Johnny Mac and Junior sit a spell
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., came to Alabama on Monday. Ostensibly his main purpose was to lend a fundraising hand to GOP lieutenant governor candidate George Wallace, Jr., but McCain mostly talked about the Iraq war and his anti-torture measure.
That leads me to believe McCain's visit may have been less about Wallace and more about making himself visible in a state that may move its 2008 presidential primary from the back of the line to near the front. In an indication that he's already trying his best to show himself as a bridge-building moderate, McCain expressed disappointment upon learning he had missed a chance to chat with anti-war protesters who were outside his Huntsville book signing.
Those comments didn't stanch the flow of Democratic criticism of McCain's decision to stump for Wallace, who has an NAACP Freedom Award but also has delivered two speeches to an organization that warns of the dangers of racial mixing and massive non-white immigration. Wallace said he "doesn't research every group that invites him to speak," according to The Birmingham News. (But for future reference, it might not be a bad idea to have a staffer run a quick Google search now and then.)
Submitted without comment is Wallace's response to criticism of his choice of speech forums: "My father worked too hard and suffered too long to bring all of the people of Alabama together, especially in his later years, and I love him too much to do anything to mar that legacy."
That leads me to believe McCain's visit may have been less about Wallace and more about making himself visible in a state that may move its 2008 presidential primary from the back of the line to near the front. In an indication that he's already trying his best to show himself as a bridge-building moderate, McCain expressed disappointment upon learning he had missed a chance to chat with anti-war protesters who were outside his Huntsville book signing.
Those comments didn't stanch the flow of Democratic criticism of McCain's decision to stump for Wallace, who has an NAACP Freedom Award but also has delivered two speeches to an organization that warns of the dangers of racial mixing and massive non-white immigration. Wallace said he "doesn't research every group that invites him to speak," according to The Birmingham News. (But for future reference, it might not be a bad idea to have a staffer run a quick Google search now and then.)
Submitted without comment is Wallace's response to criticism of his choice of speech forums: "My father worked too hard and suffered too long to bring all of the people of Alabama together, especially in his later years, and I love him too much to do anything to mar that legacy."
posted by Alabamian at 3:05 PM
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