I sat in on Sen. McCain’s blogger conference call this afternoon hosted by Ankle Bitings Pundit’s Patrick Hynes.
Sen. McCain was in Iowa this afternoon on a multi-stop announcement tour that has traversed South Carolina & Iowa, and will conclude with a visit to Nevada before he finally ventures home to Arizona tomorrow.
Here are the highlights:
Sen. McCain has noticed that questions concerning healthcare are always among the first 2-3 questions asked by attendees to his townhall forums.
Jennifer Rubin started off the Q&A session by asking Sen. McCain his opinion of Gov. Mitt Romney’s statement that Usama Bin Laden is not worth capturing. McCain responded that is shows a degree of naivete on Gov. Romney’s part considering that there is credible evidence that UBL still exerts some operational control of al-Qaeda and is important symbol in the recruitment of new members. Sen. McCain believes that the Israeli’s have the right idea in that that anyone who inflicts harm, injury, or death on American citizens should be followed to the ends of the Earth.
Phil Klein was next and asked about the impact of the current impasse over the Iraq funding bill on the situation on the ground. Sen. McCain stated that although the current funding will not run out until June, the lack of commitment of future funding has the potential to significantly impact the longterm planning of the war. McCain emphasized that every day that goes by without a conclusion to this issue shows a lack of commitment to our troops on the ground. McCain did say that he would veto the current bill due to the $25 million in pork it contains and would make the people famous who put their pet projects in the bill.
Ryan Sager then asked about Sen. McCain’s reaction to Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney coming out against New Hampshire’s recently passed civil unions legislation. Sen. McCain states he is against the law as well as he opposes anything that impinges on the sanctity of marriage.
In reaction to Soren Dayton’s question on media coverage of Iraq, McCain responded that here has been small and measured progress recently (especially in Al Anbar province) but that “straight talk” requires that he note that the Maliki Government has to step up.
In response to Patrick Bell’s question on alternative energy, Sen. McCain stressed that energy independence is essential to our national security, and that the importation of additional ethanol fuels, the expansion of nuclear energy, and the development of flex-fuel and hybrid electric cars should all be part of the solution- although he is not ready to impose government controls or intervention in this respect (which is music to this blogger’s ears).
Doug Lambert asked about pork and earmarks next- especially as they pertain to potential abuses in homeland security spending. Sen. McCain’s stated that as the situation is currently constituted, the earmarking does not stop until offices are raided and people are thrown in jail. The system simply breeds corruption. The pet projects that are funded in this manner should be able to stand on their own and should not be thrown in with important legislation like the current Iraq funding bill.
Ann Althouse then asked about Supreme Court appointments. Would Sen. McCain’s potential appointments add to a conservative majority? Although he would have no litmus test, McCain stressed that a proven record of strict interpretation of the Constitution would be the overriding factor in this decision. Interestingly, Sen. McCain added that he would like to find individuals that would also have significant real-life experience in areas such as the military, small business, and corporate America.
In response to a question by Jim Garrity, Sen. McCain said that he is willing to suffer whatever consequences should follow in response to his commitment to victory in the Iraq War.
Asked what Blue States he believes he could flip in 2008, McCain answered that California can no longer be ignored by the Republican Party, and that he would campaign strongly in CA, WA, OR, NY, PA and other Northeastern states. It is obvious by his answer that Sen. McCain believes he can win California.
Robert Bluey asked about Gov. Romney’s proposal that the US devote 4% of its GDP to defense spending. Sen. McCain responded that what we do with our defense spending is more important than how much we spend. McCain stressed that eliminating waste and cost overruns are critical in meeting our defense priorities (such as fully funding missile defense).
McCain is not yet ready to support the Fair Tax or the Flat Tax because he does not believe that there is consensus in Congress or with the American people on the issue. But he does believe that the system is too complex and pointed to Estonia’s simple Fair Tax as a system that works.
It’s really remarkable how open and accessible Sen. McCain is with the new media. He spent nearly an hour with us bloggers today (staying long after the call was suppose to end) and answered every question candidly and in his usual affable manner.
The next conference call is scheduled in two-weeks. I will be posting a recap of the call as soon as it concludes.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
A couple of thoughts.
1. McCain has correctly noticed that healthcare is a top concern. Does he understand the problem? What solutions has he proposed? What has he done other than talk? Romney has already shown a remarkable degree of innovation in developing the MA health care plan with the Heritage Foundation.
2. Jennifer Rubin has a record for fibbing. She conveniently left out the important part of Romney’s statement that it is not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars finding bin Laden. He didn’t say bin Laden wasn’t worth capturing. He said bin Laden wasn’t worth X amount.
3. Sen McCain continues to stradle the line on marriage. He’s against gay marriage, but he’s also against doing anything to stop it. All it takes is 1 state out of 50.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
She actually just asked him to respond to Mitt’s statement on UBL. I wasn’t able to write down everyone’s questions verbatim.
I’m a dreadful typer and have even worse handwriting, so these questions and responses are not an exact transcript of the events (although my notes indicate she phrased the question in that manner.)
Regardless, Sen. McCain had heard the quote himself apparently, so he wasn’t just relying on Jennifer’s question.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Although I do find several things to like in this…McCain’s comments (and past comments) on energy independence, earmark reform, and a reluctance regarding the Flat Tax canard.
April 27th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
“…although he is not ready to impose government controls or intervention in this respect.”
The reason the GOP hates McCain is that he will easily change his mind and regulate just about everything you can think of. It’s just a matter of which things, and when.
April 28th, 2007 at 3:19 am
My big fear with McCain has nothing to do with his issue positions (I mostly agree with them), what worries me about McCain is that he is prone to over-reaching.
Little solutions that do no harm don’t cut it for McCain. McCain has a desire for bold comprehensive reform. My conservative instincts recoil from that type of radicalism.
April 28th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Interesting stuff. Thanks.