by Mark Silva
One way or the other, President Bush says, he intends to help John McCain get elected president.
"If my showing up endorsing him helps him, or if being against him helps him, either way I want him to win,'' Bush has said of McCain.
The two, of course, have a contentious history, starting with the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, when McCain trounced Bush in New Hampshire and Bush fought back in South Carolina with a vengeance.
Some of the footage in this report revives Bush's campaign trail complaint then that McCain had "paid for telephone calls in the state of Michigan implying strongly that I'm an anti-Catholic bigot.'' Bush did not take kindly "to that kind of campaigning.'
It never was clear who had paid for all of the underground rumors that were being spread about McCain at the time.
And during the past few years, the president and the senator have tangled over war policy, and over the administration's treatment of suspected terrorists in government custody.
But now it's clear, as CNN's Elaine Quijano reports on this day that Bush is raising money for McCain in Arizona, that Bush has "buried the hatchet'' and the two have made "a marriage of political convenience'' in the interest of keeping the White House in Republican hands.
• 
• 
• 
Comments
"Sources familiar with the situation said the Bush-McCain event was not selling enough tickets to fill the Convention Center space, and that there were concerns about more anti-war protesters showing up outside the venue than attending the fundraiser inside."
-
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/mobile/stories/2008/05/19/daily77.html?surro
With the need for repeated reminders that George Bush is not on the ticket, dodging questions about public appearances and failing fundraisers, John McCain is learning that running to carry out the third term of the most unpopular President in history is hard work.
Posted by: John E | May 27, 2008 2:11 PM
Perfect strategy John!! Make sure everyone in America knows rthat you are no different than Bush. Make sure everyone knows you are no longer a "maverick" but a total Bush clone. That's the strategy to ensure a 40 state victory....for the Democrats
Posted by: JT | May 27, 2008 2:14 PM
Poor, Senator " Questionable Conduct " McCain, I wonder how deep the hatchet went in, as I understand President Bush has a knack for that act !! After all, didn't he bury the hatchet in our backs, as a nation, with his Boondoggle in Baghdad ?!! Those two deserve each other and should go away and leave this nation alone !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 27, 2008 3:04 PM
The hatchet is buried with the WMD somewhere in Iraq.
Posted by: johnf | May 27, 2008 3:44 PM
Words of advice from Bush: Now hehehe don't use the illegitimate black baby thing in this race.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | May 27, 2008 3:44 PM
Alternate Cap;
'And the size of the hole necessary to bury said hatchet would be about this big.'
Posted by: C.Morris | May 27, 2008 9:40 PM
What the heck is anti-Catholic? Catholics have hijcked USA policy in East Europe, Rwanda, Timoor, Phillipines, Vietnam. They were responsible for slavery (Roger Taney, John Wilkes Booth) and the socialist labor movement and corrupt politics (Tammany, Daley). They have spread bigotry and government casuistry everywhere. They never hesitated to spread their bigotry. It is not racism to say this. Catholicism is a choice.
Posted by: Blue Danube | June 2, 2008 7:22 PM