Conservatives will stay home. Hilliary will win, and we'll have John to thank for splitting up the party. I'm sure Ted Kennedy won't mind a bit. Already I'm hearing of a movement of people away from the Republican party. McCain is dividing the party. And a divided party cannot win. The party doesn't represent limited government, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility anymore. They have the same plan as the Democrats with no policy to fix the sinking economy. Both parties want more war, and unfunded manidates, with higher spending and no accountability. Hilliary and McCain are one in the same.

Yes, the Republican Party is splitting, but the policies of Bush have been so unAmerican that even conservative Republicans can't tolerate the atmosphere.
So what if they were counting on Romney? Romney was just going to continue the same Bush strategy and get to blame Bush for any failures of HIS presidency. McCain is trying to win back the moderates move the party from extreme right-wing back to the center. Extremism by the Republicans is what divided the party from within, without McCain, a long time ago.

The Rightwing movement is going down,McCain hasn't got a chance. I'm still wary that Bush will have some phoney terrorist attack before the elections and declare marshall law.

shortnativetexan, I couldn't agree with you more! The so-called "conservative base" think they speak for all republicans, or at least they believe they should; guess what folks, I've been a republican for more than 30 years, I'm highly educated, and am quite sure I can think for myself, so I'll pass on your "expert" advice. These people are the same who kept saying that McCain wouldn't get the nomination, and now they say he'll be the one who will split the party, I wonder what they'll be crying after he wins in November? Of course, these are the same self-imposed "republican party experts" who haven't figured out that if your message doesn't appeal the a majority of Americans, then it doesn't matter how ultra-conservative you are, NO VOTE, no White House... so where's the "expert" part?

Sen. McCain has realized with a faltering economy, a not-so-popular war (at least on the liberal side), and a slew of problems here in the U.S., conservative democrats and independents are not exactly enamored with the republican party these days (including quite a few republicans as well) and, that the only way we can avoid having another Clinton with no balls or an Al Sharpton wannabe in the White House for the next 4 years is to move the message a little closer to the middle to get the majority vote ...NO VOTE, no White House, get the point! As much as I respected and admired the man, even if you right-wingers somehow resurrected Ronald Reagan, the republican party still wouldn't be able to get the popular majority vote with your political point of view; by the way, Reagan also had his fair share of "expert” republicans clamoring about his nomination... stop whining because your man didn't get the nod, we're tired of hearing it, and we certainly don't care what you think anyway.

So for those of you who let the "republican experts and pundits" do your thinking, or those of you who would waste your vote and allow another “flaming liberal” in the White House again think about this, after you look at your ever-shrinking take-home pay, that sensation you’ll be feeling in you posterior will be that “taxed-to-death liberal spending spree” the democrats will surly go on thanks to you… sans the lubricant of course! However, if you must fall on your sword and waste your vote that's certainly your right, but don't even think about expecting the rest of republicans to be so foolish; I would rather see one of my cats in the White House than either of those 2 democrats.

Wrote McCain-Feingold clamping down on free speech (enabling millionaires to buy more votes) Supports amnesty and voted to give social security for illegial immigrants (that will keep it solvent... NOT!) Supports a carbon tax to help stem the "threat" of global warming, that was invented by none other than Al Gore. Supports a third war against Iran, on the back of an already breaking millitary. (I'm sure after they survive three tours in Iraq, they'll be jumping up for a fourth in Iran) Tell me how a weak dollar, massive out of control defense spending, and deficit spending on top of new mandates (prescripton drug plan) with fewer people paying into the system is a plan for anything other than financial disaster, and perpetual war? How much money would you like to vomit at these positions of Mr. McCain? Does ANY of that sound like a conservative??? McCain, Huckabee, Hilliary and Obama, ALL want to continue the wars, and add massive spending. Don't kid yourself if you think they are ANY different! I don't even watch cable news and even I know that.

I dunno I love McCain french fries whats the big deal they go great with Hienz ketchup ....coincidence???Or conspiracy? they are planning a fast food take over!!!

Dobson endorses Huckabee and there is no mention of it on this entire site? There is even speculation here about the 2012 race, and you refuse to adequately cover 2008 when it involves Huckabee! This degree of media bias has gotten a little ridiculous.

