Top McCain Aides Take On New Roles

Politico: Steve Schmidt Will Handle Day-To-Day Operations As Campaign Manager Rick Davis Looks More Long-Term

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jonathan Martin.

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Steve Schmidt is taking over the day-to-day operation of John McCain’s campaign, according to multiple campaign sources.

At a staff meeting in the campaign's Arlington, Va., headquarters this morning, campaign manager Rick Davis made the announcement about Schmidt's new role.

Schmidt, a bald and barrel-chested operative known for his aggressive brand of political combat, responded by exhorting campaign aides with a speech that one staffer likened to a locker room pep talk out of the football movie "Rudy."

After the meeting, on a regularly scheduled conference call with McCain's 11 regional campaign managers, senior staff briefed the field aides about the move, explaining Davis would focus more on long-range tasks while Schmidt was taking an enhanced daily role, said an indivdual on the call.

McCain sources say Schmidt, who ran Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection campaign and was a top communications aide in Bush-Cheney '04, will coordinate the campaign's daily pro-McCain and anti-Obama message but also will have an increased role in shaping most every facet of the organization including scheduling, policy, coalitions and surrogates.

Davis will focus more on big-picture issues such as general strategy, helping to plan the convention, picking a vice president and tending to the needs of major donors.

Schmidt has been serving as a senior McCain adviser for months and had recently returned to headquarters to help bolster the Republican nominee's message operation.

The move comes a year to the day after McCain laid off dozens of staffers as part of a cost-cutting measure that what would ultimately spur a major overhaul of his campaign.

Now, accounts diverge on the exact nature of the new chain of command. One top McCain source said that Schmidt "assumed full operational control of the campaign today" and described Davis as "a general manager."

But Charlie Black, another top adviser, said Davis was still in charge.

"Steve is going to function under Rick as a [chief operating officer]," Black said. "Rick still has authority over all things. Steve works for Rick."

But Black made sure to not diminish Schmidt's elevated role in the campaign.

"He'll be the maestro who conducts the symphony," Black said of Schmidt's position in driving McCain's message.

Yet McCain sources say Schmidt's imprint will be felt beyond a campaign message that, until recently, had not been clearly defined.

A handful of his fellow Bushworld veterans are also taking on more high-profile roles.

Mike DuHaime, the former Rudy Giuliani campaign manager and RNC political director who had been split between the RNC and McCain, is likely to take an enhanced role in the campaign.

Further, there is likely to be more structure brought to a political operation that has largely been delegated to the Regional Campaign Managers. The campaign currently has no political or field director.

Helping Schmidt drive the new daily message will be Matt McDonald, also a veteran of the Schwarzenegger campaign and Bush-Cheney reelection effort, who just started at the campaign a few weeks ago.

McDonald is working with McCain's press shop in trying to get on offense, sharpening attacks on Obama and pushing a more consistent narrative against the Democrat.

Also coming on board is Taylor Griffin, a former White House and Treasury spokesman, to work closely with reporters and push the campaign's economic message.

Perhaps most important for the campaign's image is the addition of Greg Jenkins, a veteran advanceman who ran presidential advance in the Bush White House. Jenkins, also an aide on Bush's 2000 campaign, is working to ensure better stagecraft of McCain's events and to avoid a reprisal of the much-mocked green background behind McCain at a high-profile speech last month.

One source familiar with the inner workings of McCain's campaign said that the move came after a sluggish ramp-up to the general and number of unforced errors had left the candidate, senior staff and elected officials unhappy with the state of the campaign.

"This will help reassure the chattering class in D.C.," said the source.

[caliguy55]

These are John McCain''s own words spoken on msnbc.com:

%u201CI didn%u2019t really love America until I was deprived of her company.%u201D

See the video for yourself at:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/22/mccains-unpatriotic-words-caught-on-tape/

Now, we see that Michelle Obama is just as patriotic as John McCain. Anyone who denies this after seeing it with their own eyes is denying reality.

[pvperson]

Where does McCain align with Bush:

Iraq War..
War with Iran..
Tax Cuts for the rich..
Foreign Policy..
Gun Control..
Budget & Economy..
Education..
Homeland Security..
Supreme Court..
Crime..
Government Reform..
Health Care..
Abortion..
Free Trade..
Cuba..
Civil Rights..
Social Security..
Immigration..
Welfare & Poverty..
Corporations..
Energy & Oil..
Environment..
Principles & Values

Vote McCain for more of the same.

[vortex1001]

so one corrupt *** takes over from another corrupt *** ??

[jack3213]

OH, please you liberal hugging idiots- without corporate America you wouldn''t have jobs! Stupidity is not attractive on a green molded liberal. Obama is the LOSER here and you all will find out in due time. lMAO

[vortex1001]

without corporate America you wouldn''''t have jobs!

