McCain Madness: Adviser ousted in conflict uproar + Hamas (video)

Dandelion Salad

Sent to me by a friend

By Ben Smith
http://www.politico.com
5/15/08
Updated: 5/16/08

John McCain’s campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley’s dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent “527” group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign also released a new conflict of interest policy barring such arrangements.

Shirley, a conservative public relations veteran, doubled as a consultant to McCain and to the group Stop Her Now, a 527 group barred from coordinating its activities with presidential campaigns. He is not currently on the McCain campaign’s payroll, but would also step down from his role on McCain’s Virginia Leadership Team, a McCain spokesman, Brian Rogers, said.

…continued

***

Exclusive Video: McCain Was For Talking To Hamas Before He Was Against It…

Huffington Post
May 15, 2008 10:58 PM

Two years ago, in an interview with James Rubin for Sky News, Sen. John McCain expressed a willingness to negotiate with the terrorist group Hamas — the very group that McCain has been relentlessly using to smear Sen. Barack Obama over the last several weeks.

Rubin has written an op-ed in Friday’s Washington Post about his exchange with McCain, and The Huffington Post has obtained exclusive video. Here’s the key excerpt:

RUBIN: “Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?”

McCAIN: “They’re the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it’s a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that.”

…continued Plus video

***

McCain on Hamas in 2006: Going to Have to Deal With Them

Veracifier

Added: May 16, 2008
John McCain on Hamas in 2006 [on MSNBC]

from the archives:

Bush committed political treason today + Bush attacks Obama + Matthews Tears Up Kevin James

Countdown: Giving up golf + McCain’s Four Year Fantasy + Bush + O’Reilly Body Language

Bush Addressing Israeli Parliament + Bush Compares Obama To Hitler Appeasers

5,000 Sign Petition Supporting Dialogue with Hamas (action alert)