Just watched McCain licking boots at his CPAC speech. SICKENING. Why he gets down on his knees to a bunch of right-wing extremists whose policies always fail and drive America into a deep ditch is beyond me. Any moderate or independent that watches that humiliating and cowardly performance will come to the same conclusion: John McCain is the Second Coming of George W Bush. UGHHHH...

Jowls McCheek aka Pecheekio : he tells you so many lies, each time he lies his LEFT cheek gets bigger. He will steer your party to the left because he’s a closet liberal, known as Captain Amnesty in Arizona, in California he’s known as Juan McCain He is known in the Senate as Mac the knife. He is buddies with all the liberals like Russ Feingold, Teddy Kennedy and Joe Loserman.I hope the Republicans all enjoy piling on board John McCain's "Double Cross Express"

I am not voting against John McCain, although he has given a number of reasons to do so.

He believes the war in Iraq is about fighting terrorism and he believes that this war can be won, sometime in the next 100 years. To be clear, Terrorism is not a country, or a people, or a religion. Terrorism is a tactic, it is an idea, a process. War cannot be waged against this. If he means Islamic extremism, then we have a war of opposing religious ideals. They call it jihad, we used to call them crusades, they have a long history of being complete and utter failures. Finally, the current President has made it clear that the Iraq invasion had nothing to do with terrorism, nor Islamic extremism, and that those two issues were all but non-existent in the country prior to our invasion. What we have is an occupation of Iraq and a police action to prevent open civil war in that country. That is something we cannot win. Whether we leave a year or 100 years from now, as McCain has suggested, the divisiveness that dwells in the hearts of those people predates the discovery of our nation. He promotes, and falsely so, that Iraq is somehow the key to resolving the terrorism or extremist problem. This completely ignores the more accurate and long ignored heart of the matter, Afghanistan. He does this in favor of blatant threats to Iran. Stating unequivocally that they will be pre-emptively attacked should we think they pose a threat to an ally, and that we already think they pose that threat, evidence to the contrary not-withstanding. He does not limit this to Iran, but to any and all nations. The entire world has been put on notice to all those who do not support the American way of life- "I intend to defeat that threat by staying on offense and by marshaling every relevant agency of our government, and our allies, in the urgent necessity of defending the values, virtues and security of free people against those who despise all that is good about us."

If it were not enough that McCain advocates a new and open ended Crusade that cannot be won without committing genocide, for destroying a people utterly is the only way to possibly destroy what they stand for, he would destroy the heart of this country to do it.
He is an advocate of suborning the Constitution. Those with ideas different from his or his party are traitors. To disagree with the President is tantamount to treason. That the government in the name of security should deny freedoms to the people and give the people no redress.
This is a clear violation of the 4th Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
We have already had this compromised as the Government may listen to any call, read any text message, review your internet history via the carrier, without warrant, without cause and at will. This is done in secret and with the government unable to be compelled to show who, what or why they have been listening. To date, there has not been a single terrorist act prevented, nor confirmed terrorist captured, based on the ability of the government to have this power over us. Not. One.

While running this endless war at $1 Billion a day, and this self styled fiscal conservative states that he will also not only make all the Bush tax cuts permanent, but actually cut corporate taxes lower. He claims to be able to offset this by ending entitlement programs, that keep the poor housed and fed, that educate our young, and provide financial support to the elderly. I admit freely that there are those that take advantage of such programs, but any staffer on those programs will tell you they are in the extreme minority. He calls this liberty.
He makes a call for smaller, less intrusive government, while advocating warrantless searches, mandates regarding who may marry, that the need for gun ownership outweighs the need for safe gun ownership. I believe in gun ownership, I also believe that if you can't wait 4 days for a gun, you should absolutely wait 4 days for a gun and that you don't need a fully automatic assault rifle to hunt with, nor that being trained to use, care for and understand the responsibilities of gun ownership prior to owning a weapon is not unreasonable.
that his and his parties religious beliefs supersede the rights of those who do not share them. If there is any other argument besides a religious one against the right of a woman to choose whether she will bear a child or not, I have yet to hear it.
He touts himself as a Reagan foot soldier - this is the same President that held back information on AIDS until it became prevalent with heterosexual whites, sold weapons to Iran to fund terrorists in Nicaragua except we called them rebels back in the 80's, raised taxes, increased spending, and increased the deficit.

