My typical day

[JayCo]

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How the heck can you support McCain after he caved in to pressure to support Bush? That crap they pulled on McCain in 2000 was absolutely disgusting. Then McCain turns around and kisses Bush butt in 2004? I lost all respect for him when he did that.

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I'm quite incoherent since it's 3am, but here goes...

I can still back McCain mainly because I think he's a man of integrity who also possesses a brain. IMO his party loyalty / support of Bush in 2004 came from his belief that it was in the country's best interest to do so, and he put aside his personal political interest to serve that. (He also avoids participating in and reacting to negative campaigning better than most, IMO- he came out strongly against the group trying to smear Kerry's Vietnam service record even while casting his support for Bush.) Having said that, it sounds like you & I agree that McCain was misguided in his support for Dubya then. However, he does strike me as a pragmatist who seems unafraid to diverge from blind adherence to the party line or to criticize this administration or his party if he feels it is merited (e.g., his public & active lobbying that Cheney is dead wrong to oppose an anti-torture amendment, his ongoing championing of campaign finance reform, a willingness to go across the aisle and work with Democrats on occasion, etc.).

Like any politician, he's far from perfect, but I believe he acts more out of conscience and a coherent, thoughtful perspective of issues. His actions generally strike me as attempt to actually get something accomplished rather than just acting out of blind party loyalty and/or political expediency. I have been periodically disappointed in his support of W (since IMO W's administration has taken the Republican Party and the country as a whole giant steps backwards), but as of today I see no other prominent politican I'd rather see in the Oval Office than McCain. While virtually every prominent member of the GOP openly critical to Bush's policies has become more or less silent or has been quietly pushed aside (Powell et al), McCain remains vocal and active in moving agenda items he feels important forward, oftentimes in contrast to White House public stances. (Let's not forget his classic Daily Show bit looking under the couch cushions for the elusive WMDs.)

I'm registered as an independent, but I'd be shocked if in 2008 I didn't end up voting McCain both in the Republican primary and final election.

[boscoboy]

"I'm registered as an independent, but I'd be shocked if in 2008 I didn't end up voting McCain both in the Republican primary"

this is gonna be hard for you to do

[JayCo]

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"I'm registered as an independent, but I'd be shocked if in 2008 I didn't end up voting McCain both in the Republican primary"

this is gonna be hard for you to do

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I should have been clearer - I'm not registered with the Independent Party (with a capital "I"), I am simply not registered as a Democrat or a Republican. I can therefore choose which primary to vote in for any given presidential election. (On top of the fact that I have major problems with both parties, this is the main reason I'm registered with no party - I can choose which primaries to to vote in where my vote has a small chance of mattering more.)

[Drac]

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IMO his party loyalty / support of Bush in 2004 came from his belief that it was in the country's best interest to do so, and he put aside his personal political interest to serve that.

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I believe the only reason he backed Bush was because the Republican Party told him he'd never get their help in 2008 unless he did so. Therefore, it was ONLY his personal political interests that led him down that road. I haven't completely written him off as he does a lot of things I really like but it's going to be hard to forget how he caved.

[JayCo]

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I believe the only reason he backed Bush was because the Republican Party told him he'd never get their help in 2008 unless he did so. Therefore, it was ONLY his personal political interests that led him down that road.

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Fair enough. Playing devil's advocate though, if he really believed despite his distaste for the Bush 2004 campaign that his party and the country was better off A) more united behind the president who was an odds-on favorite to win the nomination and B) also better off with him as president in 2008 (instead of say, Jeb?), then even personal political ambition can be written of as trying to do what he believed is in the country's best interest.

I do agree with you though that it is disappointing / frustrating to see people of conviction like a McCain often be more or less forced to "go along to get along" in order to remain electable. At least he's still willing to speak out even when it's not particularly well-liked by his party and the administration.

Anybody know where McCain stands on gambling / internet gambling? I haven't seen any evidence of him backing that other jackass.