John McCain: U.S. presidential election, 2008



Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination in the 2000 presidential primary, announced February 28, 2007, on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman that in April he will formally announce that "he's running for president." 

McCain told Letterman "Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be. ... We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives." 


 * Note: Also see Michelle Malkin on Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's February 12, 2007, comment that "we have now spent $400 billion and has seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.".

McCain "told reporters later that he would visit Iraq before his formal announcement and that his campaign would be about 'whether I have the vision, experience and knowledge to lead the nation.'"

McCain had previously taken several steps towards running for the Republican nomination to run in the 2008 presidential election, including setting up a team and forming an exploratory committee.

McCain's chief strategist, John Weaver has said McCain's efforts to recruit notable supporters gave him "the most active cellphone known to the phone company." 

Fails to support the troops (and "needs to read the Constitution") ...
In July 2007, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) first introduced a bi-partisan amendment with 31 co-sponsors to Congress "requiring that active-duty troops and units have at least equal time at home as the length of their previous tour overseas. The amendment also sets a minimum 1-to-3 year ratio for National Guard and Reserve members and units."

"Even as Democrats argued that the Webb plan would help military families and give much-needed rest to a depleted military, Republicans were calling the measure 'unconstitutional,' saying Congress has no role in setting the length of troop deployment schedules. GOP leaders argued that the measure would micromanage the Pentagon and serve as a backdoor attempt to get out of Iraq.

"'I think [the Webb amendment] would be catastrophic,' said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presidential hopeful and ranking member on the Armed Services Committee."

Speaking September 19, 2007, on CNN, Sen. Jim Webb "rebutted McCain's assertion that the Senate has no role in troop deployments:

"'Well, first of all, Sen. McCain, who I’ve known for 30 years, needs to read the Constitution. There is a provision in Article I, Section 8, which clearly gives the Congress the authority to make rules with respect to the ground and naval forces. There’s precedent for this.'"

... then proposes a watered-down version of the amendment
Speaking on the floor of the Senate on September 19, 2007, McCain, "an ardent opponent of a pro-troop measure to relieve the stress on the overstretched armed forces, announced he will propose a toothless, watered-down substitute to the Webb amendment.

"McCain said he and Sen. John Warner (R-VA) have teamed up to put together a 'sense of the Senate' amendment to express 'very clearly that we all want all our troops home and we understand the stress and strain that’s been inflicted on the men and women in the military and the guard and reserves.'

"McCain's rhetoric belies his intentions — to kill the Webb amendment. Webb’s bill would force the Bush administration to provide active duty troops at least the same time at home as the length of their previous tour of duty overseas. After learning of the McCain-Warner proposal, Webb immediately rejected it, stating that the troops don’t need the 'sense of the Congress' but rather 'the will of the Congress':


 * "I have just learned from Sen. McCain's comments that Sen. Warner will be offering a side-by-side amendment that goes to the sense of the Congress rather than the will of the Congress. And I would like to state emphatically at the outset that this is a situation that calls for the will of the Congress."

McCain caught lying about Iraq report
"General James Jones recently returned from a Congressional-mandated trip to Iraq and reported that political reconciliation 'is absolutely the key to measurable and rapid progress' and needed to happen before any significant reduction in violence could happen," Arlen Parsa wrote September 16, 2007, in The Daily Background. "On Meet The Press today," Parsa wrote, "John McCain incorrectly claimed that General Jones did not conclude in his recent Iraq report that political reconciliation needed to happen before a drawdown in violence can be achieved:


 * MCCAIN: Tim, I’ve known Jim Jones for 30 years. That’s not what he’s saying.

"In reality, this was exactly what Jones said, both in his report and on Meet The Press a week ago."

McCain's Ties to Shadowy Security Firm Revealed
John McCain makes occasional mention of his friend, Admiral Chuck Larson, whose distinguished career includes the command of nuclear submarines and the management of the Naval Academy.

Not as well known but by no means concealed is Larson’s link to Washington’s ViaGlobal Group, the successor company to ViaFinance and Galway Partners.

ViaGlobal was serving as the “business incubator” for Rosetta Research and Consulting LLC, best known as the company involved in luring Afghan tribal chieftain and accused drug kingpin Haji Bashar Noorzai to the U.S., where he was arrested in April of 2005.

