John McCain Update For June 13Th.

The McCain Update - June 13, 2008

Have you ever wondered what the Straight Talk Express is really like on the inside? Or what is in the refrigerator on the bus? Join Davis White, director of advance, for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes video tour of the Straight Talk Express. Davis gives you a top to bottom tour of the Straight Talk Express. Click here to watch and see what life on the bus is really like.

This video is the first opportunity to learn about all aspects of the bus including where John McCain sits and spends much of his time with staff, press and family members. This is an exclusive video on our web site so be sure to watch and forward it to your friends and family!

First 2008 Presidential Town Hall Meeting

Last night, John McCain held the first of what he hoped would be ten joint town hall appearances with Barack Obama. Unfortunately, Senator Obama chose not to attend. The town hall meeting, at Federal Hall in New York City, was broadcast live on The Fox News Channel. This historic location is where President George Washington first took the oath of office. At the event, John McCain answered questions about important issues facing voters this year, including the economy, energy prices and the war.

Last week, John McCain invited Senator Obama to participate in this event, hoping to start what would be a series of ten town hall meetings where both candidates would travel the country to answer questions from real voters. Senator Obama has yet to agree to meet us in these town halls, which would revolutionize our political process and start a real change in the tone of politics. John McCain believes in this effort and is putting it into action. There will be another town hall meeting next Thursday, so be sure to check JohnMcCain.com soon for more information.

Father's Day

Many people we meet on the campaign trail are kind enough to share their stories of John McCain's father, Admiral McCain. John McCain has shared many personal moments with his father in his book, Faith of My Fathers.

We would like to hear from you about how your father impacted your life, however big or small. Please take a moment and pass along your personal story at this link.

Small Business Growth

As president, John McCain will get our economy running at full strength again and that starts by supporting small businesses across America. On Monday, he spoke to the National Federation of Independent Business and eBay 2008 National Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. about his plans.

John McCain will act quickly to promote growth and opportunity, while keeping the tax cuts for low income Americans. He will fight for tax reform that supports the workers and the job creators who make our economy run and succeed in a global economy. To help keep businesses and jobs in our country, John McCain plans to reduce the corporate tax rate to be competitive with international trading partners. Click here to read the full speech.

Online Survey & Latest News

Have you responded to our online survey yet about the brand-new JohnMcCain.com? If not, we still want to hear from you. Click here to share your thoughts about our new website by taking our brief survey. Working together, the web will be an important tool to involve you in this campaign. Your feedback is important so please tell us what you think today.

Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com.

Another John McCain News: Launch Of A New Website.

Check out John McCain's new website, and tell him what you think about it.

Notice the "En Espanol" on the Masthead.

John McCain Invites You To View His "Strategy Briefing", And Double Your Impact For Him.

Here's his "strategy briefing", and here's his double your impact email:

,

We have some catch-up work to do -- and we must to do it now.

I hope you will take a moment right now to make a special RNC Victory
2-MONTH EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN PLEDGE of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100 or $50. Here's why I'm personally asking for your immediate help:

In the heat of their primary battle the Democrats launched a massive 50-state voter registration drive which will result directly in dramatically increasing Democrat voter turnout on November 4th.

We must respond by dramatically increasing our own Republican registration efforts, matching them voter-to-voter, district-by-district, state-by-state all across America. But we can only do that with an immediate, emergency injection of funds.

That is why, , I'm turning to our Party's most dedicated supporters -- like you -- to help the RNC Victory 2008 campaign launch our most aggressive and ambitious Voter Registration Drive in the history of the Republican Party. To do that, we must raise $10.6 million in the next 60 days.

This is the amount we need to aggressively expand our grassroots Get-Out-The-Vote campaign in all 50 states, capture swing voters, and turn out the Party faithful to the polls this year. I know that is a lot of money. But the RNC has set the essential goal of registering at least 500,000 new voters in June and 500,000 in July.

I'm asking you to help us meet this vital goal with a secure online donation of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100 or $50 today by clicking here.

We cannot delay in doing everything we can to build a war chest that will enable Republicans to get out our message, challenge the Democrats on their own turf, expose their radically liberal agenda for our nation, and mobilize and register historic numbers of Republican voters.

