comMITTed to Romney!

McCain and Hillary share a “love-in” moment.

Sen. McCain Cannot Explain His Positions, And So He Launches Negative Personal Attacks:

• Sen. McCain Can’t Address Criticism Of His Tax And Immigration Policies Because He “Has No Good Response.” “Both responses by McCain have this in common — they fail entirely to address the substance of Romney’s criticism. The reason, of course, is that McCain has no good response. He did oppose tax cuts, support for which does lie at the essence of Reagan conservatism. Similarly, he did support comprehensive immigration reform and his line on that support now is a grudging acknowledgement that the American people (though not necessarily McCain) want border security first.” (Paul Mirengoff, “Romney’s Point,” Power Line Blog, Posted 12/27/07)
• Sen. McCain Complains That Discussing Policy Positions Is “Attacking.” SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: “If there’s any doubt that we’re doing well, it’s when Mitt Romney starts attacking.” (National Review Online, Posted 12/28/07)
• And Now, Sen. McCain Has Launched A Negative Personal Attack On Gov. Romney. “‘I begin the ad by indicating he’s an honorable man,’ Mr. Romney said. ‘I believe he is a good person. I make no attacks on his character, no attacks of a personal nature whatsoever. I’ve just seen the text of his ad. It’s obviously of a very different nature. It’s an attack ad. It attacks me personally. It’s nasty. It’s mean-spirited. Frankly, it tells you more about Senator McCain than it does about me that he’d run an ad like that.’” (Marc Santora, “McCain Ad: Right Back At Ya, Mitt,” The New York Times’ Caucus Blog, Posted 12/28/07)
  

Launching Negative Personal Attacks Is The McCain Way – As Seen In The 2000 Campaign:

• In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. Bush To Bill Clinton. SEN. MCCAIN: “I guess it was bound to happen. Governor Bush’s campaign is getting desperate, with a negative ad about me. The fact is, I’ll use the surplus money to fix Social Security, cut your taxes and pay down the debt. Governor Bush uses all of the surplus for tax cuts, with not one new penny for Social Security or the debt. His ad twists the truth like Clinton. We’re all pretty tired of that. As president, I’ll be conservative and always tell you the truth. No matter what.” (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00)

To watch the 2000 campaign ad, click here:

• Gov. Romney: McCain’s Latest Attack Is Reminiscent Of The 2000 Campaign. “‘It’s reminiscent of what he did against George W. Bush in 2000, which as you recall, he accused President Bush of twisting the truth like Bill Clinton,’ he said. ‘Again, this is the kind of nasty, personal attack, which really doesn’t have a place in this process.’” (Marc Santora, “McCain Ad: Right Back At Ya, Mitt,” The New York Times’ Caucus Blog, Posted 12/28/07)

These, On The Other Hand, Are Substantive Facts – Not Negative Personal Attacks:

• FACT: In 2001, McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Vote Against The $1.35 Trillion Bush Tax Cut. The bill lowered marginal rates, eliminated the marriage penalty, and doubled the child tax credit. (H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #170: Adopted 58-33: R 46-2; D 12-31; I 0-0, 5/26/01, McCain Voted Nay)
• FACT: In 2003, McCain Was One Of Only Three Republicans To Twice Vote Against The $350 Billion Bush Tax Cut. The comprehensive bill lowered taxes by $350 billion over 11 years – including increasing the child tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty. (H.R. 2, CQ Vote #179: Passed 51-49: R 48-3; D 3-45; I 0-1, 5/15/03, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 2, CQ Vote #196: Adopted 50-50: R 48-3; D 2-46; I 0-1, 5/23/03, McCain Voted Nay)
• FACT: In 2002, McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Twice Vote Against Permanent Repeal Of The Death Tax. (S. 1731, CQ Vote #28: Adopted 56-42: R 45-2; D 11-39; I 0-1, 2/13/02, McCain Voted Nay, H.R. 8, CQ Vote #151: Motion Rejected 54-44: R 45-2; D 9-41; I 0-1, 6/12/02, McCain Voted Nay)
• FACT: McCain Sponsored An Immigration Plan To Allow 11 Million Illegals To Remain In The U.S. “The McCain plan — which is being put forward in the U.S. House by Arizona GOP Congressmen Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe — allows the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to stay in the country if they apply for legal status and pay a $2,000 fine.” (Mike Sunnucks, “Napolitano, Hayworth Criticize Bush On Illegal Immigration,”The Phoenix Business Journal, 2/1/06)

