Posted by Mark Silva at 7:11 am CST
In that money primary, the one where a realistic candidate for president hopes to have $50 million banked by the start of January's primary elections and caucuses, Republican Mitt Romney is conceding nothing to Arizona Sen. John McCain on the senator's home turf.
Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, has assembled an Arizona fundraising team.
Romney's "Finance Steering Committee'' in Arizona, which held its first meeting last week, will help him "raise the resources need to campaign in Arizona and across the nation,'' his campaign says today.
"The team we have put together in Arizona is a collection of some of the state's best, most energetic and most committed leaders,'' Romney says in a prepared statement. "With their help, I know our vision for the future will be heard loudly in Arizona.''
Next comes a round of endorsements from Arizonans, promises Romney, who probably will face McCain, a heavily organized and popular longtime senator from Arizona who waged a strong campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for president in 2000, in the '08 primaries.
For now, this is Team Romney-Arizona:
Co-chairs, Paul And Susan Gilbert:. He is co-founder of the Beus Gilbert Law Firm in Scottsdale.. They recently helped Romney make a $6.5 million fundraising "National Call Day" in Boston.
Co-chair, Lee Hanley, chairman of Vestar, a developer and manager of large scale retail shopping centers. Hanley has served on a wide variety of civic and charitable boards in the Phoenix area.
Co-chair, Kevin DeMenna, who served as finance chairman for Arizona's 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee. Last Friday, the Arizona State Republican Party gave him its Harry Rosenzweig Award for being the state's top Republican fundraiser.
Co-chair, Harry Cavanagh, founder of the O'Connor Cavanagh Law Firm.
Co-chair, Wil Cardon, president & CEO of The Cardon Group, a real estate company.
State Finance Director, Corinne Lovas, a political fundraiser in Arizona and the Southwest who has seved Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
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Comments
Why should he concede anything to McCain?
Johnny Mac is on the wrong side of the war issue and is surely a poster boy for the "Angry Old Man" party.
Most polls show him losing credibility and support from likely voters. The guy had his chance and was swiftboated out by Rove and the gang. The best McCain can do is suck up to Obama and attach his name to any bill Obama supports.
Posted by: Raving Loon | January 31, 2007 8:58 AM
My, how times have changed. How do you spell FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP!
Sen. John McCain - October 19,1993
There is no reason for the United States of America to remain in Somalia. The American people want them home, I believe the majority of Congress wants them home, and to set an artificial date of March 31 or even February 1, in my view, is not acceptable. The criteria should be to bring them home as rapidly and safely as possible, an evolution which I think could be completed in a matter of weeks.
Our continued military presence in Somalia allows another situation to arise which could then lead to the wounding, killing or capture of American fighting men and women. We should do all in our power to avoid that.
I listened carefully to the President's remarks at a news conference that he held earlier today. I heard nothing in his discussion of the issue that would persuade me that further U.S. military involvement in the area is necessary. In fact, his remarks have persuaded me more profoundly that we should leave and leave soon.
Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible. . . .
I know that this debate is going to go on this afternoon and I have a lot more to say, but the argument that somehow the United States would suffer a loss to our prestige and our viability, as far as the No. 1 superpower in the world, I think is baloney. The fact is, we won the cold war. The fact is, we won the Persian Gulf conflict. And the fact is that the United States is still the only major world superpower.
I can tell you what will erode our prestige. I can tell you what will hurt our viability as the world's superpower, and that is if we enmesh ourselves in a drawn-out situation which entails the loss of American lives, more debacles like the one we saw with the failed mission to capture Aideed's lieutenants, using American forces, and that then will be what hurts our prestige.
We suffered a terrible tragedy in Beirut, Mr. President; 240 young marines lost their lives, but we got out. Now is the time for us to get out of Somalia as rapidly and as promptly and as safely as possible.
I, along with many others, will have an amendment that says exactly that. It does not give any date certain. It does not say anything about any other missions that the United States may need or feels it needs to carry out. It will say that we should get out as rapidly and orderly as possible.
Posted by: Raving Loon | January 31, 2007 10:54 AM
Another reason not to like this jerkwad,McCain. Someone,please tell McCain to get his head out of Bush's backside!
The new effort by President Bush’s allies, including Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, is aimed at blocking two nonbinding resolutions directly critical of the White House that had appeared to be gaining broad support among Democrats and even some Republicans.
Posted by: Raving Loon | January 31, 2007 11:04 AM
Loon you are so right here McCain has flip floped so many times on the issues. There is a tape of that being sent around on the internet. Remember Bush and Rove swiftboated McCain that will all be replayed.
Posted by: Dale Peters | January 31, 2007 11:06 AM
Yawn.
Posted by: Jeff | January 31, 2007 11:19 AM
I think Angry Old Man McCain lost his last shot at President when Jr. called his bluff by sending a troop "surge" to the civil war in Iraq.
Posted by: John E. | January 31, 2007 11:55 AM