Today, I urge you to support the RNC's Victory 2008 campaign by making your 60-day pledge IMMEDIATELY!

As someone who has done so much in the past for our Party, we need your financial support at this crucial time to strengthen our Republican Party's efforts to regain control of Congress and win the White House in November.

So please make your generous online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100 or $50 to RNC Victory 2008 right away by clicking here.

, we cannot reach our goal without your support. Please let me hear from you today.

Sincerely,



John McCain

P.S. , right now the Democrats are registering historic numbers of voters and building the most massive political fundraising machine in modern history with one goal in mind: Defeat Republicans. The next 60 days will make-or-break the Republican Party and our grassroots voter registration effort.

That's why I'm counting on you, , as a loyal and steadfast supporter, to participate in the RNC's Victory 2008 2-MONTH EMERGENCY PLEDGE CAMPAIGN today -- and help us kick-off our most aggressive and ambitious Voter Registration Drives in the history of the Republican Party by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100 or $50 today. Thank you.

From John McCain.

My Friends,

Tonight, we can say with confidence the primary season is over, and the general election campaign has begun.

Each American faces a decision this election and the choice between my candidacy and Senator Obama's could not be more clear. This is a change election. But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change; between going forward and going backward.

The right change recognizes that many of the policies and institutions of our government have failed. The right kind of change will initiate widespread and innovative reforms in almost every area of government policy from energy to taxes to government spending and the military.

The right change will stop impeding Americans from doing what they have always done, overcome obstacles and turn challenges into opportunities. Today, I humbly ask you to join my campaign for the right change, as we move forward together as a nation. Please follow this link to make your generous campaign contribution right away.

The wrong change looks not to the future, but to the past for solutions that have failed us before and will surely fail us again. Like others before him, my opponent seems to think government is the answer to every problem. That's not change we can believe in.

My friends, we're not a country that would rather go back than forward. We're the world's leader, and leaders don't hide from history. They make history. If we're going to lead, we must reform a government that has lost its ability to help us do so.

You can take direct action today by making a donation of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, or any amount up to the legal limit of $2,300. Your generous support will enable me to take my message of the right change and reform directly to the American people.

I don't seek the presidency on the presumption I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save my country in its hour of need. I seek the office with the humility of a man who cannot forget my country saved me. I assure you that if I'm elected president, the era of reform and problem solving will begin. From my first day in office, I'll work tirelessly to make America safe, prosperous and proud. And that, my friends, is the kind of change we need.

Sincerely,

John McCain

P.S. We need change in this country, but we need the right change. I am prepared to lead this country in the right direction, but I will need your help to get elected. Follow this link to make a donation of any amount up to the legal limit of $2,300. Your generous support will make all the difference in determining the type of change our next president brings to this nation. Thank you.

Mike Duncan: Kentuckians can trust McCain, not Obama

Kentuckians can trust McCain, not Obama
By Mike Duncan

Last month in my home town of Inez, Kentuckians got to hear some encouraging and inspiring words from Sen. John McCain. I am confident that voters can take him at his word, that his straightforward plan to help hard-working communities like those in Eastern Kentucky will do just that: help communities.

His straight talk and disdain for campaign gimmickry are refreshing, especially when his Democratic opponents consistently waver on their positions, depending which primary state they're in.

Case in point: Barack Obama has been traveling the country pandering to voters for too long now. Though I am confident Americans will reject his campaign promises on Election Day, it especially disturbs me when he turns his eyes on my home state.

In one example of pandering, Obama sent an inaccurate and misleading mailing to Kentucky voters saying that he supports clean coal. This smacks of a similar promise he made to Illinois voters in 2004, when he first ran for the U.S. Senate.

He proclaimed to Illinois voters then that "there's always going to be a role for coal" and, according to media reports, pledged support for Illinois coal miners. Since 2004, however, Obama has proposed taxing coal and played to liberal special interest groups, not the interest of his constituents.

It appears that his position on coal is simply another empty promise, and Kentuckians deserve to know about Obama's actual position on coal.