Posted by jack3213 at 02:31 PM : Jul 02, 2008"

Well even WITH Corporate america, lazyass bums like you and all you a55holes in rural small towns don''t have jobs -- that''s because you''re too damned lazy to work

[xyno-2009]

Posted by caliguy55 at 02:22 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[rrauch1]

Bush''s guys, Bush''s 3rd term. Wake up America

[rrauch1]

Jack and vortex should read the newspaper or go the grocery store and/or gas station to see how effective the republican way is. Not to mention 4000 dead in Iraq and a new war brewing with Iran. Have any of you seen bin Laden? Nice work guys.

[frootloop47]

OH, please you liberal hugging idiots- without corporate America you wouldn''''t have jobs!
Posted by jack3213 at 02:31 P
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You are sooo wrong. I work for the government. So there!

[missingamerica]

Ol'' McCain wins, whatcha wanna bet he puts Karl Rove in at Secretary of State, seeing as how these Bush-league Republicans think debating and diplomacy require shouting and bombing, respectively?

[frootloop47]

Yeah, OPEC has got us by the short hairs. Have for decades. But, did our government (or corporate American) help us reduce our dependency? Nope.

Now, maybe we will.

[rrauch1]

I love that the ad at the top of this page is Exxon. What does that say?

[redbds]

I love that the ad at the top of this page is Exxon. What does that say?


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Posted by rrauch1 at 03:13 PM : Jul 02, 2008

That is your internet service provider, idiot!

[rrauch1]

Exxon is in the ISP business now? Who''s the idiot?

[redbds]

You are sooo wrong. I work for the government. So there!


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Posted by frootloop47 at 03:10 PM : Jul 02, 2008


So you are posting on this site while you are at work then. That is our taxpayer money at work.

[frootloop47]

I am so tired of this administration and of McCain''''s war record...smip, .
I CHALLANGE ANYONE TO PROVE ME WRONG...LOOK UP THE INCIDENT YOURSELF.

Posted by nrgmizer at 03:16 PM : Jul 02, 2008
-----------------------------------------

The only thing I could add is that him being shot down was his OWN fault. His mission was cancelled as being too dangerous. But, him being the maverick, cowboy, stubborn person he is continued on.

McCain has been milking the "War Hero" c.r.a.p for decade now.

[noloyalisti]

No, Exxon wrote the energy policy and runs the government along with the communist sympathizer Wal-Mart.

Have the top McBush aides taken on a new role? In Obama''s campaign? Is McSame still running? What an anti-American loser he is.

[redbds]

Exxon is in the ISP business now? Who''''s the idiot?


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Posted by rrauch1 at 03:21 PM : Jul 02, 2008

The ad on your computer screen is dependant on what ISP you use. It has nothing to to with CBS news or John McCain. You are really not too bright are you?

[zerato-2009]

CHALLANGE ANYONE TO PROVE ME WRONG...LOOK UP THE INCIDENT YOURSELF.
Posted by nrgmizer

I believe ya I believe ya!!!

[rrauch1]

you don''t really understand the internets do you?

[frootloop47]

So you are posting on this site while you are at work then. That is our taxpayer money at work.
Posted by redbds

---

Yeah, I''ll start working again when OBAMA gets elected :-)

[zerato-2009]

I wonder who will be in charge of putting mccain in front of the greeen screen. That was a lot of fun watching colbert

[antoniof123]

So you are posting on this site while you are at work then. That is our taxpayer money at work.

Posted by redbds at 03:21 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Did he say he was at work NO HE DID NOT he said he worked for the government. Typical neo cons add lib and then blame it on someone else. Your days are coming Obama gets stronger each day now the primaries are over and the only way for MaCain is to turn to slander like the GOP always does.

Only problem is this time we the swing voters have had enough look at what happened to Hillary and to Mitt, and Rudy, and to Mike.

LOL this is going to be a fun election wish we did it every year.

[frootloop47]

I am so tired of this administration and of McCain''''''''s war record...smip, .
I CHALLANGE ANYONE TO PROVE ME WRONG...LOOK UP THE INCIDENT YOURSELF.

Posted by nrgmizer at 03:16 PM : Jul 02, 2008
----------------------------------
-------

The only thing I could add is that him being shot down was his OWN fault. His mission was cancelled as being too dangerous. But, him being the maverick, cowboy, stubborn person he is continued on.

McCain has been milking the "War Hero" c.r.a.p for decades now.

[redbds]

So you are posting on this site while you are at work then. That is our taxpayer money at work.
Posted by redbds

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Yeah, I''''ll start working again when OBAMA gets elected :-)




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Posted by frootloop47 at 03:24 PM : Jul 02, 2008

I guess we shouldn''t expect anything out of you ever then. Obama has no chance of getting elected. It is only a matter of time before the people get over his say anything, make pretty speaches, and provide no real solutions or ideas campaign.

[frootloop47]

Obama has no chance of getting elected.
Posted by redbds
---------------------
WATCH!!!

[redbds]

The only thing I could add is that him being shot down was his OWN fault. His mission was cancelled as being too dangerous. But, him being the maverick, cowboy, stubborn person he is continued on.

McCain has been milking the "War Hero" c.r.a.p for decades now.





