by Mark Silva
Here's a role that President Bush, riding at the low point of his popularity as president, can play for John McCain, the Republican who hopes to succeed him:
Bush will help raise money for McCain today.
But it will be a private, closed-door affair in Phoenix.
En route to his delivery of the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, the president will stop in New Mexico today for a fundraiser for the party there and then Phoenix late this afternoon for McCain.
The Phoenix Business Journal said the event has been moved from the Phoenix Convention Center because of lackluster ticket sales and for fear of anti-war protesters. But the McCain campaign denies that, as well as a contention that it was moved to McCain's residence to avoid photos of the president and senator together.
"We have a policy that fundraising events are closed events," the aide said, adding that any confusion about the Phoenix fundraiser potentially being open to the press should be attributed to the campaign "working out the kinks" on its first fundraising event with the president -- and certainly not the last.
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Comments
Of course, they don't want fresh pictures of McCain hugging Bush.
Posted by: John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada | May 27, 2008 9:05 AM
A closed fundraiser... wow it's just like a Barack Obama Fundraising "Celebration"!
Posted by: MJ | May 27, 2008 9:27 AM
And they don't want reporters quoting bush and mcCANE at their "exclusive" fundraiser.
Posted by: Keith Lifetime Southsider | May 27, 2008 9:33 AM
they moved it due to the lack of ticket sales, anti-war protesters and fear of being photographed together. barack is laughing all the way to the white house.
Posted by: crud | May 27, 2008 10:10 AM
Nothing like a little love fest behind closed doors. Kinda like the way they run the government. Maybe we'll get a fifth branch of government.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | May 27, 2008 10:17 AM
If anyone had any doubt whether a McCain presidency would be Bush's 3rd term, his shameful stance of providing educational benefits to veterans exposes McCain as a Bush wannabe. This is all about ingratiating himself to Bush Republicans so that they will cough up bucks to support McCain's campaign. This is pure political whoring by a man who has lost his sense of honor and duty to those who have died and risked their lives while the rest of us are safe out of harms way. Evidently, McCain believes that the life of a man or woman who has managed to survive in Iraq or Afghanistan one year isn't worth the same reward as someone who has managed to survive longer. Perhaps McCain believes that American soldiers have more than "one life" to give for their country. He obviously believes the odds of them surviving the longer they are in harms way works against having to provide them any educational benefits at all. McCain/Bush economics in action.
Posted by: osage | May 27, 2008 10:38 AM
How ELITIST!! Can't chill with regular folks can you McCain. Pockets not DEEP enough?
Posted by: john | May 27, 2008 11:16 AM
If McCain had ANY dignity he'd give the President a knuckle sandwich for being involved in a whisper campaign that claimed McCain was too crazy to be President and he fathered a black child out of wedlock. I lost all respect for McCain when after he sternly told George W. Bush he was ashamed at the tactics Bush would use, Bush just shrugged his shoulders and basically said, "Whatever dude!" Has he no respect for himself? Did he get tortured for 5 years just to let some rich Ahole disrespect him? I guess the answer is yes.
Posted by: jackson | May 27, 2008 11:24 AM
"DAVID MASON SPEAKS"
I'M STILL THE MAN!
JOHN MCCAIN "YOU BROKE THE LAW" YOU CAN'T OPT IN AND OPT OUT EVERYTIME "BUDWEISER" SALES ARE UP!
JOHN MCCAIN "YOU BROKE THE FEDERAL ELECTON LAWS" YOU INSISTED ON" YOU MAVERICK DUDE OF DUDE!!
GEORGE BUSH WOULD BE A "CO-CONSPIRATOR" IN ARIZONA IF SEEN WITH YOU TAKING MONEY ON THIS SIDE OF THE FENCE AND ON THE "OTHER SIDE" OF THE FENCE.
START THE CAR!
START THE CAR!
START THE CAR!
JOHN "COLO SOLO" BORN, YOU BROKE THE LAW!
YOU CAN'T CAMPAIGN IN YOUR OWN "ABESENTEE" STATE!
START THE CAR!
START THE CAR!
GEORGE BUSH IS COMING TO TOWN!
START THE CAR!
I'M STILL "THE CHAIRMAN" JOHN!
"LONG LIVE NANCY PELOSI"
Posted by: Roger Morris | May 27, 2008 1:58 PM
Sooooooooo then what was the reason for moving the venue from the Phoenix Convention Center?
I guess they figured out that their attending audience fits in a living room......
"Working out the kinks" also seems to be synonmous with "working out the truth".
Posted by: "100years is fine with me" in the Flatlands | May 27, 2008 2:00 PM
They don't want any pictures of all the Sheiks and Party members of the Chinese government. He should get a bundle of our money from those two sources. They probably could have held the fund-raiser in a phone booth, they could have held a tele-a-thon. All of their supporters are puppet governments or totalitarian regimes and it looks like they are adopting some of their practices, from secrecy to spying on us, the American citizenry !!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 27, 2008 7:59 PM