One of Rosetta’s Department of Defense sponsors, believed to be a senior staff member in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, brokered an introduction to CNN military commentator General David Grange, who serves as an advisor to ViaGlobal.

Grange made the initial arrangements between Rosetta, represented by former Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman partner and ex-NSC attorney Joseph Myers, now with the International Monetary Fund, and ViaGlobal’s chairman, Frank Gren.

Another former Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman partner, Carole Van Cleefe, brokered a deal between Rosetta and Oracle. Oracle project managers Barbara Bleiweiss and Peter Bloom attempted to establish a joint venture using an existing contract vehicle with the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FTTTF), but was unsuccessful due to Rosetta’s cost demands.

Gren and his colleagues sought to obtain additional funding for Rosetta, as millions of dollars in investment money had been spent on payments to secure the confidence of Noorzai. Myers, Gren, and others sought sources of funding such as a contract with the FBI as well as an investment from fallen tobacco lawyer Dickie Scruggs.

ViaGlobal appears to have used McCain, acting through staffer Chris Paul, to divert a 2004 FBI internal investigation into dealings between Rosetta contractors and certain FBI employees. This was the subject of a meeting held with the FBI’s Deputy Director John Pistole in late 2004.

In mid 2006, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General conducted an investigation into criminal activities of the same FBI employees. Rosetta’s phone, email, and contractual records were subpoenaed. In addition, several Rosetta officials and advisors were questioned for several weeks.

Papers filed as part of the Noorzai case show that Rosetta, acting under the orders of senior U.S. officials, promised Noorzai he would not be arrested. Rosetta also paid substantial sums to various foreign government officials who then lied to Noorzai about the actual purpose of the meetings. Noorzai had been indicted as a drug kingpin, and since efforts to secure his cooperation in other matters had failed, the decision was made to bring him to the United States and arrest him.

The papers also show that Rosetta sought and obtained in excess of ten million dollars from investors, who believed they were investing in a security company. Instead, the money was being used to finance the lavish and extensive travel needed to locate Noorzai and gain his confidence. The investors are understandably upset, but since the Rosetta principals are known only as “Mike” and “Brian” no success has been had in locating them.

Rosetta also had improper relationships with a handful of FBI employees, who were later investigated for contributing to Rosetta’s alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices and Neutrality Acts.

As part of the incubation arrangement, ViaGlobal sought to obtain ownership of Rosetta’s proprietary database of terrorist financiers as well as access to the extensive network of contacts in the Middle East developed as part of the dealings with Noorzai.

McCain the "Episcopalian", then a "Baptist", now a "Christian"
McCain, "who has long identified himself as an Episcopalian", while campaigning in predominantly Baptist South Carolina, "said this weekend that he is a Baptist and has been for years," the Associated Press reported September 17, 2007.

McCain told reporters that "he and his family have been members of the North Phoenix Baptist Church in his home state of Arizona for more than 15 years. ... While McCain has long talked about his family's and his own attendance at the Arizona church, he appears to have consistently referred to himself as Episcopalian in media reports."

"[F]ollowing two campaign stops" in the "early voting state of Arizona" on September 17, 2007, McCain told reporters that "questions over whether he identifies himself as a Baptist or an Episcopalian are not as important as his overarching faith. 'The most important thing is that I am a Christian'," the Associated Press reported.

McCain's newly-found "Swift Boat" connection
On June 26, 2007, McCain, "who in 2004 called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth advertisements 'dishonest and dishonorable,' will hold a fundraiser ... hosted by former Swift Boater Paul Galanti. Galanti never served with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), but surfaced in 2004 to call Kerry a 'traitor,' and appear in television commercials with 'those who stooped to questioning the seriousness of Kerry’s war wounds.'"

"So, as is so often the case with John McCain, more and more questions arise about who he really is, what he really stands for and what the word 'integrity' actually means to him," Bob Geiger wrote.

"Is John Kerry his friend or his enemy? Did the Massachusetts Senator serve as honorably as the record shows -- and as Senator McCain himself says Kerry did -- or was he a 'traitor' who single-handedly extended the Vietnam war by coming home and telling the truth?

