McCain on Hagel, Etc.
by Ryan Sager
Wed, 28 Mar 2007 at 5:00 PM
updated Wed, 28 Mar 2007 at 5:03 PM
So, I wanted to give you all a few more bites out of this morning's McCain blogger call. There were a couple of bits worth reporting, but particularly notable, I thought, was a fairly harsh attack on Senator Hagel of Nebraska, who has been the leading Republican opponent of the Iraq war.
In short, Senator McCain said Mr. Hagel is letting his experiences in Vietnam dictate his views about Iraq. "My views are not framed by events that happened 30 years ago," Mr. McCain said, when asked about Mr. Hagel.
"I don't think it would be fair to my constituents, intellectually, to have my views formed only by that one experience of my life," he said. "That's maybe where Chuck and I have some differences."
Further on the war, Mr. McCain said that the Democrats are "being driven by MoveOn.org." However, he doesn't believe they will actually let funding for the war dry up. "They would have responsibility for the war," he said. "They don't want that."
On Iran and the British hostages, Mr. McCain said that, "in a sort of backwards sort of way," it is a positive development, because it shows how dangerous and radical the Iranian regime truly is.
As for what he would do about the current crisis in Iran, Mr. McCain said he would, "find the most respected guy in the Middle East … send them over quietly to Iran, and say enough's enough. … I wouldn't do it publicly."
Asked toward the end of the discussion why he wasn't more popular with conservatives, Mr. McCain cracked, "Because life isn't fair." He said, however, he hoped to turn things around with his town hall meetings.
He also addressed his expected fundraising shortfall (expected because the McCain campaign won't shut up about it), saying, "I'm unhappy with my performance in fundraising, and that's my fault. … I don't like asking people for money and I'm trying to get over that." Not to put too fine a point on it, anyone familiar with the McCain fundraising machine might take this statement as … well, less than "straight talk."
Perhaps his best line of the call, addressing Fred Thompson's rise in the polls: "And Fred Thompson, why shouldn't he have good approval ratings … He's already been president three or four times that I know of."
UPDATE: Other roundups here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
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