Just when I thought (until 2006 or so)that I couldn't be amazed by politcal allegiances and posturing, the extent of Bush manloving among the GOP became obvious. It really is a phenom. These supporters can't really want the GOP to prevail: they will be with him to their graves - even moreso than Ronnie, I think. The Ronnie worship really came later, after his WH departure.

If the GOP/McCain actually wanted to win (or thought maybe they could), they'd have thrown Bush/Cheney into the closet and/or backed away in some other manner. That they haven't is hard to explain. Bush will be gone, and Cheney has not political future either, so what the loyalty gain them?

Without that drag of conflict between base loyalty (all committed to Bush) and demand for change, McCain would surely have a better likihood of winning.

[Now, the paranoid me is about to state that maybe they think they can steal the election (or postpone it with martial law or something), so they don't need to care if Bush has 25% approval.] Iran anyone? Some manufactured crisis?

I'd chalk it up to something that was mentioned during the "Grand Unified Theory" discussion over at TPM.

The McCain campaign, similar to the Fred Thompson pseudo-campaign, was never prepared to actually answer substantive challenges to their candidate.

McCain has spent so long as a press darling that he has no clue how to respond to even the most feeble antagonism on the part of the media. We've seen this over the course of the last week with his string of gaffes, policy reversals, and general ineptitude.

That his campaign surrogates are even less prepared is hardly a surprise.

I share your views and those of the other commentators. What scares me is that McCain is barely three or four points behind in national polls. Despite all that you say. I understand that people aren't supposed to pay attention to politics before Labor Day. But haven't they been paying attention the last eight years?

"SANFORD: Um, yeah. For instance, take, you know, take, for instance, the issue of -- I'm drawing a blank.."

Surrogate Sanford is fortunate that fellow McCain surrogate Fiorinia went on the gasbag show Sunday morn to remind the American people not to listen to surrogates.
Wankers

"""John McCain's surrogates on their payroll, but it sure was a god investment."""

Not sure what God has to do with it, but for the fact God makes sure no one actually watches CNN anymore.

The McCain camp cannot develop systematic ways of distinguishing itself from Bush on the economy because to do so would go against Republican orthodoxy. GOP economic fundamentals always stress cutting taxes. That's really all that counts for GOP'ers; thus, McCain & his surrogates, must, at least through the GOP convention, when we'll see him turn to the center, adhere to Republican economic orthodoxy. Cutting taxes is all Republicans ever want to do with the economy. Additionally, Sanford appears to be a disciple of Reagan's 11th Commandment, "Speak no ill will of fellow Republicans."

After getting through 9/11 how many jobs did the economy create? How many strait quarters of growth? OMG we had 2 years of slow growth out of 8, name a Democrat with a better economy. You chicken littles weren't running around like this when the tech bubble burst and it was far worse then this has been so far.

Besides his failure to enact procedural reform dealing with government spending (earmarks), what specifically has been so bad about Bush's economic policies? I realize the family net worth of the wealthiest 10% of Americans has flattened during the Bush years, but the rest of American families have seen a steady rise in net worth. Not that that has anything to do with George Bush's policies.

I see The Nation, the ultra-right wing magazine has a cover depicting Obama as a Muslim and Michelle as a black radical.

Wouldn't you know the right would be pushing the Barack is a Muslim meme'...

Ohh wait, that was Hillarys' campaign pushing that and The Nation may not actually be right-wing.

I know, I know, Jesse Helms made them do it....

I see The Nation hates warrantless wiretaps and yet have been silent on the warrantless searches of every cargo container coming into the country. Hmmm

Wasn't The Nation just two weeks ago screaming about Fox News depicting Michelle Obama in black stereotypes??

Now they draw her with a huge afro, a gun and the American flag burning in the fireplace, and somehow its all Fox News fault don't you know.

This on top of Jessie Jackson threatening to castrate the non-authenticate, fake and snooty non-African American Obama and you have the makings of a real hate fest on the left.

Wasn't The Nation just two weeks ago screaming about Fox News depicting Michelle Obama in black stereotypes??

Now they [The Nation] draw her with a huge afro, a gun and the American flag burning in the fireplace, and somehow its all Fox News fault don't you know.

Kids, this is what happens when you just mindlessly cut-and-paste material from the talking-points-email into comments sections of random weblogs, rather than actually knowing what you're talking about.

Crawl back into your hole, you ignorant dumbass, and learn to speak for yourself, instead of acting as a mindless talking points spammer.

Anon:
Better trolls please. It is The New Yorker, not The Nation that has the cover you are talking about.

"Sanford eventually named earmarks as a defining disagreement, but earmarks are not a major economic policy: They're a procedural reform dealing with government spending."

Also, earmarks are not even a defining disagreement. It's not as if Bush has championed earmarks, and at times he's been critical of them:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/washington/28cnd-earmark.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

This isn't too surprising. Remember that Obama surrogate who went on TV and couldn't name a single one of his legislative accomplishments? People blank on easy stuff sometimes. It happens.

(And it's funny when it does. Just not surprising.)

""It is The New Yorker, not The Nation """

But I thought The New Yorker was liberal?? Why would they want to keep pushing these terrible lies against Obama?

I bet Jesse Helms son owns it or something....

Bush's Failed Economic Record

2004 - fewer jobs than were created during any year of the Clinton Administration, Census Bureau data shows that poverty increased and real median household income have fallen in each of the first three years of the Bush Administration, average annual economic growth under President Bush has been 2.5 percent, barely two-thirds the average growth rate under President Clinton. Real median household income has fallen for three consecutive years. Median household income fell to $43,318 last year - a drop of more than $1,500 from $44,853 in 2000 (in 2003 dollars; i.e., adjusted for inflation)

During the eight years of the Clinton Administration -- which, by the way, raised taxes -- about 23 million jobs were created, which comes out to about 240,000 jobs per month. By comparison, only a net of 5.6 million jobs have been created during the Bush years, which comes out to about 71,000 per month. the economy has expanded at an annual rate of only 2.6 percent under Bush and a Republican Congress(6years of Bush's term) about a third less than the 3.7 percent average growth rate of the three prior economic cycles of similar length.

Presidential terms since 1960 by average annual GDP growth:

Kennedy-Johnson — 5.2%
Clinton — 3.6%
Reagan — 3.4%
Carter — 3.4%
Nixon-Ford — 2.7%
Bush II — 2.6%
Bush I — 1.9%

Troll Logic: Leave a lie or childish insult. The purpose of which is to magically change the reader into a new recruit for the kool-aid drinking fake patriots.

This isn't too surprising. Remember that Obama surrogate who went on TV and couldn't name a single one of his legislative accomplishments? People blank on easy stuff sometimes. It happens.

I don't think that either of those surrogates when "blank on easy stuff." The problem is that they showed up to those news programs unprepared. Obama's surrogate should have known he should be prepared with talking points about Obama's legislative record. Sanford, on the other hand, probably didn't even realize that someone might want to know how McCain will differentiate himself from the Bush administration.