GOP Convention: From Rivals To Allies

September 3, 2008, 11:15pm

ST. PAUL — The three leading Republican rivals to John McCain during the GOP presidential primary all took the stage here tonight to publicly and eagerly throw their support behind the Arizona senator.

For much of the race, McCain was considered an underdog to two of those men, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The third, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, stayed in the race against McCain the longest after scoring a handful of surprise victories in the primary himself.

Here are excerpts and video clips of their speeches at the convention:

Giuliani

This is not a personal attack, it’s a statement of fact: Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada. The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John has been tested. Barack Obama has not.

Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on the job training. It’s about who can answer that crisis call — yes, Hillary, at 3:00 in the morning. Well, no one can look at John McCain and say that he is not ready to be commander-in-chief.

So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about “change versus more of the same.” But that’s really a false choice. Because “change” is not a destination, just as “hope” is not a strategy.

Romney

Did you hear any Democrats talk last week about the threat from radical, violent jihad? Republicans believe that there is good and evil in the world. Ronald Reagan called out the Evil Empire. George Bush labeled the terror-sponsor states the Axis of Evil.

And at Saddleback, after Barak Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!

Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!

Huckabee

John McCain doesn’t want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child’s school, or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires.

He doesn’t want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history. It is not above John McCain’s pay grade to grasp the simple fact that human life begins at conception, and he is committed to protecting it.

Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he’s wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price. John McCain will follow the fanatics to their caves in Pakistan or to the gates of hell. What Obama wants to do is give them a place setting at the table.

Categories: New York, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Producer's Picks, Politics, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Republican Convention

With hundreds of delegates at stake in Super Tuesday voting tomorrow, John McCain and Mitt Romney are continuing their battle for the hearts of conservative voters over the airwaves.

McCain has been the one taking the most heat from establishment conservative commentators, but he is trying to score points by using Romney’s own words against him. In an ad titled “Trust,” McCain’s team highlights Romney emphasizing his independence, noting his vote in a Democratic primary and distancing himself from the time of Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Romney’s campaign, meanwhile, has an ad dubbed “Very Close” that compares McCain’s views on hot-button issues like immigration with those of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Another Romney ad says McCain “Falls Short” in key policy areas.

Categories: Politics, Mitt Romney, John McCain, AdWatch

AdWatch: Who Needs Endorsements?

January 28, 2008, 6:23pm

Rudy Giuliani, once the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race but lately an also-ran, certainly doesn’t think he needs newspaper endorsements. In fact, he’s boasting about not getting them from top papers in Florida.

They picked rival John McCain instead because he’s the more “liberal” candidate, Giuliani says in a new ad. It’s a clever, if somewhat desperate, sales pitch.

Republican Ron Paul also released a trio of ads, and McCain attacked rival Mitt Romney in an ad titled “A Tale Of Two Mitts.”

Categories: Politics, Mitt Romney, John McCain, AdWatch, Rudy Giuliani

AdWatch: Hillary’s Mini-Messages

January 22, 2008, 8:15pm

Democrat Hillary Clinton released a trio of 30-second advertisements over the past two days, as the presidential ad wars continue to heighten in advance of Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. The subjects of Clinton’s ads: economic relief for the middle class and energy independence.

And here are the latest ads from Democrat John Edwards, Republican Mitt Romney.

Categories: Politics, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Energy, Economy, AdWatch

AdWatch: The 10,000-Year War In Iraq

January 18, 2008, 11:25am

The online activist group MoveOn.org wants Americans to be scared of a country run by another Republican president has produced a video that calls attention to what MoveOn sees as the outrageous positions of the current leading candidates, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

Talking metaphorically about the U.S. military presence in Iraq, McCain says Americans don’t care whether it lasts up to 10,000 years. The clip cuts away mid-thought to highlight that statement. Romney is featured defending the military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, that houses terrorism suspects and says it should be doubled. And Huckabee calls for amending the Constitution to fit “God’s standards.”

The video closes with a warning that “We can’t let them win” and an appeal for donations to MoveOn.

Categories: Politics, Lobbying, Mitt Romney, John McCain, AdWatch, Mike Huckabee

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