"And finally, is there a shred of the courage and character that allowed him to survive those long years in a Vietnamese POW camp left in John McCain? Or is he just another cynical office-seeker, with no moral compass, who will do absolutely anything for a buck?", Geiger asks.

On defending the war in Iraq

 * Peter S. Canellos, "GOP rivals embrace unproven Iraq-9/11 tie," Boston Globe, May 27, 2007.

On funding the war: McCain vs. Obama

 * Jonthan Stein, "Obama and McCain -- We've Got Ourselves a Pissing Match, Folks," MojoBlog/MotherJones, May 25, 2007. See Barack Obama: U.S. presidential election, 2008*Mark Silva, "McCain to Obama: It's 'flak jacket'," The Swamp News Blog/Chicago Tribune, May 25, 2007.
 * "NBC's Reid reported McCain's blast of Dems for 'no' vote on troop funding, but not McCain's prior 'no' vote," Media Matters for America, May 25, 2007.
 * Helen Kennedy, "Prez hopefuls join together - to hurl mud. Giuliani vs. Hil, then Bam vs. McCain as left & right get downright nasty," New York Daily News, May 26, 2007.

Security plan working
On April 2, 2007, the day after Senator McCain and a Congressional delegation&mdash;which included Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.)&mdash;"pointed to their brief [one-hour] visit to Baghdad’s central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans' conclusions," Kirk Semple reported in the New York Times.

McCain's entourage was accompanied by "more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead," Semple wrote. "The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit."

Although the delegation "spoke glowingly" and described the market "as a safe, bustling place full of hopeful and warmly welcoming Iraqis — 'like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime'," according to Pence, the news conference itself was "held in the very, very, very heavily secured Green Zone, the center city area of Baghdad." The same Bab al-Sharqi market they visited "was hit by a suicide bomber on Jan. 22 [and at] least 88 people died in the attack." 

Semple wrote that "witnesses said" that the "Americans were buttonholed by merchants and customers who wanted to talk about how unsafe they felt and the urgent need for more security in the markets and throughout the city". According to Ali Jassim Faiyad, "the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, ... 'The security procedures were abnormal! ... They paralyzed the market when they came, ... This was only for the media'."

Related articles on the "surge plan"

 * Kim Gamel, "McCain: Americans don't see Iraq's gains," Associated Press (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), April 1, 2007.
 * Babak Dehghanpisheh, "A Sunday Stroll in Iraq's Capital," Checkpoint Baghdad / Newsweek, April 1, 2007.
 * Amanda Terkel, "Graham’s Signs Of Progress In Iraq: 'I Bought Five Rugs For Five Bucks'," Think Progress, April 1, 2007.
 * John Aravosis, "McCain takes 'safe' stroll in Baghdad market... wearing body armor, flanked by 100 American soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicopters, and 2 Apache gunships," AMERICAblog, April 1, 2007.
 * Joe Sudbay, "McCain's Iraq delusions, Part II," AMERICAblog, April 2, 2007.
 * Kirk Semple, "McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say," New York Times, April 3, 2007.
 * Joe Sudbay, "McCain: Can't a guy just have some fun lying about Iraq?" AMERICAblog, April 9, 2007.

Oldest first-term president
McCain's 70th birthday is on August 29, 2006 and, if elected, he would be the oldest first-term president in US history. Columnist Steven Thomma wrote on August 23, 2006, "Whether this changes the presidential campaign probably will depend on whether McCain appears healthy and vigorous - and thus up to the unique demands of the job - or not... That would put him in uncharted political territory should he win the presidency: No one older than 70 has ever moved into the White House." 

McCain to launch "No Surrender Tour"
McCain plans to launch a 'No Surrender Tour' "in the near future, featuring veterans, medal of honor winners, and those who have served in Iraq. The schedule should be set by Labor Day, and they'll be blogging from the bus," Jim Geraghty of the National Review Online's the campaign spot reported August 20, 2007, following a Bloggers' Roundtable interview with McCain.

McCain's "veterans, medal of honor winners, and those who have served in Iraq" are quite possibly based within the pro-war in Iraq Republican front group Vets for Freedom. In early August 2007, at the O'Brien County, Iowa, Republican Summer Gala, VFF's National Field Director, Joel A. Arends, acted as McCain's "surrogate".

