Florida Gov. Endorses McCain

Charlie Crist's Support Was Sought By All Republican Contenders

(AP)  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed a beaming Sen. John McCain on Saturday night, delivering a boost three days before the state's pivotal primary.

Crist praised McCain as a "true American hero." At a campaign appearance in St. Petersburg, he added, "After thinking about it as much as I have, I don't think anybody would do better than the man who stands next to me, Sen. John McCain."

It was the second high-profile endorsement in as many days for McCain, who is locked in a tight primary race with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Crist stepped to the podium a little more than 24 hours after Sen. Mel Martinez announced he was backing his colleague in the Senate. Officials said Martinez had prodded the governor to follow his lead.

The winner of next week's primary will capture all 57 delegates at stake, a large prize that will set the stage for a virtual nationwide primary on Feb. 5.

Crist's endorsement was sought by all the GOP presidential rivals, including Romney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

It's unclear what effect the two endorsements will have on McCain's candidacy.

At the very least, the nods of Florida's two top Republican elected officials could serve to validate McCain's candidacy with the GOP establishment and counteract the fears among some that he would not be a loyal Republican while in the Oval Office.

Crist, a popular first-term governor, had suggested he would stay out of the multi-candidate GOP primary, and played coy about his preferences for a year. He met with all the serious contenders, and appeared with some at events.

McCain campaigned for Crist during his 2006 campaign for governor, endorsing him before the primary and appearing with him the day before the election, when Crist opted not to appear with President Bush at a Pensacola rally.

Giuliani also campaigned with Crist, and Romney delivered a $1 million check as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

While Crist has met with other Republican candidates in his office, he took an extra step last spring by introducing McCain at a fundraiser held a few blocks from the Capitol. During a debate last fall, when Crist introduced the Republican candidates, he warmly embraced McCain while shaking the hands of his rivals.

Crist has been seen as a moderate Republican. He has championed efforts to curb climate change, and was praised by former President Clinton for his efforts to restore voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.

He also pushed for a law that requires a paper trail in state elections, a measure that bans the electronic voting machines his predecessor, Gov. Jeb Bush, sought after the 2000 presidential election. That election ended in a hotly contested recount, which President Bush won by 527 votes.

[prinzowhales]

While Giuliani is the Mob, McCain had to marry into it...a mobster''s daughter part of the Marley Kemper organized crime operation. He is a Keating-Five crook. Who can forget his foreign policy recommendations,''Bomb, bomb, bomb...bombbomb Iran...and we''ll stay in Iraq for a 100 years.''

He''s for Open Borders...He sponsored a bill supporting amnesty for MS-13 child molestors and drug dealers with Ted Kennedy. Bill Clinton said that Hillary and McCain are very close and if they were the nominees of their repective parties, it would be a ''very civilized election''.

If you think Obama is a prize, just remember that this ''anti-war'' figurine supported Liebermann against an anti-Iraq war Democrat and Lieberman has endorsed McCain...Has the circle closed for you yet?...THEY ARE ALL SCUM-SUCKING DOGS!

[enoughya]

McCain showed in the last debate that he can lie to the entire nation without any qualms, saying that he did not know where Tim Russert was getting a quote attributed to McCain, and McCain knew full well he had said those words. And he expects us to trust him as president? We do not need another Bush in the White House.

This is just the latest in a long series of moral lapses and ethical deficiencies coming from McCain. Remember the Keating-5, in which McCain took a bribe to help cover up the defrauding of the american public via the savings and loan scandal. McCain has clearly proven he cannot be trusted with power, with the blatant abuse of power in the Keating-5 alone. He should not be allowed anywhere near the White House--we cannot afford a Bush II administration. Plus, McCain is an adulterer, a clear lack of moral judgment in this also.

Romney has shown to have much more personal integrity, and is much more morally sound than McCain. Hillary is in the same establishment mode as McCain. Romney is by far the best candidate running for president.

