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by Mark Silva and updated with response
John McCain, taking a turn on FOX and Friends this morning, was asked about Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's criticism for him as "a blatant opportunist,'' and McCain said he doesn't want to "go down" to that level.
"I think it was Bob Dole, you know, that said you don’t want to get into a wrestling match with a pig,'' McCain said. "You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”
Dean had responded to McCain's campaign ads about his military service and heritage, a family with a long line of service to the country, by saying: "While we honor McCain's military service, the fact is Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn't understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years."
McCain, a supporter of the administration's newest strategy at war in Iraq, has maintained that long-term troop presences may be necessary in the region, as in Germany or South Korea, though not in a combatant's role that places U.S. troops in continuing risk of injury. "It's after we've won the war,'' McCain explained today on FOX.
"Either we struck a nerve,'' DNC spokesman Damien LaVera replied today, "or all the time he's spending explaining away his willingness to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years and getting up to speed on all those economic issues he's ignored for the last 26 years is making John McCain a little cranky."
McCain was interviewed from Jacksonville, Fla., where he continued a campaign tour down memory lane. Asked about his search for a running mate, McCain asked his FOX host if he is interested. "You have a nice office, and you get to fly around in a nice airplane,'' McCain said of the job. "You get to go to exotic places like Iraq.''
See McCain and wife Cindy on FOX and Friends, courtesy of FOX News Cbannel.
Comments
Why should " wrestling with a pig " bother Senator McCain, he's been dancing with one for the last 7 years. He will do any dance with President Bush, so he can gain his stained mantle! When you vote for a Democrat, you are voting to restore America to her great stature among the community of nations, something she has lost over the past seven years!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 3, 2008 10:24 AM
Mc-SAME doesnt want to debate, because he cant beat any democrat except Hillary. But he gets points for that pig line. I am cracking upp!
Posted by: Keith Lifetime Chicagoan and Southsider | April 3, 2008 10:27 AM
Howard Dean was a very fine wrestler. McCain is right to not want to tangle with him.
Posted by: jackson | April 3, 2008 10:40 AM
Howard Dean is doing a good enough job of destroying the democrat party, McCain doesn't need to say a thing. Howard Dean's "leadership" is on display everytime he has to make statements about or go to Florida or Michigan. This howling idiot torpedoed his own presidential campaign and has now hoodwinked the democratic party into letting him destroy their chances of getting the White House back. His opinion is worse less than nothing.
Posted by: Jeff | April 3, 2008 10:57 AM
Yeaaaargh, Jackson! He was a great wrestler! Yeeeaaaaagh!
Nobody was better, yeaaaaaaghhh!
Posted by: Jeff | April 3, 2008 11:24 AM
McCain is correct about Dean. People like Dean who have never sacrificed anything for the good of their country will never understand the appeal that a guy like McCain has to the American People. As a fomer Marine it is a great honor to vote for a man like McCain. McCain has been the most respected member of our National Government for a very long time. He is known for his honesty and is not just another party yes man like 99% of our representatives.
Posted by: Vinny | April 3, 2008 11:32 AM
Actually pigs are smarter, more useful and better than Howard Dean. Dean is more like landfill sludge.
Posted by: John D | April 3, 2008 11:39 AM
"You get to go to exotic places like Iraq.''
So funny, Senator. I'm sure the families of the 4000 dead American soldiers think your little Iraq jokes are just hilarious. Like your bomb Iran jokes. What a disgrace to our country.
Posted by: Paul | April 3, 2008 11:41 AM
Yes, Paul, I agree. Howard Dean is quite the disgrace.
Posted by: Jeff | April 3, 2008 1:02 PM
"MCCAIN SPEAKS"
SEE I WAS BORN ON "AMERICAN SOIL"
BY REMOVING "FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSIONER" IN DEALING WITH MY 58 MILLION DOLLAR "PUBLIC FINANCING IN 8/07" and inserting "SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY" in consultation with MICHAEL MUKASEY, GEORGE BUSH, DICK CHENEY, DAVID ADDINGTON, AND FRIED FIELDING.
THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSIONER WOULDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT RECANTING HIS COMMENTS RELATING TO MY "PUBLIC FINANCING" ISSUES. HIS "CHURN" HAS BEEN
COMPROMISED.
"THE SURGE" WORKED, WOULD STOOD DOWN AND IRAN STOOD UP! I MEAN, MALIKI STOOD UP, AND THEN CALLED "IRAN" TO HELP IRAQ STAND DOWN.
