Thursday, October 11, 2007

JOHN MCCAIN

McCain Hits Romney, Giuliani

John McCain did a conference call with bloggers from the bus between Des Moines and Oscoloosa. “I don’t see any of you lazy bloggers on this bus. Shame on you.” He actually lost the connection somewhere along the way.

The topics were a bit drier and policy oriented today, but there were three bits of news:

1. McCain said that when he said during the debate that “this Iranian scenario is closer than some may think,” he said he was referring to the fact that, “many experts on Iranian nuclear buildup believe the Iranians, within two years sufficient fissile material to develop a nuclear weapon... I have no reason to think it isn’t true. During the Cold War, we consistently underestimated the advances in the Soviet Union’s programs.”

2. On Mitt Romney’s answer on Iran, he said, “Calling in the lawyers is just inexperience. It’s just the product of inexperience.”

3. He also took a jab at Giuliani over his successful effort to get the line-item veto declared unconstitutional in the 1990s. “I fought for several years to get the line-item veto passed. The reason it was declared was not the line-item per se but the way it was written - I won’t get into separate enrollment, etc. If the President had the line-item veto, we would have far less wasteful spending. Forty-three out of fifty governors have it.”

He unveiled his health care plan today.

Highlights below the fold:

James Joyner: Turkish genocide bill?

McCain: It’s a tough one. I don’t think there’s any doubt that genocide occurred, it’s been documented thousands of times. It was one of the great genocidal acts of twenty century.

But the Turkish government of today is different, and our relationship with the Turks is very important. They’ve helped us in every war. Their battalion fought to the last man in Korea. I’d like to see the Turkish government say that terrible things happened, maybe an apology. Maybe that’s not possible. But it wasn’t this government, they have a legitimate point there.

I’m also very troubled by this Communist, Marxist PKK [operating on both sides of the Turkish-Iraqi border] and I’m very worried about Turks responding militarily [in Iraq]. We don’t want to permanently alienate our Turkish friends.

Mary Katherine Ham: Disappearing earmark reforms?

McCain: They gutted it, as you know. They said if it’s in the conference report, it doesn’t apply. Give me a break, that’s where the worst ones happen! You don’t even have time to debate.

It’s a joke, it’s a sham, and it’s a disgrace. The American people won’t stand for it any longer.

I knew all along they were going to gut it. My friends in the reform community – I said ‘look, it’s not going to work, it doesn’t have any teeth.’ … They said it was a new day. Well, it isn’t a new day. It may take another election… This is what breeds the corruption. Duke Cunningham didn’t start out putting in appropriations for money.

I think the next step, I’ve been talking with Tom Coburn and our friends, we’re going to have to take it to the people.

Malpractice reform?

It’s a vital part. Met with OBGYNs who couldn’t afford medical malpractice in that state [Nevada]. We were reaching point where women were having to go to California.

On S-CHIP expansion, he noted, “we’re funding this by raising taxes on cigarettes a dollar a pack… We want to take care of kids, but in order to pay for it, we’re hoping they smoke.”

A $35 billion expansion, and paying for it with a tobacco tax increase? It’s voodoo.

On Iran: I keep hearing from smart guys telling me that Iran doesn’t want to see chaos in Iraq. I don’t believe [the Iranians] are that farsighted… When I see their behavior, I’m skeptical.

Matt Lewis: When you said Romney was inexperienced – did you mean as a leader, or as a debater?

McCain: Well, I believe in my qualifications and background and my answer to that question. I would never have answered that I would go to the lawyers… If you can, and you have the time, of course you consult with Congress. If they’re going to be in on the landing, you have to take them in on the takeoff.

Paul Mirengoff, Powerline.com: Rudy’s lawsuit on the line-item veto?

I don’t fault him, but it was the wrong thing to do. Fundamentally there’s a problem here because I don’t know a single economic conservative who doesn’t think an effective tool for fighting pork barrel spending would be the line-item veto… I think [controlling spending] of the fundamentals of the Republican party, and it’s one we violated over the last couple years.

It was written wrong. Scalia’s opinion is scathing. It wasn’t that the line-item veto per se is unconstitutional, it was the way it was written was unconstitutional.

10/11 03:26 PMShare