[joyous88]

don''t vote for liars?

I bet you voted for bush you liar

[joyous88]

vote for mit????

Are you crazy?, you want another four years of war, lieing, cheating and the mindlss chrstians selling our country to the highest bidder?


whats wrong wih you can''t you read

[perception5]

Well it looks like McCain can''t win Flordia in his own. He continues to rely on the 527 liberal newsapapers to prop him up and now Crist has to come in and "prop" him up from the political side.

This is really sad indeed. Mitt will still win Florida and will go on to win the GOP nomination.

Let''s see how low the "straight liar" will go to get the GOP nomination. McCain''s flat out lie about Mitt calling for a Iraq timetable has caused me not to vote for him in November 2008 if he gets the nomination. I don''t vote for Liars.........just the facts.

Stay tuned and GO MITT ! We The People will decide this race, still!

[twister61]

THIS PROOFS ALOT TONIGHT FLORIDA! YOUR GOVERNOR CRIST IS A TRAITOR.HE BACKS A MAN WHO BELIEVES IN GRANTING AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS. YOUR GOVERNOR FLORIDA BETRAYED YOU!

[twister61]

THIS PROOFS ALOT TONIGHT FLORIDA! YOUR GOVERNOR CRIST IS A TRAITOR.HE BACKS A MAN WHO BELIEVES IN GRANTING AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS. YOUR GOVERNOR FLORIDA BETRAYED YOU!

[smirk5]

John McCain quotes pre-Iraq War and during Iraq War:

"Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women." [CNN, 9/24/02]

"We%u2019re not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we%u2019re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies." [CNN, 9/29/02]

"But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." [MSNBC, 1/22/03]

"But I believe, Katie, that the Iraqi people will greet us as liberators." [NBC, 3/20/03]

"It%u2019s clear that the end is very much in sight." [ABC, 4/9/03]

"There%u2019s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiahs. So I think they can probably get along." [MSNBC, 4/23/03]

"This is a mission accomplished. They know how much influence Saddam Hussein had on the Iraqi people, how much more difficult it made to get their cooperation." [This Week, ABC, 12/14/03]

"I%u2019m confident we%u2019re on the right course." [ABC News, 3/7/04]

"I do think that progress is being made in a lot of Iraq. Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course. If I thought we weren%u2019t making progress, I%u2019d be despondent." [The Hill, 12/8/05]

[tylenol6]

John McWar is PRO-AMNESTY and a WARPIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[likeitis5050]

Well...why bother with a primary...coming from a place of such high standards...let''s face it...the media has decided to sweep McCain along, hoping voters are too stupid to see the whole picture. McCain is no more Republican than Bush, and he''ll be a cinch to beat...tah dah...first black pres.

[apolloknowsa]

Another vote for amnesty!

John McCain has a guy working for him (volunteer) who is John%u2019s %u201Chispanic outreach coordinator%u201D, Juan Hernandez, who has fought the past several years for open borders, for increased illegal alien immigration and basically the elimination of a distinction between Mexico and the USA.

Who is this guy? Why should you believe me? Look it up yourself!

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/25/john-mccains-open-borders-outreach-director-the-next-dhs-secretary/

http://welcome-vote-2008.blogspot.com/2007/11/fiestas-mccain.html

This is incredible! The straight talk express has fallen off the track and is relying on the opinions and ideas from former foreign ministers! This guy worked for Vincente Fox (president of Mexico) to help illegal aliens get into and stay in America! And John McCain has him working with him?

You have GOT to be kidding me!

No Senator of the United States of America should have someone who worked at this level of another country%u2019s government working/volunteering for him! I don%u2019t care if the guy is a dual citizen, his position/role as the person to help increase illegal immigration into America and this guy%u2019s comments regarding illegal aliens tells us all we need to know.

John McCain is for amnesty. This proves it. Someone at
John McCain is not presidential. He is wrong on all the RIGHT issues!