I'll write this as if it were a question posed to McCain at a debate. This is how I think he should respond:
Bob Schieffer: How do you respond to the Obama campaign's accusations that electing John McCain as President is akin to giving Bush/Cheney 4 more years in the White House?
John McCain: You know, Bob, I'm glad you asked that question. I have a few things to say about it. First off, in one important way, they're right. Unlike my opponent, who wanted to retreat, I sided with President Bush on The Surge when it was very unpopular to do so. I trusted General Petraeus and our leaders to get the job done. And they did. And now we have a peaceful Iraq--an Iraq that I think will become a strong ally of the U.S. in the Middle East.
That's where President Bush and I agree. But as far as 'more of the same,' I think the American people know better. They know I have a long record of going against my party when I think it's good for my country. Take Campaign Finance Reform, for example. I partnered with Senator Feingold (a Barack Obama supporter, by the way) to create legislation that tried to get the corrupting influence of money out of politics. This didn't make me very popular in the Republican party. But I did it because I thought it was good for America.
But, Bob, there's a more recent example that, I think, shows the difference between me and Senator Obama. You see, not a lot of people know this, but Senator Obama has voted with this do-nothing, Democrat-controlled Congress 97% of the time. And I'll give you an example: Back in 2006, when all of this stuff came out about about the corruption in Congress, I reached out to Democrats and Barack Obama in particular to try and create bi-partisan legislation that would get rid of that corruption. Senator Obama gave me his personal assurance that he would support that bill. But when it came down to it, he went back on his word--just like he did about accepting public funding of his campaign--and went the Democratic, partisan route.
Bob, the American people know; based on my long record of service to this country; that I will always do what I think is best for America; regardless of who is on my side; whether it's a democratic Senator, like Russ Feingold or President Bush.
If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.