During his August 20, 2007, interview with the Bloggers' Roundtable, McCain added "Our first goal is to shore up our shaky Republicans. They’ll never get to sixty votes if we can shore up our shaky Republicans. Second of all, we've got to have demonstrations of support around the country. MoveOn.org, Ms Sheehan have been very visible on the public scene as anti-war activists. We need to crank up support. We need to make clear the consequences of failure, make sure the public understands this is part of our struggle against Islamic extremism, that if we leave, Iraq will become a base for al-Qaeda and they will follow us home."

McCain's new rhetoric is in line with that espoused by VFF. Via viral emails, Pete Hegseth, VFF's Executive Director, said that VFF "plans to lead the charge to support General Petraeus and stop anti-war radicals and politicians&mdash;Democrats (and some Republicans) on Capitol Hill&mdash;from undermining the troops-and their mission-for the sake of short-term political gain."


 * "Despite the great courage and success of our troops in Iraq, many Senate Republicans are wavering in their support for the mission. And in the past two weeks alone, 3 Republican senators have raised the white flag on Iraq. If just a few more defect, the Senate could over-ride a presidential veto and set a deadline for defeat."

At the beginning of August 2007, VFF began sponsoring 60-second TV ads thanking Congressmen for their support and another series of ads admonishing Congressmen not to surrender their votes on Iraq. VFF, at the culmination of its " Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign, plans to join Move America Forward, Gathering of Eagles, Free Republic and other pro-war groups in D.C. in mid September 2007 around the time that Gen. David Petraeus will deliver his report to Congress on the status of the war in Iraq.

On the campaign trail

 * Nico Pitney, "McCain Drops F-Bomb On Senator When Confronted With Recent Absences," Think Progress, May 18, 2007.
 * Chris Cillizza, "McCain's Iowa Team Hit By Resignations," The Fix Blog/Washington Post, July 12, 2007.

Ads

 * John Aravosis, "McCain supporter does ad for Obama," AMERICAblog, June 25, 2007. re Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Campaign manager
In December 2006, McCain "signed up GOP operative Terry Nelson as his campaign manager -- yep, that would be the same Terry Nelson who produced the infamous, racially-charged 'bimbo' ad attacking Dem Tennessee Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr.," Greg Sargent wrote at TPM Cafe.

In a July 10, 2007, press release, Nelson announced that he would be leaving McCain's campaign only a week after announcing "that he would be working for free, after it was revealed that the campaign had just $2 million cash on hand," Mark Murray wrote in MSNBC's First Read. McCain's "longtime political adviser" and chief strategist, John Weaver, also resigned.

Nelson and Weaver's "terse statements announcing their departures from the McCain camp, ... reportedly came after the candidate erupted after concluding that his top-level advisers had mismanaged the operation," Dan Balz wrote in the Washington Post. "An angry McCain reportedly confronted Weaver and Nelson about the campaign's operations, particularly the amount of money that was being spent even when it was clear funds were tight. The final confrontation, coming after McCain returned from a visit to Iraq over the weekend, ultimately led to their departures, according to sources."

National political director
Michael P. Dennehy, McCain's national political director, "will step away from day-to-day duties at the campaign, telling associates [May 7, 2007] that his family obligations conflicted with his arduous, 24/7 political job in Washington, D.C.," according to The Politico. 

"Rob Jesmer, an ex-COS to Rep. Mike Rogers who has extensive field and political experience at the NRCC and RNC, has been appointed political director. And Dennehy will still play a major role in the campaign: he'll be the lead consultant on early primary states and is tasked with making sure McCain repeats his victory in New Hampshire." 

Media team
McCain's chief political strategist, John Weaver, confirmed that Nicco Mele, webmaster of Howard Dean's Dean for America, made a commitment to help McCain's 2008 run. Mele's firm, EchoDitto, claims more than twenty big Democratic and left-leaning organizations and candidates as clients. 

According to Weaver, Mike Connell of New Media Communications, Inc., who "designed, developed and managed" the Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. campaign's websites in 2000 and 2004, has also committed to McCain. 

Max Fose, McCain's webmaster in 2000, and "GOP technological entrepreneur" Becki Donatelli, CEO of Campaign Solutions, who helped to coordinate online fundraising for McCain in 2000 are also reportedly on McCain's 2008 team. 

