Thread: DeMint calling truce with McCain

Posted on Sun, Feb. 10, 2008

By James Rosen
Washington Bureau

From the other side of the globe, Sen. Jim DeMint is calling a truce with Sen. John McCain.

DeMint was a national co-chairman of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential bid, and the Greenville Republican played a major role last year in bringing down the immigration-reform bill crafted by McCain and fellow S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Before leaving for his third trip to Iraq, DeMint told McCain that with Romney's exit from the White House race and the Arizona senator the likely GOP nominee, he was on board.

"He is our standard-bearer now," DeMint said Saturday in a call from Baghdad. "I believe he will carry a good, common-sense platform into the election."

Even though DeMint derided McCain's immigration reforms as amnesty, he said the two of them support aggressive U.S. military action against terrorism and oppose excessive government spending.

"On two key issues - winning the war on terror and stopping horrendous, wasteful spending in Washington - he and I are in lockstep," DeMint said.

Pat Toomey, head of the conservative Club for Growth economic group, named DeMint and S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford among five running-mate choices that could help McCain win the November election, in a Wall Street Journal opinion column Friday. McCain in the past has cited Graham, a Seneca Republican, as a possible vice presidential pick.

Addressing another hot topic, DeMint ridiculed the economic-stimulus bill Congress passed last week, which President Bush is expected to sign this week.

DeMint mocked as "the political self-stimulation bill" the $168 billion measure providing tax rebates and business investment incentives.

DeMint was one of 16 senators, all Republicans, who voted against the stimulus legislation. Eighty-one senators, including Graham, voted for it.

DeMint said he spent most of Saturday walking through and flying over parts of Iraq along with fellow GOP Sens. John Ensign of Nevada and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Before dining with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, DeMint was briefed by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq. The first-term senator also met with Marines, National Guard troops and soldiers from South Carolina and other states.

DeMint said he walked through the streets of Hawr Rajab, a town 6 miles south of Baghdad that along with other communities along the Tigris River represented a staging ground for al-Qaida attacks until recently.

U.S. and Iraqi troops, aided by civilians wearing bright-green jackets with "Sons of Iraq" emblems, have driven al-Qaida insurgents from much of the region, DeMint said.

"We walked through an area where our military people said there were beheaded bodies laying in the streets three months ago," DeMint said. "There were a number of communities like this along the river. There are still al-Qaida pockets, but they're no longer connected and able to work together."

DeMint said the C-17 military cargo plane he flew on from Kuwait to Iraq and the helicopter that ferried him around the country didn't have to perform "the crazy maneuvers" they'd done on his past trips to avoid enemy fire.

"We saw people farming and at the markets," DeMint said. "We saw cars on the street. While we've still got a long ways to go, there's been an amazing turnaround."

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/l ... 45270.html

Privately, I'll bet Demint thinks McCain is a jerk. He's only doing this for the party.

Hate to hear that!

You probably don't like to hear that but we have to be truthful. DeMintt is doing it only for the party. You name someone who is a true conservate to tell you if they like John McCain..NONE!

DeMintt in doing this only to save the party, that's all and he darn right knows the party is splitting.

Unfortunately, we have to be realistic.

Why do the citizens who fight ILLEGAL immigration need to compromise with the Pro Amnesty, Pro ILLEGAL, Pro Open Borders Senator McCAMNESTY for the benefit of OUR war effort?

If Senator McCAMNESTY considers our war effort and National Defense so important I wonder why he does NOT want to secure our National Borders and Enforce our Immigration Laws?

Why do our Military members receive warnings not to wear their United States Military Uniforms while traveling near our southern National Borders?

Why does "our" President and Congress send our young men and women half way around the world in defense of the United States and refuse to defend our National Borders?

Can Senator McCAMNESTY answer any of these questions TRUTHFULLY?

Iccat: We don't have to compromise with John McCain, but you tell me who is left in the Republican Party! Mike Huckabee? He is another liberal called himself a true conservative and christian.

John McCain shouldn't have been our choice but the public elected him and you'll be surprise that there are a lot of people who call themselves Republicans but they have liberal tendencies.

On the other hand, you said why our Military members receive warnings not to wear their United States Military Uniforms while traveling near our southern National Borders I wouldn't like to be around the border either wearing my military uniform. There are too many predretors out there who will kill you if they know you are going after them. You have to understand that after 9/11 you cannot expose yourself to get killled.

McCain in the past has cited Graham, a Seneca Republican, as a possible vice presidential pick.

Nope, not in my life time.

I wonder if a VeePee position may be headed Demints way ? I still would not vote for McAmnesty.

I doubt DeMint has changed his mind on amnesty, my main concern. And at least him, Coburn and others can perhaps influence McAmnesty some.

Geeez. Jim DeMint knows his only course of action is to keep his party, which so far HAS PREVENTED AMNESTY TWICE, in power. Jim DeMInt is confident he can kick McCains ass. Give him more conservatives in Congress this November to work with!