In true liberal fashion, Obama wants to create new taxes, and he's calling for a tax on coal, backtracking on his previous support. To please the left-wing special-interest groups and the environmentalist voter bloc, Obama went back on his long-held support for promoting the use of coal as an alternative to gasoline.

It's obvious that Obama doesn't understand the economy, or he would see how badly his proposals to tax coal would hurt Kentucky.

As of 2006, Kentucky produced the third-highest amount of coal for the United States. We also depend on coal for our energy needs. More than 97 percent of our coal consumption is used to generate electricity. Nationwide, coal is the largest source of electricity, making up nearly 49 percent of the net generation in 2006.

With such a dependence on coal, Kentucky families can't afford to shell out more money to fund the bloated Washington bureaucracy Obama would undoubtedly establish if he is elected president. Obama would not serve our state well, and we can't trust him to keep his word.

Kentuckians deserve a president who will look out for them and their needs, someone experienced they can trust and who will provide positive leadership.

As we saw last month in Inez, McCain is dedicated to bringing America forward, not because it sounds good on the campaign trail, but because it's what he truly intends to do as president.

Editor's note: Mike Duncan is the chairman for the Republican National Committee.

Senator Mitch McConnel Reminds You To Vote On Tuesday. So Do I.

Here's the email from OUR Senator:

Osi,

I am writing to ask for your vote on Tuesday, May 20th in the Republican primary.

This is a critical election year, and I need your support to make sure we have a strong showing heading into the general election campaign.

The polls will be open on Tuesday from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. You can find polling place information here.

I also need your help to spread the word about the primary election. Please take a moment to send an e-postcard to your family and friends reminding them to vote. Sending an e-postcard takes just a minute or two, and it’s a great way to get involved and help the campaign.

Thank you for your encouragement and support.

Sincerely,

Mitch McConnell
United States Senator

P.S. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 20th. I am asking for your vote, and I need your help to get our fellow Republicans out to vote. Please take a moment to send an e-postcard encouraging your friends and family to vote on Tuesday.

Paid for by McConnell Senate Committee 2008
www.TeamMitch.com

Comment: On behalf of OUR Senator, I am asking you to please vote for him on Tuesday.

John McCain Tells Republicans The Truth: There Is Global Warming

The presumptive (I use that term because of what Ron Paul's supporters have in store for John McCain) Republican nominee and "Maverick", John McCain, has acknowledged -- to the chagrin of some Republicans, I'm sure -- that global warming is undeniable and the country must take steps to bring it under control while adhering to free-market principles.

Riding on the "truth express", John McCain said:

"For all of the last century, the profit motive basically led in one direction - toward machines, methods and industries that used oil and gas," said McCain. "Enormous good came from that industrial growth, and we are all the beneficiaries of the national prosperity it built. But there were costs we weren't counting, and often hardly noticed. And these terrible costs have added up now, in the atmosphere, in the oceans and all across the natural world."

Taking a swipe at President Bush, McCain said:

"I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges. I will not accept the same dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto. The United States will lead and will lead with a different approach - an approach that speaks to the interests and obligations of every nation."

As for animals knowing more than people appear to know, John McCain said:

"You would think that if the polar bears, walruses, and sea birds have the good sense to respond to new conditions and new dangers, then humanity can respond as well."

Then demonstrating that the Maverick may be back, McCain said:

"As never before, the market would reward any person or company that seeks to invent, improve, or acquire alternatives to carbon-based energy," he said. "More likely, however, there will be some companies that need extra emissions rights, and they will be able to buy them. The system to meet these targets and timetables will give these companies extra time to adapt - and that is good economic policy."

My comment: The Maverick is back, at least, to protect the environment, and we applaud him.

Speaker Newt Gingrich Speaks TRUTH To Republicans. Read "My Plea to Republicans: It's Time For Real Change To Avoid Real Disaster."

Here is the entire piece:

My Plea to Republicans: It's Time for Real Change to Avoid Real Disaster
by Newt Gingrich
Posted: 05/06/2008

The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November.

The facts are clear and compelling.