Campaign advisers

 * Robert B. Zoellick, former deputy secretary of state, is "planning to join" McCain's presidential next year, "overseeing development of domestic and foreign policy, Republican officials tell TIME," Mike Allen reported August 23, 2006. Zoellick is "leaving the State Department this summer, and said he is delighted to advise the prospective campaign."


 * According to John M. Broder, writing in the August 18, 2006, New York Times, the following are members of McCain's campaign team: (See insert.)

McCain's "Inner Circle"

 * Rick Davis, ran McCain's 2000 campaign
 * Rick McInturff, chief pollster
 * Mike Murphy, media strategist
 * Mark Salter, McCain's Senate chief of staff
 * John Weaver, chief political analyst
 * Steve Schmidt, veteran campaign manager

"From the Bush Team"

 * Wayne L. Berman, lobbyist and Bush fund-raiser
 * Mark McKinnon, Bush's media consultant
 * Tom Loeffler, former Texas congressman and "prime Bush fund-raiser"
 * Terry Nelson, Bush's political director 2004 campaign
 * Gerald L. Parsky, California chairman, Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns
 * Mel Sembler, Ambassador to Italy and Bush fund-raiser
 * Nicolle Devenish Wallace, nee Nicolle Devenish, White House communications director
 * Ron Weiser, Ambassador to Slovakia and Bush fund-raiser

Policy advisers

 * Don L. Crippen, director, Congressional Budget Office (1999-January 2003)
 * Douglas Holtz-Eakin, director, Congressional Budget Office (2003-December 2005)
 * Kevin Hassett, directs economic policy studies American Enterprise Institute
 * Lisa G. Keegan, Arizona education official
 * John A. Thain, CEO, New York Stock Exchange

Foreign policy advisers
McCain is "also being advised on foreign policy by neoconservatives. McCain is supported by Robert Kagan, a noted American Enterprise Institute chickenhawk and the author of the surge policy, and former CIA director Jim Woolsey, who, like [Norman] Podhoretz, has called for a World War against Islam. Leading neocon lobbyist Randy Scheunemann, who headed the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq and was on the board of the Project for the New American Century, completes the McCain foreign policy and security team. McCain also had considerable interaction with neocon elder statesman Richard Perle in the early days of his campaign. Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard and Henry Kissinger are also reported to be giving McCain advice."

In October 2007, the Washington Post listed the following as McCain's foreign policy advisers.


 * Richard L. Armitage, "President George W. Bush’s deputy secretary of state and an international business consultant and lobbyist, informal foreign policy adviser"; deputy to former secretary of state Colin Powell
 * Bernard Aronson, "former assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs and now a managing partner of private equity investment company ACON Investments, informal foreign policy adviser"
 * William L. Ball III, "secretary of the Navy during President Reagan’s administration and managing director of lobbying firm the Loeffler Group, informal national security adviser"
 * Stephen E. Biegun, "former national security aide to then-Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and now Ford Motors vice president of international government affairs, informal national security adviser"
 * Max Boot, "Council on Foreign Relations editor and former Wall Street Journal editorial editor, foreign policy adviser"
 * Brig. Gen. Tom Bruner, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Lorne W. Craner, "International Republican Institute president, informal foreign policy adviser"
 * Lawrence S. Eagleburger, "President George H.W. Bush’s secretary of state and a senior public policy adviser with law firm Baker Donelson, endorsed McCain April 10 [2007]"
 * Brig. Gen. Russ Eggers, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Maj. Gen. Merrill Evans, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Niall Ferguson, "Harvard historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow, informal foreign policy adviser"
 * Michael J. Green, "former Asia adviser to President George W. Bush and now Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Asia policy adviser"
 * Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr., "President Reagan’s secretary of state, endorsed McCain April 10 [2007]"
 * Maj. Gen. Evan "Curly" Hultman, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Robert Kagan, "senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington Post columnist and former speechwriter for then-secretary of state George P. Shultz; informal foreign policy adviser"
 * Brig. Gen. Robert Michael Kimmitt, "current deputy Treasury secretary, informal national security adviser"
 * Henry A. Kissinger, "President Nixon and President Ford’s secretary of state who met McCain in Vietnam and is now a consultant, informal adviser"
 * Col. Andrew F. Krepinevich, "president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, briefed McCain as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson"
 * William Kristol, "The Weekly Standard editor, informal foreign policy adviser"
 * Adm. Charles Larson, "former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and now chairman of consulting firm ViaGlobal Group, informal national security adviser"
 * Robert "Bud" McFarlane, "President Reagan’s national security adviser and now a principal with Energy & Communications Solutions, energy and national security adviser"
 * Brig. Gen. Warren "Bud" Nelson, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Brig. Gen. Eddie Newman, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Maj. Gen. John Peppers, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Maj. Ralph Peters, "writer and retired Army officer, informal national security adviser"
 * Brig. Gen. Maurice Phillips, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Gen. Colin L. Powell, "President George W. Bush’s secretary of state, informal foreign policy adviser"; Secretary of State (2001-January 2005)
 * James R. Schlesinger, "President Nixon and President Ford’s secretary of defense, energy and national security adviser"
 * Randy Scheunemann, "national security aide to then-Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Trent Lott and now a lobbyist, defense and foreign policy coordinator (for this cycle and 2000)"
 * Gary Schmitt, "former staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee and now an American Enterprise Institute scholar, foreign policy adviser"
 * Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, "national security adviser to Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush and founder of business consultancy the Scowcroft Group, adviser"
 * George P. Shultz, "President Reagan’s secretary of state and a Hoover Institution Fellow, endorsed McCain April 10 [2007]"
 * Brig. Gen. W.L. "Bill" Wallace, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * Maj. Gen. Gary Wattnem, "Iowa veterans advisory committee"
 * R. James Woolsey, "former CIA director and now a vice president at consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton, energy and national security adviser"

