'd rather dump billions more in Iraq than invest it in our economy back home.

* McCain accuses folks who want to bring our troops home of "surrender."

 

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Are You Better Off Than You Were 8 Years Ago?

 

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For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, there are some important things you won't learn about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff—and you might be surprised by some of it.

If we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out to get the truth out about John McCain.

 

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This is the man John McCain Calls "My Spiritual Guide"

HOT TIP - Copy/paste this and do a search - Rod Parsley John McCain (don't stop at just one site)

 

Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it. http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

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Rod Parsley’s Free Pass
Jeremiah Wright gets torched, while McCain’s “spiritual adviser” offends with impunity

http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/rod_parsleys_free_pass_1.php

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McCain’s buddy Patriot Pastor Rod Parsley’s gay bashing

http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/03/06/mccains-buddy-patriot-pastor-rod-parsleys-gay-bashing/

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John McCain is so wrong on Iraq, he can't even get the basic facts about the situation on the ground correct.

On Tuesday, April 8, as he was questioning Gen. David Petraeus, he again confused the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

At least five times as a candidate John McCain has stated that Iran (a Shiite nation) is supporting Al-Qaeda (a Sunni group) in Iraq. This is not some minor mistake, but a significant gaffe. He clearly does not understand the sensitive political dynamics in that region of the world.

What's worse is that he's done it at important times when you'd expect him to be at his best -- he did it today in the Senate while questioning the commander of American forces in Iraq, and he did it on a recent trip to the Middle East.

If John McCain can't remember such a simple fact at crucial times, how will he be able to do it as President?

We have to stop John McCain from taking control of the White House, and stop him from taking over George Bush's war in Iraq. Can you write a letter to the editor of your local paper letting voters in your area know just how confused John McCain is?

http://www.democrats.org/gaffes

Once is misspeaking -- five times is a dangerous lack of understanding. John McCain so badly misunderstands Iraq that he's content to stay there for 100 years, something he's said multiple times. He has also failed to explain how he would pay for a war that is now costing you and me $12 billion each month -- money we could be using to help our economy here at home.

John McCain wants us to believe that his decades of foreign policy experience make him the natural choice to lead our nation at war with terrorists.

We just can't afford someone who just doesn't understand Iraq -- it's too dangerous.

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Raw Video: Too Old? 'You Little Jerk,' McCain Laughs
John McCain answers a question from a Concord High student who asks whether he's too old to be president.

John McCain vs. John McCain - Get off the double talk express!

 

John McCain was a leader. A screw up in college - graduated 5th from the bottom
- and a wreckless navy pilot - and a pow. Watch this video from those who respect him.

 

Did you know that John McCain was NOT born in the United States of America?
Could he legally be president ? Yea, probably.
check it out.

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. That state was
admitted to the Union as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, so Barack was born in the U.S.

Hillary Diane Rodham (now Clinton) was born at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
In 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. state so Hillary has no problem either.

Just some thoughts:
March 19 is the 5th anniversary of the tragic invasion and occupation of Iraq. The war is now creating two tragedies: Nearly 4,000 American soldiers have been killed and thousands more injured - along with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And our economy is sinking, but the resources we need to turn it around are being squandered in Iraq. Vast sums of money are being borrowed from foreign countries and it will all need to be paid back - with interest.

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The Three Bushes Endorse McCain

1. In Houston, Texas Former President Bush endorsed John McCain at an event on Monday before the last primary and defended the conservative record of the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. Bush's endorsement was another sign the GOP's establishment is coalescing around the Arizona senator.

"At this critical time in history ... the United States of America cannot be allowed to falter," the 41st president said in Houston, Texas. "No one is better to lead our nation in these trying times than Senator John McCain. His character was forged in the crucible of war," Bush said, referring to McCain's experience as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam.

2.Then the McCain campaign announced that Jeb Bush, older brother of George W. and former Governor of Florida, was endorsing John McCain.

3. The day after the primary McCain headed for the White House where US President George W Bush has endorsed John McCain's White House bid after the Vietnam veteran sealed the Republican nomination on Tuesday. Mr Bush said his one-time rival would be a president with the "determination to defeat an enemy and a heart big enough to love those who hurt". McCain, who had been comfortably ahead, clinched the Republican nomination on Tuesday with wins in all the four states.

There's no question that George Bush knows that John McCain will pick up where he leaves off. Make no mistake, McCain is the closest Bush will have to a third term, and the White House will do anything to get him elected. In fact, they're so similar, John McCain had little to say -- George Bush did most of the talking for both of them.

He even suggested that McCain doesn't represent change, saying that it's something candidates have to run on because it's what the American people want to hear. It's frightening how much George Bush now likes John McCain, and it should tell you all you need to know.

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) — Voters in this southern Vermont town were deciding Tuesday whether to approve a measure calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on charges of violating the Constitution. Read More

Have you been watching the current wife at John McCain's side.
There is something wrong with the picture, but I just can't put my finger on it.
from Oliver Willis, Like Kryptonite To Stupid
More complete picture, Wikipedia
OTOH - Cindy McCain has done many wonderful things for people all around the world. We appreciate the good things she has done and appreciate her past difficulties. We really like and respect her. What is past is past and we will let it go.