Saturday's loss was in a district that President Bush carried by 19 percentage points in 2004 and that the Republicans have held since 1975.

This defeat follows on the loss of Speaker Hastert's seat in Illinois. That seat had been held by a Republican for 76 years with the single exception of the 1974 Watergate election when the Democrats held it for one term. That same seat had been carried by President Bush 55-44% in 2004.

Two GOP Losses That Validate a National Pattern

These two special elections validate a national polling pattern that is bad news for Republicans. According to a New York Times/CBS Poll, Americans disapprove of the President's job performance by 63 to 28 (and he has been below 40% job approval since December 2006, the longest such period for any president in the history of polling).

A separate New York Times/CBS Poll shows that a full 81 percent of Americans believe the economy is on the wrong track.

The current generic ballot for Congress according to the NY Times/CBS poll is 50 to 32 in favor of the Democrats. That is an 18-point margin, reminiscent of the depths of the Watergate disaster.

Congressional Republicans Can't Take Comfort in McCain's Poll Numbers

Senator McCain is currently running ahead of the Republican congressional ballot by about 16 percentage points. But there are two reasons that this extraordinary personal achievement should not comfort congressional Republicans.

First, McCain's lead is a sign of the gap between the McCain brand of independence and the GOP brand. No regular Republican would be tying or slightly beating the Democratic candidates in this atmosphere. It is a sign of how much McCain is a non-traditional Republican that he is sustaining his personal popularity despite his party's collapse.

Second, there is a grave danger for the McCain campaign that if the generic ballot stays at only 32 % for the GOP it will ultimately outweigh McCain's personal appeal and drag his candidacy into defeat.
The Anti-Obama, Anti-Wright, and Anti-Clinton GOP Model Has Been Tested -- And It Failed

The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti- Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail.

This model has already been tested with disastrous results.

In 2006, there were six incumbent Republican Senators who had plenty of money, the advantage of incumbency, and traditionally successful consultants.

But the voters in all six states had adopted a simple position: "Not you." No matter what the GOP Senators attacked their opponents with, the voters shrugged off the attacks and returned to, "Not you."

The danger for House and Senate Republicans in 2008 is that the voters will say, "Not the Republicans."
Republicans Have Lost the Advantage on Every Single-Issue Poll

A February Washington Post poll shows that Republicans have lost the advantage to the Democrats on which party can handle an issue better -- on every single topic.

Americans now believe that Democrats can handle the deficit better (52 to 31), taxes better (48 to 40) and even terrorism better (44 to 37).

This is a catastrophic collapse of trust in Republicans built up over three generations on the deficit, two generations on taxes, and two generations on national security.
House Republicans Should Call an Emergency, Members-Only Conference

Faced with these election results, the House Republicans should hold an emergency members-only meeting. At the meeting, they should pose this stark choice: Real change or certain defeat.

If a majority of the House Republicans vote for real change, they should instruct Republican Leader John Boehner and his team to come back with a new plan by the Wednesday before the Memorial Day recess. This plan should involve real change in legislative, communications, and campaign strategy and involve immediate, real action, including a complete overhaul of the Congressional Campaign Committee. The House Republican Conference would then vote for the plan or insist on its revision.

If a majority of the House Republicans are opposed to acting then the minority who are activists should establish a parallel organization dedicated to real change. This group should focus its energies on creating the changes necessary to survive despite a conference with a minority mindset that accepts defeat rather than fights for real change (which is what we had when I entered Congress in 1978).
Nine Acts of Real Change That Could Restore the GOP Brand

Here are nine acts of real change that would begin to rebuild the American people's confidence that Republicans share their values, understand their worries, and are prepared to act instead of just talk. The Republicans in Congress could get a start on all nine this week if they had the will to do so.

1. Repeal the gas tax for the summer, and pay for the repeal by cutting domestic discretionary spending so that the transportation infrastructure trust fund would not be hurt. At a time when, according to The Hill newspaper, Senator Clinton is asking for $2.3billion in earmarks, it should be possible for Republicans to establish a "government spending versus your pocketbook" fight over cutting the gas tax that would resonate with most Americans. Lower taxes and less government spending should be a battle cry most taxpayers and all conservatives could rally behind.


2. Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market. That oil would lower the price of gasoline an extra 5 to 6 cents per gallon, and its sale would lower the deficit.


3. Introduce a "more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill" as a replacement for the Warner-Lieberman "tax and trade" bill which is coming to the floor of the Senate in the next few weeks (see my newsletter next week for an outline of a solid pro-economy, pro-national security, pro-environment energy bill). When the American people realize how much the current energy prices are actually a "politicians' energy crisis" they will demand real change in our policies.


4. Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009. The American people are fed up with politicians spending their money. They currently believe both parties are equally bad. This is a real opportunity to show the difference.


5. Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically. The recent announcement that the Census Bureau could not build an effective hand-held computer for $1.3 billion and is turning instead to 600,000 temporary workers to do a paper and pencil census in 2010 is an opportunity to slash its budget, shrink its bureaucracy, and turn to entrepreneurial internet-based companies to build an information-age census. This is an absurdity that cries out for bold, decisive reform (see my YouTube video "FedEx versus federal bureaucracy" for an example of what I mean).


6. Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. The problems of the Federal Aviation Administration are symptoms of a union-dominated bureaucracy resisting change. If we implemented a space-based GPS-style air traffic system we would get 40% more air travel with one-half the bureaucrats. The union has stopped 200,000,000 passengers from enjoying more reliable air travel to protect 7,000 obsolete jobs. This real change would allow the millions of frustrated travelers to have champions in congress trying to help them get places better, safer, faster.


7. Declare English the official language of government. This real change is supported by 87% of the American people including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Latinos. It is an issue of national unity that brings Americans together in a red, white, and blue majority.


8. Protect the workers' right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people against the union power structure.


9. Remind Americans that judges matter. Senate Republicans should mount an ongoing fight (including a filibuster of other activities if necessary) to get the American people to realize that liberals want to block all current judicial appointments in order to maximize the number of left wing radical judges they can appoint if they win the White House. This issue has three advantages. It reminds people that judges matter and that a leftwing radical Supreme Court would be bad for the values of most (70 to 90 percent, depending on the issue) Americans. It shows the Democrats are not engaged in fair play. It arouses the activism of those who have been disappointed by Republicans and have forgotten how bad a liberal Democratic Presidency would be.

What Is at Stake

No Republicans should kid themselves. It's time to face up to a stark choice.

Without change we could face a catastrophic election this fall.

Without change the Republican Party in the House could revert to the permanent minority status it had from 1930 to 1994.

Without change, the majorities of Americans who support the Republican principle of smaller, more efficient, smarter and fairer government will be in for a rude awakening.

It's time for real change to avoid a real disaster.

The "May Day Massacre": Can Liberals Govern in a Global Economy?

Despite the poor outlook for conservatives in our elections this November, there is encouraging news from across the Atlantic. The conservative wave sweeping Europe hit England last week when the liberal Labor Party suffered its worst local election results in 40 years.

Boris Johnson became the first Conservative Party member elected mayor of London when he defeated Labour candidate "Red" Ken Livingstone. In contests for more than 4,000 local seats across England, Conservatives captured 44 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for the Liberal Democrats and just 24 percent for Labour.

This Conservative victory in England comes on the heels of a history-making rout of the Communists and the Greens in parliamentary elections Italy two weeks ago. And the Italian results follow center-right victories in France (Sarkozy) and Germany (Merkel). The countries of so-called "old" Europe are turning away from the liberal high tax, big government policies that have crippled their economies and are turning toward pro-growth, pro-competitive center-right solutions.

All of which raises the question: Can the Left successfully govern in a modern, global economy? The voters of Europe seem to be saying no.

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich

P.S. -- Father's Day is just around the corner and there are great gift ideas available at great prices at Newt.org. Just click here to order personally signed copies of my new novel, Days of Infamy, as well as Pearl Harbor and Real Change. With the purchase of either of these three personally signed books, you can get a signed copy of Gettysburg for only $5. If you buy both a personalized copy of Pearl Harbor and Days of Infamy, you will receive a signed Gettysburg for free!

