WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, PART III: JOHN MCCAIN AT CNN DEBATE
"John McCain Won The Debate" As He Delivered "The Most Poignant Moment Of This Debate"
CNN's Amy Holmes: "John McCain Won The Debate." "[I] would say getting down to business, who won this debate tonight, I'd have to say John McCain. ... [I]n the final citizen Q&A, I think he really brought it home on immigration - how our immigrants are our friends, our neighbors, they are serving in our armed services, we need to be tough on border security, illegal immigration is wrong - but surprisingly, on this issue, I think that John McCain won the debate." (CNN's "Post-Debate Analysis," 6/5/07)
National Review's Jim Geraghty: McCain "Hit It Out Of The Park" And Was "Respectful, Dignified, And From The Gut." "And he hit it out of the park in responding to the sister of the slain soldier - respectful, dignified, and from the gut." (Jim Geraghty, "The Hillary Spot" Blog, "GOP Debate Three Wrapup," hillaryspot.nationalreview.com, 6/5/07)
GraniteGrok Blog: McCain Had The "Best Display Of Empathy ... I Was Impressed." "Best display of empathy: McCain when an audience member, Erin Flanagan, asked her question: her brother was killed in service he answered the call and was the best of the best. What will you do, as CoC, in the halls of Washington and the sands, to bring our boys home? McCain strode forward to the edge of the stage (he had been seated for the second part of the debate) to look her in the eye. 'The War has been mismanaged badly. The new general should be able to make this work, so that your brother has not died in vain.' Erin had tears in her eyes when McCain was done. ... He spoke not to the crowd, not to the TV, but to her alone. I was impressed." (GraniteGrok Blog, "Live Blogging The Debate From My Couch," www.granitegrok.com, 6/5/07)
CNN's John King: McCain Delivered "The Most Poignant Moment Of This Debate." "That was Senator John McCain of Arizona in the second half of the debate, perhaps the most poignant moment of this debate, Anderson, when that woman, Erin Flanagan, a New Hampshire voter, stood up and said that her brother had been killed in Iraq. And she asked the candidates not only what would they would do to end the war and bring the troops home, but how could they turn down the tone of the fierce political debate about Iraq in the United States." (CNN's "Post-Debate Analysis," 6/5/07)
McCain "Took The Bull By The Horns," Showing The "Courage Of His Convictions"
The Politico's Josephine Hearn: "He Took The Bull By The Horns." "I completely agree with Craig [that McCain was a winner]. I think he took the bull by the horns. We knew it was going to be in the debate. Really the biggest cheer in the two hours was when he talked about Hispanic veterans and saying that there are a lot of Hispanic name on the I have yet unanimous veterans memorial. He said earlier we have to take on the hard issues when he was talking about immigration. I think he played it very well. Nice job." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Report," 6/5/07)
· Hearn: McCain Won "The Biggest Cheer In The Entire Two Hours Was When He Talked About Hispanic Veterans." "Really the biggest cheer in the entire two hours was when he talked about Hispanic veterans and saying that there were lots of Hispanic names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. I mean that was I think a poignant moment. ... He said earlier we have to take - we have to take on the hard issues when he was talking about immigration. I think he played it very well. Nice job." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 6/5/07)
CQ Weekly's Craig Crawford: McCain Showed The "Courage Of His Convictions" And "The Other Candidates Didn't Lay A Hand On Him." "I think John McCain [was a winner] and holding his ground and defending his position on immigration reform even though he knows it's getting him hammered in the conservative base of his party, the other candidates didn't lay a hand on him. He stood his ground and he might have won a few nodding heads for at least showing a little courage of his convictions even if they disagree with him." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Report," 6/5/07)
· The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza: "McCain ... Mounted [A] Heartfelt Defense Of Immigrant Communities In The United States." "McCain later mounted an heartfelt defense of immigrant communities in the United States, inviting viewers to visit the Vietnam Memorial and notice how many hispanic names are engraved there. McCain said immigrants were all God's children' and that each immigrant community had added to the vibrancy of American culture." (Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post's "The Fix" Blog, "GOP Debate Wrap Up," blog.washingtonpost.com, 6/5/07)
McCain "Drew Loud Applause" For Criticizing Hillary Clinton On Iraq, Saying "Presidents Don't Lose Wars. Political Parties Don't Lose Wars. Nations Lose Wars." "McCain also drew loud applause ... [criticizing] leading Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, when asked a question about the the war. 'When Senator Clinton says this is Mr. Bush's war, President Bush's war,' she is wrong, he said. 'When President Clinton was in power, I didn't say Bosnia was President Clinton's war,' the Arizona senator said. 'Presidents don't lose wars. Political parties don't lose wars. Nations lose wars,' he added." ("CBN News" Blog, "GOP Hopefuls Spar Over Iraq, Immigration," www.cbn.com, 6/5/07)
CNN's Jeffrey Toobin: McCain "Did Something Remarkable" With "Both The Rhetorical And ... Political High Ground." "I also thought John McCain did something remarkable. He went in there as the only candidate supporting his own bill. One out of ten, yet he had both the rhetorical and I thought the political high ground in talking about immigration which was quite a trick." (CNN's "Post-Debate Analysis," 6/5/07)
