GraniteGrok

As Doug's post on James Woolsey stated, the 'Grok got the chance to go to yet another Presidential event - Senator McCain at the the Grimm residence in Franklin, NH.  While Doug has been to this kind of event before, this was my first at a smaller sized event (about 70, a few more, in attendance).  I've got a few shots of the event (after the jump).  I also have some audio clips that I will be adding in another post as to what was said.

My impressions of the event was that it was a lower key kind of event than the town hall styles that he is famous for.  It was different in that while Senator McCain spoke, there were a number of other speakers (former CIA Director James Woolsey, Bill Grimm (the host), and a number of vets that were riding with him) as well.  McCain had a point to make and there were others to help him make that point - the US has to win this fight in Iraq.  There is no honor in just giving up.  The war will not stop just because we take our ball and go home [me-> like some spoiled brat].

The emphasis was on the Iraq war - the Senator has moved his talks and speeches to what he does best in this campaign; the defense of the country from Islamofascism is it.  When he spoke, he was confident beyond belief.  This is his territory, his expertise; no one talks about this any better than he.  He served, he fought, and he suffered in the defense of this country.  Of all of the Presidential candidates, he owns this topic.  Period. 

It's no secret that he has supported the war from its inception (albeit not in the fashion that President Bush has run it since reaching Baghdad).  No secret either that he has been critical on how the war has been waged since (and SecDef Rumsfield too).  However, as is his wont, he has once again cast his political life on this issue. Not that he is ignoring any of the other topics, but the polls show that he is most believeable on this - and it has energized him.  And has created a positive feedback cycle.

I have to believe that this will spill over into the other topics that are being debated in the media and in the televised events.  After all, nothing breeds success like success, right?  The Mayor has 911 and McCain the war - the toughest guys in the race in the top tier.  I believe that while Romney does talk the line, he does not have the experience to match either of these two.

Will it be enough to win the primary races?  I don't know - no one does.  But here's the deal - the surge is working.  Small steps to be sure, but it is happening from the ground up and the American public is beginning to notice.  And the American public loves winners and hate losers.  I think that seeing that the grassroots in Iraq are starting to make headway, Americans may well indeed (if framed right) adopt these "underdogs".

Which then plays back into the mess that the Democrats are making for themselves by maligning General Patreus and aligning themselves with MoveOn.org.  Frankly, they haven't learned much from Vietnam in these past 40 years - don't pick on individual military members.  Add to this our all-volunteer army, Viet Nam vets refusing to allow what happened to them to ever happen again,  and parents, family, and friends rallying against these (of late) scurrilous and unfounded attacks upon the military in an attempt to politicize them, their tactic to win the political war by trying to lose the actual war will backfire on the Dems big time.

And FINALLY, Republicans, led primarily by the Prez candidates, especially McCain, are keeping the heat up (as well they should - somebody's got to lead - nobody else seems to have taken up the mantle of leadership). 

McCain is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this (and looking at the rising polls, is already benefiting from it already):

• Up 9 points in Fox News poll
• Up 6 points in CBS/New York Times poll
• Up 4 points in USA Today/Gallup poll
  
• Up 2 points in ABC/Washington Post poll

Line of the event: 

His daughter was also with him.  Having just graduated from Columbia, McCain said that he was the proud owner of a $200,000 screensaver.

Hey Doug!  He's talking your tune!

And then the FUN began! After the attendees had the chance to have their picture taken and then the "press gaggle" (where the MSM stand around and try to ask interesting or timely questions), it was time to board the bus....and the Groksters got to go!