(Cross-Posted at Blogs4mccain.com)
UPDATE III: Highlights of the video are now available on YouTube:
UPDATE II: The campaign now has a dedicated "April 11th" page up.
UPDATE: If you missed McCain's VMI speech, you can read his remarks here. McCain's speech is creating quite a buzz--it was described by one TV commentator as "Strong Medicine."
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There's been an explosion of news reports and editorials about McCain in the news this week, mostly surrounding his cautiously optimistic stand on Iraq, and his recent trip to that country. The quote of all quotes: "I'd rather lose an election than lose a war."
Rather than try and wrap it all up, I'm posting links with a few short thoughts:
Wall Street Journal: McCain's Finest Hour: Leadership sometimes means bucking public opinion.
From the Hotline Blog on McCain's blogger conference call, and his Iraq speech at VMI:
But conservative bloggers loved his speech on Iraq today, and, in a blogger conference call, McCain seems to have won them over, for now. The speech was simple, direct, subtle and rooted in McCain's experience, not in the tilled soil of a speechwriters mind. It may be standard-setting -- perhaps the most powerful plea a war supporter has ever sent to the American people since the troop surge began. Has any other presidential candidate written a speech to persuade -- importune -- an audience to change their minds? Right now, McCain's primary opponents are busy rousing the converts with poll-tested applause lines and briefing-book ready sound bites. McCain doesn't have to.
What's clear is how he is both distancing himself from Bush's past Iraq policy, while throwing his full support behind the new strategy, with tempered optimism.
New Media consultant David All live-blogged the conference call here.
Gateway Pundit coverage of McCain here.
At TownHall.com, Mary Katharine Ham weighs in.
Michigan for McCain has a post up with thoughts on McCain and Iraq, and the call with bloggers.
The NY Sun Politics blog also has coverage.
And last but not least, yesterday, Jonah Goldberg had a zinger of a column in the L.A. Times: "Conservatives, Don't Ignore John McCain."
Posted by blogs4mccain at April 11, 2007 06:44 PM | Email This