McCain: ‘I Am Not President Bush’

[JonLP24]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Susan Davis reports on the presidential debate.

John McCain is fed up with Democrats drawing parallels between himself and the unpopular president.

“Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush, if you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago. I will take this country in a new direction,” McCain declared to Barack Obama at tonight’s presidential debate.

Obama specifically and Democrats in general have made aligning McCain with the policies of Bush a center focus of their attacks against the Arizona senator. While McCain has differed with the Bush administration and his own party on many issues, including global climate change, earmark spending, and campaign finance reform.

“I have a long record of reform, of fighting through on the floor of the U.S. Senate,” McCain said.

However, McCain is also aligned with Bush on two key issues in this election: taxes and the war in Iraq. McCain supports the Bush tax cuts, although he voted against them at first, and he has been one of the more forceful advocates for the Iraq war.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/15/mccain-im-not-president-bush/?mod=googlenews_wsj

[LynnTheDem]

1. You VOTE WITH bush 100% of the time this year, then OH YES YOU ARE BUSH.

You VOTE WITH bush 96% of the time last year, then OH YES YOU ARE BUSH.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. What a terrible thing to say

Really? I am absolutely certain that if McCain were to become president, he would be a much better president than Mr. Bush. Why, he wouldn't fuck up like Bush. He'd fuck up in his own way.

For one thing, If McCain wins, it will be because he won, not in spite of the fact he lost, as was the case with Bush. Twice.

For another thing, Bush is totally incompetent. It isn't just that his policies are all fucked up, but he doesn't know how to implement them. Now, we must agree that McCain supports the same fucked up policies on Iraq and the economy as Bush. However, while Bush is an incompetent fuck up, McCain will be a competent fuck up. He's a fuck up who knows what he's doing. He'll fuck up much better than Bush did.

And finally, Bush was a royal fuck up. How do we know? Why, just look at his attitude toward the presidency. He thought the president could modify legislation with signing statements, ignore congressional subpoenas, fire US attorneys for not being crooked and commit war crimes with impunity. He didn't think he was president, he thought he was King. Therefore, when Bush fucked up he couldn't just fuck up like anybody else, he had to fuck up royally.

I can't quite see McCain fucking up like that. He'll fuck up with a lot less fanfare. He'll just be a plain, old fuck up, not a royal fuck up like Bush.

[LynnTheDem]

12. ROTFLMAO!!! Now that deserves its own post!

Excellent, Mr. Rabbit, most excellent!

:rofl:

[azurnoir]

3. It was McCains "Nixon" moment

all he needed was upraised arms "I am not a crook" I had to laugh.

[radfringe]

6. I was waiting for him to tell us

Cindy wears a cloth coat, and he has dog named Checkers

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixoncheckers.html

Well, that's about it. That's what we have. And that's what we owe. It isn't very much. But Pat and I have the satisfaction that every dime that we've got is honestly ours. I should say this, that Pat doesn't have a mink coat. But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat, and I always tell her she'd look good in anything.

[Left Is Write]

14. Her coat was Republican?

My cloth coat is a Democrat.

[dchill]

4. Guess what, John. You're not gonna be...

President McCain, either.

[NYC Liberal]

5. No, Senator, you're WORSE!

[Solly Mack]

7. I'm not either (but I bet I can make a better case for it than you)

[Norrin Radd]

8. The pundits attempted to push hard the meme that McCain scored

the best comment with this last night. I thought it sounded weak.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. I don't think it was a "game changer" by any means

But it was a pretty dramatic "moment" nonetheless IMHO. It would've been better for him to distinguish himself (like Obama did in regards to McCain's challenge to his record of standing against his own party) and explain exactly HOW he is (or is going to be) different than Bush because him just saying doesn't make it so (of course).

I thought that Obama's rejoinder was pretty effective at neutralizing whatever power McCain's statement had. Somebody here last night made a good suggestion that Obama should've just thrown the same question BACK at McCain himself since he claims to have been such a "maverick" and fought so hard against GWB. Now, I will make the radical assertion that McCain may not be GWB "incarnate" but IMHO he hasn't really demonstrated, at least not to me, exactly how he is fundamentally different than Bush on just about anything and even his flashes of "independence" often seem to amount to little more than grandstanding.

[jules1962]

10. I wish Obama had said "Are too".

[Javaman]

11. Now he just has to stamp his feet and whine a bit more...nt

[bdamomma]

13. no he is not president bush

but McCains policies are just like Bush.

[TheKentuckian]

15. No he's not. He worse much worse

The Republicans made EXACTLY the right choice between these two numbskulls in 2000 and there is not the hint of a question on that in my mind.
It starts with him being surrounded by lackluster incompetence and is highlighted by his irresponsible gambles with his campaign and by extension the country.

McWorst is of even worse temperament and lower intelligence. He lacks any form of vision. He is without even an internal compass, much less one that gauges the world around him.

Also, he makes Cheney look like Gandhi according to Pat Buchanan and I completely agree. This nutcase is running around saber rattling even against SPAIN.

McShame is the most poor candidate I have ever seen and if he were to run an administration even remotely like his campaign then electing him would flush the country down the toilet.

McCain makes Bush look like George Washington.