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McCain's Bracket: All (Straight) Talk, No Action
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ShareMarch 20, 2008 5:55 PM
ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., may be serious about competing in deep-blue Democratic states. But he clearly used his NCAA picks to repay some loyalties and tend to the conservative base.
Alas, McCain's bracket, unlike Obama's bracket, is viewable only by logging onto his campaign website.
McCain's Elite Eight includes six teams from red states. The sole exceptions? Georgetown (obviously kept alive to honor the alma mater of top aide/season-ticketholder Mark Salter -- and so those bridge-to-nowhere-loving lobbyists could be slain by the boys from Kansas on a national stage) and Connecticut (Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., gets a thank-you for his early endorsement, though McCain has the Huskies falling to North Carolina in the finals).
Three No. 1's in his Final Four -- same as Obama -- hardly qualifies as the basketball equivalent of straight talk. But how's this for a maverick streak? McCain picks against perennial fan favorite Butler, having the Bulldogs fall to No. 10 South Alabama in the first round.
More broadly, it's a bracket that falls somewhere between the prudence of Miss Congeniality and the recklessness of a drunken sailor. (And he gets bonus points for making his picks without the benefit of ESPN; he's been traveling in the Middle East and Europe since Selection Sunday.)
McCain has No. 14 Georgia beating No. 3 Xavier in round one -- a pick that burned him, as Georgia was among the first teams to lose Thursday, but they did give Xavier a scare. And he goes with a home state favorite, No. 10 Arizona, in the first round, but has them bowing out to Duke in the round of 32.
The basic theme: He calls for some early-round upsets, then foresees the superior teams pulling away as the tournament progresses; except for UConn, it's all 1's and 2's in his Elite Eight. He's hardly challenging conventional wisdom (in Washington or beyond), but he's trying to show he knows how the world works.
Rick Klein, ABCNews.com's senior political reporter, writes The Note every morning exclusively for ABCNews.com
March 20, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (11)
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Another stupid correlation between sports and politics.
Posted by: DCVoter | Mar 20, 2008 6:03:25 PM
Why does this and Obama have to do with WRIGHT
Posted by: Al Sharpton | Mar 20, 2008 6:15:50 PM
The idiocy of Tapper's blog is infecting the rest of ABC, I can see. Tragic.
Posted by: cba | Mar 20, 2008 7:08:06 PM
Sporlitics just ain't funny, called it a failed cross-genre, and then please cease and desist from generating any more of this twaddle. Oh, and send this Rick Klown back to the minors along with about half of your other "journalists".
Posted by: Sinclair | Mar 20, 2008 8:55:47 PM
Come to think of it, this does smack of high-school level journalism, like some jock who thinks he's a clever political writer. The sad part is that the world seems to have fooled itself into thinking this sad delusion is the write stuff, a bonified ace reporter pulling 1950's black and white comedy-- whadeva...
Posted by: Sinclair | Mar 20, 2008 9:00:21 PM
Oh no, poor Whatever, suffering yet another unintelligent comment from a reader with zero sense of humor. I think from a birdseye, Godlike and objective perspective -- if I may be excused for making claim to such a thing -- many of these ABC readers are much smarter than the ABC writers. How unfortunate, it isn't as fun that way. I'm outta here for good folks (ABC, with a name like that, I should have figured the reading level for such a news organization). Good luck to all you bright and funny peasants -- and DO NOT PUT ANOTHER WARMONGERING OLD WHITE MAN IN OFFICE AGAIN. please?
Posted by: Sinclair | Mar 20, 2008 11:57:25 PM
Please GOD do not allow McCain to ever set foot into the oval office..We will have 8 more years of BUSH and CHENEY and all the C+R+A+P the Repukes can dish out..This country can NOT EVER afford another BUSH and CHENEY..They are the scum of the earth. The Repukes should be out of office for at least 100 years..
Posted by: Pat M | Mar 21, 2008 2:16:19 AM
Mc Cain is only a name on a ballot......there is NO WAY the American People are going to vote for a Republican continuation of Bush and that is exactly what Mc Cain is.
GW Bush and His Republican Bushbots have done more damage to this country than all the terrorist nations combined.
The Republicans have reduced our country to a 2nd hand nation by out-sourcing and giving in to the oil companies and corporate America to line their own pockets. It will be very surprising if any republican that comes up for re-election is left standing.
Posted by: Dave Peck | Mar 22, 2008 2:10:00 AM
BUSH, CHENEY, and RICE all three belong in a federal prison, locked down 23 hours a day..
Posted by: Pat M | Mar 22, 2008 2:14:57 AM
HEY DAVE-THE BRAINIAC!>>>
The first words out of Peolsi's mouth were "IMPEACHMENT IS OFF THE TABLE" (Hey Lady! Why do you think all those democrats were elected?
THE PEOPLE WANTED IMPEACHMENT!) >>JAIL FOR WHAT? SAVING UR A HOLE FROM TERRORIST!!
BTW DAVE! DEMS WERE NOT ELECTED TO END THE WAR OR TO IMPEACH THEY WERE ELECTED BECAUSE CONSERV DEMS WERE PUT UP. THEY BEAT LIBERAL REPUBS. BTW MOST CREDIBLE WITH CHARACHTER PRESIDENTS DON'T JUDGE WAR ON POLLS, ONLY LIBS DO.
YOU LIBERALS ONLY INSULT U CANT DEBATE!
SINCE THE US CONGRESS AND THE UN VOTED FOR WAR IN IRAQ AND CLINTON SPONOSRED THE IRAQ LIBERATION ACT OF 1998 VOTED ON BY MAJORITY OF DEMS AND REPUBS BECAUSE SADAM WAS A THREAT AS IS ARMEDENEJAN. U THINK BECAUSE WE HAVENT HAD ANOTHER ATTACK, THANK GOD FOR PRES BUSH THAT ALL IS FINE. THEY WANT US OBLIVIATED AS SAID BY UR HERO ARMEDENEJAN...CAN YOU SAY AREVEDICI TO HILL BILL AND OB!!!....OB THE MAN WHO WANTS SO BE US PRES AND SITS IN A CHURCH AS HIS RACIST PASTOR SAYS GD AMREICA AND ITS ALL WHITE PEOPLE AND AMERICAS FAULT...YA RIGH HE IS HISTORY!!
HILL YOU GO GIRL!!
MCC WILL WIN!
Posted by: MS FRAN | Mar 22, 2008 3:48:46 PM
DO What? Oh! MCcain ok, Looser next
Posted by: t.v.ed | Mar 22, 2008 6:14:16 PM
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