Other advisers

 * James Jay Baker, former National Rifle Association lobbyist
 * Former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, Christian conservative
 * Niall Ferguson, historian at Harvard
 * Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah, Christian conservative
 * Barry McCaffrey, drug czar under President Bill Clinton
 * Sig Rogich, directed advertising for George H.W. Bush in 1988 and 1992 campaigns
 * Jay Zeidman, former White House liaison to the Jewish community under George W. Bush

Fundraising
McCain announced on November 12, 2008 that he would form an exploratory committee for his presidential run. Exploratory committees allow a presidential candidate to begin raising money for their campaign before officially filing to become a candidate. 

Bundlers
Public Citizen relaunched the WhiteHouseForSale website for the 2008 elections.


 * As of July 27, 2007, John McCain had 440 bundlers for a total of $25,895,764.00 raised. Follow John McCain's total funds raised and a list of bundlers and amount raised here.

Controversial Donors

 * Sam Fox U.S. Ambassador elect to Belgium, Swift Boat Vet supporter, former chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC)
 * Mel Sembler Former U.S. Ambassador to Italy and founder of Freedoms Watch (RJC founder)
 * Scott Silverman, CEO of VeriChip Corporation Radio Frequency Identification implants for animals and humans.
 * Clayton Williams Texas oilman famous for his off-color rape joke (see CNN youtube video)
 * Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ,a 527 group (see UPI article)

Check the facts
FundRace 2008, The Huffington Post's searchable database: "FundRace makes it easy to search by name or address to see which presidential candidates your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors are contributing to. Or you can see if your favorite celebrity is putting their money where their mouth is."

Endorsements

 * Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
 * Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security
 * Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
 * Sen. John Warner (R-Va.)

Anti-McCain campaigns

 * "Why Conservatives Should Not Vote for John McCain," Dabble.com: "22-page dossier released by the Citizens United Political Victory Fund, as featured on the News with Brian Williams on March 1, 2007." Duration: 02:28s.
 * "Why Conservatives Should Not Vote for John McCain," Dabble.com: "22-page dossier released by the Citizens United Political Victory Fund, as featured on the Live Desk with Martha MacCallum (Fox News) on March 1, 2007." Duration: 05:01s.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Straight Talk America
 * The Donatelli Group
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004
 * U.S. presidential election, 2008

Websites

 * TheREALMcCain website.
 * Compare where John McCain stands on the issues to other 2008 presidential candidates at whereIstand.com.

Video

 * "John McCain vs. John McCain," YouTube provided by Brave New Films, January 26, 2007.