Listening to his speech I am reminded of my historical studies; Conservatives were against the revolution. Conservatives were against the Civil war, against ending slavery, against giving the right to vote to blacks and women, insisted that God be added to a pledge of allegiance to a a country that is supposed to one founded on religious freedom, against entering WW I and WWII, against ending segregation, against lowering the voting age to 18 despite them being able to be drafted, supported the war in Vietnam, supported the arrangement between health insurance companies to manage health care that we enjoy today (the free market has had over 30 years to fix health care, it is time for something different), supports torture as an acceptable interrogation technique. No that isn't all but certainly that would be enough to vote against McCain and the republican party. But I'm not going to do that. '
I have and will be voting for something. I will be voting for freedom and liberty, a belief that even the majority can be wrong and that is why the framers set up a government that will even protect the people from limiting their own freedom via the Judiciary. Freedom isn't all of us agreeing or majority rule, freedom is being able to disagree and still call each other American. America is a place where our highest value is that we can live together with different beliefs, peaceably, that no one groups faith, or dogma is more valuable, or relevant than mine, simply because there are more of them.
I am voting for Obama, because this is what he is running to preserve, because make no mistake, it has been under attack and is in great danger and not from any militant or terrorist, but by ourselves. We have been made so afraid that we have willingly surrendered our freedom and our responsibility to keep our government in check in the name of false security. I am not for huge government, I am not supportive of cradle to grave welfare. I believe that if you can work you should. I also believe that there is a way to help when there are those that need it, without it becoming a lifestyle. Mostly I am for freedom, liberty, justice and America, which means I will live in a country will I will vehemently disagree with the thoughts, beliefs and convictions of some of my fellow citizens, but that it makes neither they nor I any less or more an American, and that is exactly the way it should be.

Romney voters should still be diligent in casting their votes for him if he is still on their ballots. He has suspended his campaign but he is still a contender on the ballot. The voters need to make a statement to the Republican Party that there is a voting block that should not be discounted.

I congratulate Mitt Romney for a well managed campaign. He was strong with his efforts and his message. Although, I'm a little disappointed that the best candidate dropped from the race, I'm delighted in the humble and honorable way in which he did so. He proved today that he is, in fact, the republican with the most integrity and truly has America's best interests at heart. I just hope that John McCain can step up to be the conservative that we need in this country -- if not the democrats will win. I salute Romney for his valiant nature and hope he can continue to be an influence and a motivator in the republican party!!!

I want to make clear that whatever McCain does, he better not pick Condi Rice as VP (as some people in this world have actually suggested) as she would make absolutely no sense for McCain, if he gets the nomination, whatsoever.

She has no proven base of support in the Republican Party and NO record or positions whatsoever on any domestic issues that Conservative's care about. The people pushing her are living in an insider’s fantasy world that is coming more and more unhinged from actual political reality.

All she has is the record and positions of her boss, which are JUST AS BAD as McCain's on Illegal Immigration and much worse on Fiscal Discipline.

If McCain has a brain he'll either lock down Florida with Crist or pick up far more of the Very Conservative vote in the winnable states than he would've otherwise by making Huckabee his VP nominee.

Huckabee clearly showed by how he did on the Super Tuesday states where he competed, which were easily the most important Super Tuesday states for the Republican Party, that he is significantly stronger with the Very Conservative Vote than even Romney.

Also, in his Conservative home state of Arkansas where people knew him best and longest, Huckabee got a nothing less than staggering 89% Approval Rating from the voters in the Republican Primary. In contrast, in McCain's Conservative home state of Arizona, he only got...

Wait a minute! It appears MSNBC didn’t even put up McCain's Approval Rating with Arizona primary voters from the exit poll

I wonder why? I mean, it couldn't be for the same reason that the Border Fence Hating LA Times and NY Times and Boston Globe gave GLOWING coverage and endorsements to McCain as soon as it became clear that he was the only one who could stop the toughly positioned on illegal immigration Romney and the Border Fence Deadline endorsing Huckabee, could it?