P.P.S. -- The Days of Infamy book tour took me to New York City last week where Callista took some great pictures of us on the set of Hannity and Colmes, The View, The Daily Show and others. You can view them here.

My comment: I can live with a Newt Gingrich as Vice President.

I have Always Said: "It's The Economy, Stupid!" Now Democrats Are Planning Their First Hit On John McCain On It.

The question is: how much of the weak economy can be blamed on John McCain -- or President Bush -- or will the voters only care that they are both Republicans?

Time, like always, will tell.

A Question Of John McCain's Temper: REAL Or Made Up?

Washington Post seems to suggest it is real.

And if so, will it "BADGER" John McCain this November?

Senator John McCain Will Make His First Visit To Kentucky Next Week. Details To Follow.

Senator John McCain, the Republican Party nominee for President will make his FIRST visit to Kentucky next week. No details have been released, though the visit will be on Wednesday and to Inez.

As soon as more details are released by his campaign, they will be posted here.

John McCain And African American Voters.

Will African Americans "shy away" from John McCain, or has he made amends?

That will be the question that will possibly confront John McCain, as he travels to Memphis, Tennessee, tomorrow and when he presumably stops by the Loraine Motel to pay homage to the late Right Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. .

John McCain wants to distance himself from the Bush Presidency, but ...

... will he be successful in doing so? That is the question.

John McCain releases first general election ad.

Watch it and tell us what you think.

John McCain suspends aide, sends CLEAR UNMISTAKABLE message to the GOP: No race baiting in this election!

Read more here.

This is another SURE sign that John McCain is serious about running an issues only campaign that will NOT race bait.

The man has character, that many LACK. I suspect that's one reason his poll numbers are improving.

DO YOU HEAR THAT? WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF RACE BAITING. TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES, LIKE THE ECONOMY, STUPID!

Bush endorses McCain, but with Bush's approval rating BAD, is it a kiss of death?

Is it?

BREAKING news: It's official, as John McCain clinches Republican nomination.

Will someone please tell Mike Huckabee to hang it up already?

Update, 8:35 P. M.: Well, I'll be. Mike Huckabee is doing a press conference, which sounds like he has "seen the light" on this one.

The New York Times: John McCain is "flip-flopping".

The New York Times in this story, suggests that "[t]he risk, Republicans acknowledge, is that Mr. McCain may no longer be seen as above pandering and will be increasingly vulnerable to criticism from both sides", on issues ranging from President Bush's 2003 tax cut -- which he voted against TWICE but now wants to make permanent; his support for comprehensive immigration reform, which included a pathway to citizenship; his opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade which he now supports; his refusal to call for Rumsfeld's resignation, which he now claims "I’m the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go"; and, his stance against torture, though last month his vote "against a bill that would require the Central Intelligence Agency to abide by the restrictions on interrogating prisoners outlined in the Army Field Manual" revealed otherwise.

While the NYT is usually suspect in its coverage of Conservatives, the paper seems to get it right on this John McCain story.

But the paper forgot to acknowledge that candidates often try to adjust their positions on issues so as to accommodate a targeted constituency, though they do so by moving to the middle, unlike McCain who seems now to be moving to the right.

This latest move, together with his penchant for Lobbyists, will likely do him in.

What say ye?

Are You A Republican?

Are You A Republican?

My fellow immigrants, my fellow Americans, how do you know if you are a Republican? Well, I will tell you how:

If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican.

If you believe that our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children, then you are a Republican.

If you believe -- If you believe that this country, not the United Nations, is best hope for democracy, then you are a Republican.

California Governor Arnold Shwarzenegge

John McCain wins in Wisconsin and claims mantle of Republican nominee.

And he is right. Delegate shows him at 908 delegates to Huckabee's 245. He needs 1191, or 283, while Huckabee needs almost a thousand.

But like I have been saying, in the very likely scenario of a John McCain versus Barack Obama race, whether McCain succeeds depends on who he chooses for his Veep candidate. In that and other regard, this and this cannot help but spell BAD news for McCain at this point.