"THE SURGE"
"RETURN ON SUCCESS"
5 BRIGADES.
WELL I HAVEN'T VOTED FOR A VETERAN IN OVER SIX (6) YEARS SO, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. WATER, WHAT ABOUT WATER.
143 MILLION IN OIL COSTS
SO. SO. SO.
HEY DID YOU LIKE ME ON DAVID LETTERMAN?
YEA, I PLAYED FOOTBALL IN HIGH SCHOOL BACK IN THE 40'S OR WAS IT THE 50'S, WELL ANYWAYS WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY BACK IN A DAY.
CHERTOFF ROCKS HUH!
NEXT JOKE PLEASE!
Posted by: Roger Morris | April 3, 2008 2:09 PM
The all caps presentation always alerts me to insightful commentary. Very elegantly stated Roger Morris
Posted by: Stephen McKean | April 3, 2008 4:03 PM
Does St. John have some limit on the number of American dead and wounded he will accept. We have four thousand dead now, will five thousand be acceptable? With thirteen thoussand seriously wounded and needing perpetual help is thirty thousand acceptable. Is there any limit to this war? How will we know when we have won? Can you call it winning when you have spent such a terrible price.
Posted by: c. perry | April 3, 2008 4:31 PM
The democratic party wants to drag the country to the same place they have dragged their party--the pigstye, as evidenced by this response from the DNC. We want leadership, not snarky. On behalf of the country, no thanks to you, Mr. Dean.
Posted by: Philippe | April 3, 2008 5:06 PM
You know, McCain should apologize. To the pigs. There's no reason such a noble, crucial animal should be compared to filth like Howard Dean.
Interesting note. Howard said in Florida yesterday that the Florida delegates would be seating. It's now Clinton with 1686 delegates and Obama with 1662 counting Florida.
Posted by: Jeff | April 3, 2008 6:08 PM
John knew enough about economics and banking to become a member of the Keating Five in the last banking scandal. That has to count for something, right?
Posted by: Tom O | April 3, 2008 6:39 PM
A stroll down HillBilly Lane:
• Put together the mighty Caribbean Coalition to attack Haiti, which became much worse after HillBilly’s invasion because they put a sadistic maniac in charge of the country.
• Bombed an aspirin factory in the Sudan the day Monica Lewinsky started testifying in front of a Federal Grand Jury.
• Did absolutely NOTHING when the Twin Towers were attacked the first time; ditto after the bombings of the SS Cole, Khobar towers, American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and a myriad of other attacks, which totally emboldened terrorists to attack us on our own soil.
• Had more tanks in Waco than in Somalia, where our troops were slaughtered. His “cut and run policy” after Somalia is immortalized in Bin Laden’s terrorist training books on how to beat the Americans.
• Gave away nuclear technology to North Korea in exchange for being our friend. This put us in the position with N. Korea that we’re in today (who can forget that lovely image of Madeleine Albright on the presidential balcony with Kim Jong Il as the North Korean army goose stepped below them?)
• HillBilly’s National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger, stuffed classified HillBilly records into his pants and destroyed them, so the damage of the HillBilly era may never be completely known.
• Fired the entire White House travel office, which had served a multitude of administrations from both parties, and got the FBI to go after Billy Dale, the ex-head of the travel agency because Dale shouted fowl over HillBillies anointing their special friends to run the travel office (Harry Thomason, a friend of both Clintons, and his business partner, Darnell Martens, were looking to get their air charter company, TRM, the White House business in place of Airline of the Americas). The jury dropped the case against Billy Dale in less than 4 minutes and in 2000, Independent Counsel Robert Ray issued his final report on TravelGate, stating that Hillary Clinton had made factually false statements about the case.
• Took over 900 FBI files, and all of the files were on their political enemies (remember when ONE FBI file was taken during Watergate and that soul ended up in prison for it?).
Some great records set by the HillBillies:
- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance.
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates.
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation.
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify.
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly.
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- First president accused of rape.
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation.
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case.
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court.
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions.
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad.
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court.
And this list doesn’t even touch the more well known scandals – pardongate, Whitewater, Monica-gate, and others.
ANYBODY BUT HILLARY ’08!!!
Posted by: Cheryl from Seattle | April 3, 2008 8:25 PM