GOA: McCain’s Record on the 2nd Amendment

GOA Ratings For John McCain

2000	C–
2002	C–
2004	F–
2006	F–

Democrats Say McCain Nearly Abandoned GOP
America’s Foolish European Wannabes
Refutation Of “A Day At The Beach” Charge
Andy Card — I Have Seen McCain’s Anger
McCain’s Character — A Disaster Waiting To Happen
Sen. McCain: I Don’t Have A Temper
John McCain: Liberal In Disguise
Friendly Fire: McCain Has Some Explaining To Do
John McCain: Liberal In Disguise
McCain’s Constitution
Softening The Skeptics
McCain’s War On Political Speech
Lobbying Reforms Unconstitutional
McCain: Major League Hypocrite
McCain’s Gun Control Ad

GOA On John McCain’s Record

Arizona Senator John McCain is running for President (again). He has been courting various conservative leaders in his quest to secure the Republican nomination. McCain wants voters to believe that he is a conservative… but his record would certainly suggest otherwise.Take, for instance, his record on gun rights and political speech affecting Second Amendment activists. Abysmal, wretched, and pathetic are words that come to mind.

GunOwners of America

The Republican King of Lobbyist Bundlers

John McCain. Surprised?

Public Citizen reported that the number of campaign cash “Bundlers” employed by John McCain is greater than any other Republican candidate: more than anyone in the race other than John Edwards.

McCain also enjoys the dubious distinction of employing more “Lobbyist Bundlers” than any other candidate – in fact, more than the entire Democratic field combined. In this crowded field of candidates from both parties, 115 Lobbyist Bundlers ply their trade for the candidates. 32 of the 115 work for….. John McCain

His signature issue in 2000 was getting the money out of politics. Does anyone else find it just a bit ironic, that the man who wrote the rules for reforming the campaign finance laws would be able to so skillfully take advantage of the fundraising possibilities in McCain-Feingold? See for yourself.

WaPo’s Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon present an interesting take, “Unlikely Ties to K Street.”

In addition to receiving campaign cash, McCain relies heavily on K-Street for campaign guidance as well.

Here is an excerpt:

McCain’s campaign has also been guided by lobbyists. Davis, the campaign manager, is a former lobbyist who represented major telecommunications companies. The campaign’s senior adviser is Charles R. Black Jr., chairman of BKSH & Associates, which represents drug companies, an oil company, an automaker, a telecommunications company, defense contractors and the steel industry, among others.

Former congressman Tom Loeffler (R-Tex.) was brought in to shore up the campaign’s finances and operations. Yet he maintains his day job as chairman of the Loeffler Group, whose clients include oil, auto and telecommunications companies, as well as a tobacco firm and an airline.

Other occasional McCain advisers include lobbyists Timothy P. McKone of AT&T, Robert S. Aiken of Phoenix-based Pinnacle West Capital, John W. Timmons of the Cormac Group and John Green of Ogilvy Government Relations. Also at Ogilvy is a major McCain fundraiser, Wayne L. Berman.

Their firms’ clients have been a significant source of contributions to McCain’s campaign.

Newt Gingrich says, “John McCain is an American hero: a unique character in his own right.”

Certainly he earned our respect as an Aviator, a POW, and the longevity of service as a “maverick” lawmaker, however, “American Hero” may be a bit of a stretch.

But, his actions with re-writing of the campaign finance laws, and then using them to his advantage make “a unique character in his own right,” a spot-on evaluation of the senator.

MLK Day

MLK Day in Mississippi.

This is B.B. King

Ask alqaida

Al-Qaida’s media arm, Al-Sahab, announced in December that al-Zawahri would take questions from the public posted on Islamic militant Web sites and would respond “as soon as possible.” Link

“When we will see the men of al-Qaida waging holy war in Palestine? Because frankly our situation has become very bad,” writes one, with the username “Seeking the Path.”

As for al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, he asks, “are there efforts to revive jihadi action there after the blows that hurt us?”

Another, signed “Osama the Lion,” asks: “Why doesn’t al-Qaida open a front in Egypt, where there are wide opportunities and fertile ground for drawing in mujahedeen?”

Another, called “Knight of Islam,” asks, “We are awaiting a strike against American soil. Why has that not been done? Why are the Jews in the world not struck?”

“What do you expect from us? Should we follow the instruction of the mother organization to target the ‘far enemy’ — the Zionist-Crusader (America) — or do we focus our efforts on the apostate regime (Algeria)? Or do you advise a middle path of striking both enemies?” he asks.

Another, signed “Alfirati60,” says he is a Syrian who joined al-Qaida in Iraq before its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006. The writer complains bitterly about al-Qaida’s decision to form an umbrella group with other Iraqi insurgents known as “The Islamic State of Iraq.”

“Things got worse after the organization joined the Islamic State, when Iraqis took over all the issues,” he writes. The Iraqis care “only about liberating Iraq not about establishing God’s law,” an apparent reference to the al-Qaida goal of a single Islamic state.

“Indeed, they neglected many of the (non-Iraqi) brothers since they care only about the safety of Iraqis and Iraq.”

“So I ask you, our sheik, is this just?” he writes. “There are many, many violations of Sharia Islamic law that those (Iraqis) who join the Islamic State commit, like failing to kill spies or apostates” — those who work with Americans — “because they are Iraqis.”

He writes that he left Iraq and returned to “Sham,” the old Arabic name for Syria and Lebanon. “I’m sorry to go on and on, our sheik, but you should be informed of what’s going on” in Iraq, he says. “We want to act in the Sham, and we are ready to do so. We lack only the material and moral support from you.”

So far, there have been no answers.

I sure hope there was a harvest of useful IP addresses.

The few

OoRah.

This one is for you, nephew.

Thank you,

Uncle Nuke

update:  also at MM

+++++

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