It couldn’t be that they desperately want to deprive the General Election voters a meaningful choice on Immigration Law Enforcement, could it?

Anyway, I can at least say that according to MSNBC exit polls, Republican Primary Voters in Massachusetts, the state where they've known Romney as a political figure the best and longest; gave Romney a respectable but hardly overly impressive 71% Approval Rating, which is of course much lower than Huckabee's equivalent approval rating in his state of 89% (the difference between a 89% approval rating with people who care enough about the party to vote in its primary and a 71% approval rating is the difference between a pretty politically weak repub. President like George W. Bush in his 2nd term and politically successful repub. Presidents like Ronald Reagan or Dwight Eisenhower).

Also, 60% of the republican primary voters in Arkansas Strongly Approved of Huckabee; in contrast to only 41% of the repub primary voters in Massachusetts that Strongly Approved of Mitt Romney (a 40% Strong Approval Rating is actually pretty good, it just isn’t as good as Huckabee’s of course).

Anyway, Huckabee should certainly stay in the race for now unless McCain offers him a sweet and meaningful from a policy perspective deal, as if Huckabee could, in the teeth of Strong Media and early on at least Republican Establishment resistance/bias, force a brokered convention with McCain, it would do three very important things:

1. Give Huckabee a very real, even if obviously small compared to McCain’s, chance of being the Nominee.

2. Force Mitt Romney to prove whether he’s the kind of guy who’d put the Conservative and the Immigration Law Enforcement causes ahead of any desire he might have to kiss up to Party Elites. By which I mean, if Romney disappoints me relative to what I think he’d do and cuts a deal to give his delegates to McCain without getting meaningful concessions relating directly to Immigration Law Enforcement such as a commitment to build a fence along the breadth of the US-Mexican Border before the completion of his first term in office and/or agreeing to make Romney head of the INS, Millions of Conservative Voters would rightfully feel deeply betrayed and it would be the end of Romney as a serious future candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination (which of course wouldn’t be a bad thing for Huckabee’s future as it would eliminate a well funded and well known rival for conservative votes down the line in future Republican Primaries).

3. Even if he failed, Huckabee’s forcing McCain into a brokered convention could well end up meaning roughly to Huckabee what forcing Ford into a brokered convention meant to Reagan from the standpoint of setting him and his movement up well for the future.

By the way, for people who haven’t looked quite as closely as they should’ve at the Republican Party Calendar, the reason Huckabee has a shot at least at this point of forcing a brokered convention is primarily because from here on out he won’t have to labor under the Conservative Vote being split with another conservative candidate, and that the States that voted on Super Tuesday were FAR more liberal on weighted average by delegates than the States that vote after Super Tuesday (if anyone wants the math, let me know).

Do the math: Huckabee does not have a chance, period.
Against Clinton or Obama, MCCAIN will win handsdown. Why? He is the stronger, more experianced, credible, leader we have to choose from. Differances aside, MCCAIN is the only one that will show the right change and make the appropriate *less tax* progress

Ben,

It is certainly true that there been cases where Fox News has shown bias against Mike Huckabee.

For instance, I remember about a week or so after Huckabee's surge to the lead in National Polls in the run-up to the Iowa Caucus, Special Report with Brit Hume did a story where it actually said that Huckabee's surge was showing signs of weakness because the latest poll showed him getting less than 50% approval even amongst Evangelicals.

Deeply surprised by this I checked out what were at the time the latest polls and discovered that they in fact showed Huckabee getting around 49% of the Evangelical Vote nation-wide in the polls.

This was extremely deceptive of the Brit Hume show as anyone who knows absolutely anything about Politics knows that there's a HUGE difference between the percentage of a group that says they'll vote for you and the percentage that says they approve of you, with the percentage that say they approve of you being much higher.

For instance, Romney got about 70% Approval in the Massachusetts primary but only got 51% of the vote.

And in fact, with a race with as many candidates as the Republican Race had at the time, Huckabee getting 49% of the Evangelical Vote in the polls was a remarkable achievement.

