John McCain Articles - 11/19/07

Politico: Tom Kean Endorsing McCain In New Push
By Mike Allen
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=556BD59F-3048-5C12-001737676DC5411B

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Associated Press: McCain Says It's OK To Make People Mad, Challenges Clinton

By Philip Elliott

RINDGE, N.H. (AP) _ Making people mad is a good thing, presidential hopeful John McCain said Sunday in a speech aimed at playing up the Arizona senator's outsider reputation.

''I didn't seek public office to go along, to get along,'' McCain said, trying to remind voters of the ''maverick'' label that helped him defeat then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in New Hampshire in 2000. ''I went to Washington to get something done for the people who sent me there. And since then, I know I've made some people angry.''

McCain said Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has done everything she can to land on the popular side of most issues.

''On the one hand, Senator Clinton says we can't abandon Iraq to al-Qaida and the influence of Iran. On the other, she wants a firm deadline for withdrawal that would do just that,'' McCain said. ''Senator Clinton rejected unconditional talks with Iran, but now says she would negotiate with no preconditions.''

''I'm the conservative Republican with the best chance of defeating Senator Clinton, or whomever the Democrats nominate, and take on the challenges that confront us,'' the Arizona Republican said. ''I'm as committed today as when I first put on the uniform of our country to the cause that has been the work of my life: the interests and ideals of our country.''

McCain in recent days has urged a respectful debate with Clinton _ who he expects the Democratic party to nominate _ and challenged his rivals to stop taking cheap shots at the New York senator. He returned to that theme during his Sunday evening speech.

''She will be a formidable candidate and while our differences are many and profound, I intend this to be a respectful debate,'' McCain said. ''Senator Clinton and I disagree over America's direction, and it is a serious disagreement. But I don't doubt her ability to lead this country where she thinks it should go.''

A Clinton spokeswoman said McCain's record should give voters pause.

''Senator McCain is right: Voters have a clear choice between he and Senator Clinton,'' Kathleen Strand said. ''He wants to continue Bush's failed policies, and Hillary Clinton wants to change them. He wants to escalate the war, she will end it; she supports universal health care for every American and he opposes it.

McCain also challenged his Republican rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who have played up their executive experience. McCain said character matters.

''There comes a time when a president can no longer rely on briefing books and PowerPoints, when the experts and advisers have all weighed in, when the sum total of one's life becomes the foundation from which he or she makes the decisions that determine the course of history,'' McCain said. ''No other candidate, no other candidate has my experience or the judgment it informs.''

McCain said he would take on special interests, reform the tax code and address entitlement programs that are projected to swell in the coming years. Clinton, he said, would consolidate power in Washington and raise taxes.

McCain ticked through defense contractors he exposed as corrupt, lobbyists whose influence he reduced and reporters he frustrated.

''Yes, I've made a lot of people angry. But I didn't go to Washington to win the Mr. Congeniality award. I went there to serve my country,'' McCain said. ''I might not like the business-as-usual crowd in Washington, and they might not like me. But I love America. I love her enough to make some people angry.''

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New York Times: McCain Takes On Clinton, With An Eye To Civility
By MARC SANTORA
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/us/politics/19mccain.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

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Concord Monitor: McCain Hasn't Lost The Gift Of Gab
He's chatty with press on campaign swing
By Margot Sanger-Katz

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Associated Press: McCain Finds Memories At Pizza Stop

By Philip Elliott

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) _ A trip to a small-town pizza shop on Saturday became a journey into John McCain's past.

One woman brought out a silver prisoner of war bracelet she wore as a student at the University of Maine at Farmington to raise awareness of McCain's capture. Another man told McCain he served with the Arizona senator's grandfather in World War II.

Kathy Treamer, an independent voter who had never met the Republican presidential hopeful before Saturday, wore the bracelet starting in 1970 or 1971 _ she couldn't recall. She wore it until his release and since then, she's kept it in a jewelry box in her home.

''We would get up and watch the POWs come home on TV,'' she said.

Norman Sanaterre, meanwhile, said he knew McCain's grandfather and served on the same ship during World War II.

''I'm definitely voting for him. I voted for him 2000,'' he said.

McCain said he was surprised to find so many familiar people.

''He knew my grandfather in World War II. He told the story that he was at his post in the general quarters. It was the middle of the night and he was falling asleep. My grandfather, the admiral, told him he had better not go to sleep. That came as shock to him, I'm sure,'' McCain said.

Treamer said she plans to vote but hasn't yet settled on a candidate.

''I'm not a very political person so I have not made any decisions on anything,'' she said. ''I've been following him because of the memories it brought to me.''

The bracelet was engraved with Oct. 26, 1967, the date McCain was taken prisoner while serving in Vietnam.

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Time’s Swampland Blog: Romney Blames...McCain??
By Jay Carney

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2007/11/romney_blamesmccain.html

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National Review: Did Mitt Romney Push Poll Himself?
A web of connections.
By Mark Hemingway
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Y2ZkMWNkZDkzOTk1YTM0NTNkNmJlZThmYjJmM2ZmOGE=