U.S. Edition
(CNN) - CNN has learned that John McCain will travel to Texas, most likely next week, to accept the endorsement of former President George H. W. Bush.
The campaign is working on the scheduling with the former president's office but the goal is for an event in Texas next week, accordoing to two Republican sources familiar with the discussions.
The endorsement is part of the Republican rally around McCain nationally. But it is also aimed especially at Texas, where voters will weigh in March 4.
There is a vocal faction of social conservatives in the state who regularly sparred with President George W. Bush during his presidency and his days as governor.
The former President Bush is no favorite of these social conservatives either, but his embrace is being orchestrated as an important signal to the state's broader Republican establishment that it is important to back McCain and participate in the primary.
–CNN Chief National Correspondent John King
More of the Same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ok – so now it looks like an Obama v. Huckabee battle
no way John can rebound from this disaster.
A lame duck President is endorsing a lame Presidential candidate.
This seems so desperate for the Republicans.
And I am one!
I'm supporting Barack Obama.
I hope they'll take lots of photos of McCain and Bush together. The Dems can use them to win the election in November! I can see the ad now... The camera focuses in on McCain accepting Bush's endorsement while voices in the background chant "Four more years!" McCain won't stand a chance. I love it!
McCain being endorsed by a miserable failure of a president is a just another good reason to vote for a Democrat.
More of the same....Yeah that's what we need!
Go Huckabee '08
If Bush supports him he's not worth voting for. I support Obama but o I supported McCain over Clinton but after he sucked up to Rove I lost what little respect I had for him. If Hillary gets the Dem nomination I'll skip the Presidential part of the ballot because once again we are left with the lesser of two evils and I'm finished playing that game.
Bush, forget it! That might be the kiss of death to McCain's campaign. There may be Hillary dems looking for a home and your endorsement might get in the way of picking up those disillusioned Democrats.
Another dream ticket might be McCain/Clinton...right?
Think about it. the Obama folks, at least on this blog, are a bunch of angry folks who don't seem interested in bringing the Clinton folks into the fold in order to win in November. They think if Obama wins the nomination he has won the election. I think NOT.
We are a nation of sheep as the 60s Sociological study said, so I think some of the superdelegates will leave the Clinton fold (unfortunate) and follow their constituencies.
After all, the most important thing for them is to get reelected, not to do the right thing!
Can McCain say "No Thanks...I'm good."?
Interesting... they say the GOP is divided into moderate and conservative factions, yet both Romney and Bush are considered conservatives and they're backing moderate McCain. Me thinks the GOP is coming together to back their candidate regardless of their differences. This is nice to see, because McCain, at least, stands for something. He has a platform. Which is far more than I can say for Obama, who seems to be gathering votes by just saying "We Need Change", yet having NO platform. Vote issues, people, not race.
Oh, surprise, surprise...It's just like getting his son another term, isn't it?
This should help offset the much anticipated Michael Dukakis endorsement all the Democrats are going after.
Pretty bad endorsement. I think even most Republicans are so disillusioned by Dubya that they don't want to have anything to do with the Bush family for a while. Then again, I could be wrong.
I was sure wrong back in 2004.
All the Republican bigwigs are all rearranging their deck chairs around John McCain's. Unfurtunately for the GOP, those deck chairs are on the Titanic..... :-)
"The former President Bush is no favorite of these social conservatives either, but his embrace is being orchestrated as an important signal to the state's broader Republican establishment that it is important to back McCain and participate in the primary."
The terms "orchestrated" and "broader Republican establishment" just don't sit well with me. And I'm an independent who has always votes Republican.
So the implication is: Watch all these people get in line, Republicans. Monkey see, monkey do? Now it's your turn, that's right...
What a shocker, the Texas primary is fast approaching.
I'll still vote Republican...but I'll vote for Governor Mike Huckabee.
Premature decision. GOP needs to spend time in the woods.
Neocon dogma apparently states we must take over the entire world to satisfy our unquenchable desire for fossil fuels and at the same time ram democracy down others' throats, even while we do not have democracy here at home, when Bush would rather focus on warrantless spying on Americans, giving telecoms immunity, giving his whole admin staff immunity, allow torture by American soldiers, spend trillions of American taxpayer dollars on private right-wing mercenaries or "contractors" who are also immune from military of civiliian courts....
We must overlook dictators who are our "allies" when they have WMDs, but attack others who don't yet have a means to protect themselves...We must distort the truth when other countries actually try to diversify their energy sources.....at least when they automatically sell their oil to us....or try to keep prices artificially high to make a profit off of us....
we must split up countries so we can take advantage of their weakened status to build oil and gas pipelines....and then send our mercenaries to protect our "interests".....all above questioning by Congress or U.S. citizens who are paying for this......even while our economy, infrastructure, health care, and education goes down the toilet....
McCain also believes we should have permanent bases in Iraq, and that the economy is not important, which is good since he also admits he knows nothing about it.....
I am also sure he would just rely on fossil fuels, continue our disastrous sprawl, continue our becoming a third-world nation, more backwards than Europe or Asia....and continue our isolationism.....
He is not conservative???
He should be ashamed of his son, and I hope all the bushes stay away from politics after this one is out including the current governor of Florida.
Why does this not surprise me.
Who cares what this man thinks?
His son is a war criminal and the worst president this country has ever had, and we're supposed to care what he and his cronies who profit from the war think about this election?
Go back to Texas.
I can see that. The Bush (with a real resume, #41) is similar enough to be able to make the endorsement without it being a huge stretch. George H. W. Bush seemed forced into some positions by the ideologes of the party. This is evident when he called Reagan's idea of trickle down economics "voodoo economics."
Who cares about things like the former presidents endorsement? I am sure people care more about what the presidential candidates are going to do to adress the lunatic known as Hugo Chavez since our government should be protecting the interests of American businesses that operate worldwide, not just the ones in the USA. I have yet to see us do anything in retaliation to the forced re-negotiation of oil deals by the Venezuelan government (There were other forced settlements, I believe in the telecomunnication industry and the US company in that case got the shaft because they could either sell for less then actual value or be forced out). If our government isn't going to do anything in regards to what amounted to highway robbery by the Venezuelan government then they have no room to complain when oil companies make record profits.
Former President Bush endorsing McCain!!! Come on, people of wisdom, why are you so selfish!! Your time came and went. Now its the turn for the young ones. Your role is to step aside and guide the young ones whenever they go wrong if at all you love your country. Instead you are embracing the old blood, its really absurd.
Republicans unite!
As the elder statesman of the party–this is significant.
There is no question that McCain will be much less likely to participate in the kind of rewards/cronyism of the Bush's. Which to me is a breath of fresh air.
McCain is likely to insist on a more open and transparent administration than either of the Bush's–which will also be a breath of fresh air.