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McCain: Why Can't We Be Friends

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January 09, 2008 3:15 PM

ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that if elected president, he would clean up the nation's political discourse, and called for an end to negative campaign ads.

"I'm going to raise the level of political dialog in America," McCain, R-Ariz., said at a campaign rally in central Michigan, "and I'm going to treat my opponents with respect and demand that they treat me with respect."

As president, McCain said, he'd be able to work well with members of Congress on the Democratic side of the aisle.

"We're going to get a dispute and a debate done, but in a respectful fashion," McCain said. "And I know how to reach across the aisle to [the Democrats], and I'll ask you to tell them to reach across the aisle to me."

Fresh from his New Hampshire primary victory, McCain said he hopes for an end to negative advertising in political campaigns.

"It's time we did away with a lot of this political rhetoric at the level we're at, including these negative ads. Nobody likes these negative ads. You want to know what we're for, not who we're against."

McCain faced several negative advertisements leveled against him by rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, leading up to the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary.

The McCain campaign bought television time for one negative ad of his own in New Hampshire, which the campaign contends was necessary to respond to a Romney ad that was misleading about McCain's immigration policy, suggesting McCain supported "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.

That ad quoted the Concord Monitor, calling Romney a "phony."

"You want to know what we're for," McCain said, condemning negative ads, "not who we're against."

January 9, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (6)

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This is because he would like people to forget McCain Feingold, and his infamous immigration act.

When candidates bring out good points it helps them. Bad points hurt them. Support should dictate whether candidates choose to use them, not the law.

Another reason why John McCain does not support free speech.

Posted by: Ben | Jan 9, 2008 3:53:31 PM

Having lived in Arizona for 20 years, I know McCain better than most of the country. He was not at all for amnesty. He's a good candidate because he sees and votes beyond party lines. He has good judgement.

Posted by: Daniel | Jan 9, 2008 4:53:21 PM

McCain Says he is a free trader that tells me he is aginst the middle class. He has helped send our jobs out of the country. and wants to give them to mexicons what has he done to keep our good jobs nothing he sucks

Posted by: jim loughery | Jan 9, 2008 10:38:05 PM

Mitt Romeny is not the man he is fake as I can see threw him, phoney and just to conservative, if he is in he'll never get us out of the war alive.

Posted by: Gloria | Jan 14, 2008 1:52:53 AM

Mc Cain your a real trooper.

Posted by: Gloria | Jan 14, 2008 1:53:58 AM

June 17, 2008

Now that time has past we all see exactly what kind of campaing McCain will have.

Smear but deny!

McCain is just a dirty, cheating old man.

Just ask his first wife.

Posted by: Marsha | Jun 17, 2008 1:26:42 PM

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