• Rep. Steve King (R-IA) Called The McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill “Amnesty.” “[McCain] has also teamed up with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), a liberal Democrat, on an immigration bill that many conservatives despise. ‘It would have legalized and provided a path for citizenship, which is amnesty, for 66.1 million people,’ said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who has called Kennedy and McCain ‘amnesty mercenaries.’” (Michael D. Shear, “McCain Fighting To Recapture Maverick Spirit Of 2000 Bid,” The Washington Post, 3/15/07)
• Manchester Union Leader Editorial: McCain-Kennedy Proposal “Would Encourage Border Jumping.” “Sens. John McCain and Ted Kennedy have a bill that, surprise, includes a generous guest worker program that would encourage border jumping. Illegals who register would have to pay a fine and taxes, but they would get to stay here and apply for permanent residency. That sure beats waiting at the border and hoping to be let in.” (Editorial, “Turnstile Security,” The [Manchester, NH] Union Leader, 3/27/06)

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From Blog 4President dot ORG

National Review’s Jim Geraghty: “One of [Romney's] strongest performances…” (Jim Geraghty, “Everybody Was Good,” National Review’s Campaign Spot, National Review’s The Corner, Posted 10/21/07)

Powerline Blog’s Paul Mirengoff: “Romney was solid, as he generally is … Near the end of the debate, he finally launched into an attack on the Clinton administration’s ‘vacation from history’ foreign policy (‘we got the dividend but not the peace’). Attacks like that are guaranteed winners in these kinds of debates, and Romney needs to make them at every opportunity.” (Paul Mirengoff, “A Sleeping Giant Wakes Up,” Powerline Blog, Powerline Blog , Accessed 10/21/07)

· Geraghty: “[Romney had] great jabs at Hillary, and seemed to feed off the crowd’s energy.” (Jim Geraghty, “Everybody Was Good,” National Review’s Campaign Spot, The National Review, Posted 10/21/07)

· Geraghty: “Mitt leads the raucous crowd in rejecting Hillary as a potential commander-in-chief.” (Jim Geraghty, “How Do I Give You The Highlights?” National Review’s Campaign Spot, National Review, Posted 10/21/07)

NBC’s Chuck Todd: Romney was “red hot.” (Chuck Todd, “Quick Post-Debate Thoughts,” MSNBC’s First Read,

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "As the Republicans debated who is more conservative tonight, two voices stood out: Mitt Romney's and Rudy Giuliani's." (Marc Ambinder, "The Republican Debate: First Take," The Atlantic Blog, The Atlantic Break, Posted 10/21/07)

The American Spectator’s Jennifer Rubin: “On marriage Romney gives a strong statement in favor of amendment.” (Jennifer Rubin, “Debate 2,” The American Spectator Blog, American Spectator Blog, Posted 10/21/07)

· Right Wing News’ John Hawkins: “Mitt is right about gay marriage. Activist judges are deliberately distorting the law to implement gay marriage…” (John Hawkins, “Debate Liveblogging,” Right Wing News, Right Wing News, Posted 10/21/07)

· Geraghty: “[Romney] makes a strong case on [gay marriage], citing the Massachusetts and Iowa state constitutions.” (Jim Geraghty, “After The Opening Brawl Among the Top Tier…,” National Review’s Campaign Spot, National Reviews’s Campaign Spot, Posted 10/21/07)

The Atlantic’s Marc Marinder: “[Romney's] best moment may have been when he said that an insurmountable problem like the health care crisis can, indeed, be solved. It wasn’t just a candidate saying he was optimistic; he showed how optimism, will and plod can be potent problem-solving forces.” (Marc Ambinder, “The Republican Debate: First Take,” The Atlantic Blog, The Atlantic Blog, Posted 10/21/07)

· The American Spectator’s John Tabin: “He had a target on his back during the health care section, and ably defended himself.” (John Tabin, “Candidate Scorecard,” AmSpec Blog, American Spectator Blog, Posted 10/21/07)

· Ambinder: “Say what you will about the guy: [Romney] expended political capital, he worked hard, and he did something meaningful to reform the health care system in his state. Very few candidates on either side can say that.” (Marc Ambinder, “It Took Romney Long Enough…” The Atlantic Blog, The Atlantic Blog, Posted 10/21/07)

· Ambinder: “But it stands out as an prime example — perhaps the ultimate example — of conservative governance. Romney worked hard at health care in Massachusetts; he worked with Democrats; he worked with Republicans; he wound up with a novel program that, while not perfect and not transferable to other states, stands out as a real accomplishment. Romney calls himself an executive and a manager; with health care, he executed and managed in real time.” (Marc Ambinder, “The Republican Debate: First Take,” The Atlantic Blog, The Atlantic Blog, Posted 10/21/07)

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