About McCain: "The people who know him like him the least...."

[babylonsister]

McCain's GOP critics in Arizona continue to press their case

By JACQUES BILLEAUD


PHOENIX (AP) -- Sen. John McCain's status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has done little to ease the criticism he faces from a small but vocal group of conservatives in his home state.

A week ago, Republican activists living in the same state legislative district as McCain rejected nearly all the names his campaign submitted as candidates to become delegates to the party's state convention on May 10.

Six people on McCain's slate eventually became delegates, said Rob Haney, the district's Republican chairman and McCain's most prominent critic in Arizona.

"The people who know him like him the least. He is a media darling, so the general population doesn't know his record - and conservatives do," Haney said, though noting he doesn't believe the development could derail McCain's campaign.

The group of conservatives has dogged McCain since he first ran for Congress in 1982, objecting to his views on illegal immigration and campaign finance, among other issues. They rallied around him during the "Keating Five" scandal but were turned off by his moderate positions in the 2000 presidential race.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_ARIZONA_CRITICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-16-01-21-48

[gratuitous]

1. Very odd, isn't it?

You get a contrarian voice, someone who's "supposed" to be liberal or "supposed" to be supportive of a Democratic candidate, and the major news outlets can't give them a big enough megaphone to spout. One guy who served with John Kerry on the Swift Boats got more air time and attention than the other 30 combined.

And yet, when Arizona conservatives, who would be "supposed" to support Straight-Talkin' Johnny Maverick make statements like the one Haney made, nary a peep out of the bulldogs of the Fourth Estate. The next time you see Rob Haney interviewed on the major shows will probably be the first time. And he'll be on a panel with four or five folks, including the host, who will all be singing the praises of Straight-Talkin' Johnny Maverick.

[Supersedeas]

2. a media darling - so the free ride continues: keep it rolling Tweety