Well, well, well. Look what we have here; Huckabee people shouting "Foul!" where were you guys when Ron Paul was getting this treatment? He has been treated rudely, and unfairly throughout the campaign by the media, and even your guy, Huck. Huckabee had a chance to speak out about unfairness in the media at the Fox debate that Ron Paul was wrongly excluded from. Did he? No. Now, it's being done to him and he and his supporters want everybody to acknowledge it, they want everybody to stand up and recognize that the Huck is being silenced unfairly.

Don't get me wrong, he is, and it is a bad thing, just kind of makes me think of a certain word that sounds like "hippo" and "crate". it all goes back to that whole, "now that they have come for me, there is nobody left to tell."

Think about this; Huckabee said, after Romney dropped out "Now that there are only TWO candidates left" Wow, the honorable Mr. Huckabee is a liar AND a hypocrite.

He complains about being excluded and then excludes someone himself. He might be a bit more credible if he also spoke of the unfair treatment of Ron Paul, even if he doesn't agree with him on the issues. Like Ron Paul did when he said on television that people are unfairly judging Romney because of his religion. Ofcourse, Romney didn't have the courtesy to thank him and instead snickered while Ron spoke at the debates. That is a whole other issue. This is what this beautiful country is all about.

Huckabee's statement to Ron Paul (and all the people being silenced) should be like a little something this... "Although I totally disagree with what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it." He is applying for the role of President, he should be the foremost fighter of freedom and integrity.

McCain is a liar plain and simple. He sold out long ago. Republicans are being driven by fear to vote for him. he will not let you forget about the boogey man in the turbin. He will not turn the lights on though, he prefers we walk in the darkness and take his advice on navigating the dark, dangerous post world of 9/11. He separates the economy from the war efforts around the world for a reason. He knows NOTHING of the economy, he is all WAR. McCain actually reminds me of the General from the movie "ANTZ". Not because of the jaw, but because of the one tracked mind of the General. Ron Paul is like the worker ant who is beginning to wake the colony. Except, in the movie the truth speaker didn't have the "fair and balanced","most trusted name" Media to combat with also.

I would really love for some of the McCain folks to explain to me why they are voting for him. Specifics, people. don't give me general phrases and scripted quoted handed to you by McCains propaganda. I would really like to know.

One, more thing; I hear McCain say he is the leader the troops trust, he has the best Foreign policy, and that he knows what the troops want, but if that was really the case, why does Ron Paul have more donated money from those very troops? Why does he have a greater number of actual troops supporting him? In fact, if you combine the support from Huck, Romney, Mccain, it still does not equal the support Ron Paul has received from OUR troops. He has even more support than Obama and Hillary! Look it up in the FEC website. The troops have stated who they want their commander in cheif to be; does that not mean anything?

I believe it should, seeing as how the troops are the only ones who are risking it all. They are being killed because of an oath they took to protect the U.S. and uphold the Constitution. oh, there's that "C" word again. Wonder why Ron Paul keeps suggesting we need to read it and be familiar with it when the media want's you to forget it exists, and the other candidates want you to believe it is outdated and no longer applies to them.

Then again, the person that signs up for service, and the person that gets sworn into office both take an oath to uphold that "outdated paper that doesn't exist."

except for the talking heads, the right wing will vote for McCain if they want the chance to keep the White House. Even have a good chance to take the Senate back and increase the number of Republicans in the House. Can't win if you don't play and not playing is losing.

Most Americans will not vote for McCain. He's too much like Bush,and definately a warmonger. Most Americans are sick of the GOPs endless wars that are backrupting this nation,and destroying young lives. The Rightwingers are becoming like dinosaurs,extinct. Thank God,they are the worst Americans of all time! The Neocons have ruined the America we once knew.

McCain is in bigger trouble than he realizes. I predict that he ultimately will get the lion's share of ultra- and/or mainstream conservatives come November, but not without a lot of work.

Yes, they "do have somewhere else to go" -- such as staying home, or "turning the page" to the next item on the ballot.

I will be voting for Ron Paul as a write in...at least I'll know than my vote will be counted because a machine can't tally it.