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Posted by frootloop47 at 03:27 PM : Jul 02, 2008

I''ll bet you were a Kerry suporter. There was a real made up war hero for you.

[redbds]

Obama has no chance of getting elected.
Posted by redbds
---------------------
WATCH!!!



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Posted by frootloop47 at 03:30 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Great answer fruity.

[frootloop47]

btw redbds....r u working or do you just happen to be off today?

[bobbyduck1]

"Apparently he wet started his fighter so as to scare the pilot in line behind him (wet starting is purposefully blowing the fuel out the tail and igniting it) as a joke......
I CHALLANGE ANYONE TO PROVE ME WRONG...LOOK UP THE INCIDENT YOURSELF."
Posted by nrgmizer at 03:16 PM : Jul 02, 2008

While I am NOT a McSame fan and will vote the opposite ticket to ANY neo-con, this is incorrect. The 1967 Forrestal incident was triggered by an accidental launch of a Zuni rocket on the flight deck. I have seen the Navy film while I was active duty starting 1969....and just did an online search to verify. Let''s not slander to make our points! The neo-weenies will do enough of that between now and November......

[randynason]

McCain is de man fo'' de people because he is de mented. If McCain changed the spelling of his name it would be to "McCane," because he needs one fo'' the bum leg.

[clestes-2009]

It won''t matter what fossil John''s campaign does, he is going to be CRUSHED in Nov. There is a lot of nonsense about this poll result and that poll result but the only one that really matter is the one that has a 2 year life.

70% to 80% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.

When you have that many dissatisfied voters, the party in power is going out the door come election time and by a landslide too.

[rrauch1]

Von - you seem reasonable. At least you''ve read something. Unfortunately your quotes are a bit selective. the intelligence was cherry picked at best to fit the agenda already contrived by the neo''s. there were no WMD''s and they knew it.

Also, the joke is completely backward. Dems, following the instructions in the Bible are there ffor the poor and sick as much as the system allows. It''s the Republicans that leave the less fortunate to suffer. Remember Katrina?

[rrauch1]

Henry Ford once said that if he had listened to his customers, he''d have been working on a better horse. If we spend our resources (time and money) looking for more oil, we will not be advancing the technology needed to sustain our very existence.

If you always do what you''ve always done, you''ll always be what you''ve always been.

It''s time for new technologies, new industries and new job opportunities.

[von_marko]

Von - you seem reasonable. At least you''''ve read something. Unfortunately your quotes are a bit selective. the intelligence was cherry picked at best to fit the agenda already contrived by the neo''''s. there were no WMD''''s and they knew it.
Posted by rrauch1 at 03:57 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Jay Rockefeller October 10, 2002 "There was unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years. We also should remember that we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."

Bill Clinton February 17, 1998
"We have to defend our future from these predators of the 21st Century.... They will be all the more lethal if we allow them to build arsenals of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them. We simply cannot allow that to happen. There is no more clear example of this threat than Saddam Hussein."

[rrauch1]

Y von, what sacrifices have you made that show support for the troops. It takes more than a yellow ribbon on your SUV.

[von_marko]

Al Gore September 23, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

John Kerry February 23, 1998
"Saddam Hussein has already used these weapons and has made it clear that he has the intent to continue to try, by virtue of his duplicity and secrecy, to continue to do so. That is a threat to the stability of the Middle East. It is a threat with respect to the potential of terrorist activities on a global basis. It is a threat even to regions near but not exactly in the Middle East

[smirk5]

As John McCain tumbled through the sky on the way to the ground while crashing in Vietnam, Cons think he was improving his skills in geopolitics. Smart people think he probably thought more about the actual crashing.

[docpeter-2009]

From the article,"McCain sources say Schmidt, who ran Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger''s reelection campaign and was a top communications aide in Bush-Cheney ''04, will coordinate the campaign''s daily pro-McCain and anti-Obama message but also will have an increased role in shaping most every facet of the organization including scheduling, policy, coalitions and surrogates."

IOW: Voting for McCain will be essentially like voting for GWB III. No real change expected to be here.

[von_marko]

Y von, what sacrifices have you made that show support for the troops. It takes more than a yellow ribbon on your SUV.
Posted by rrauch1 at 04:03 PM : Jul 02, 2008

4 Years in the Corp and 11 in the Army Reserve, that included 2 tours in Iraq. 14 months in 2003 to 2004 and 3 months in 2006.

Didn''t see Obama there! Oh wait, that was him in the turbine with the RPG!

[rrauch1]

von, thank you for your service.

[von_marko]

Hearing Obama, Sean Penn and Jane Fonda praise the patriotic service of others is the same as hearing a rapist tell a rape victim she''s hot!

[smirk5]

Same positions
Same message
Many of the same people working on his campaign

John McCain is running to implement the 3rd term of George Bush Jr.

[rgrxx175]

mccain rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship doesn''t help the ship from sinking...

[von_marko]

von, thank you for your service.
Posted by rrauch1 at 04:07 PM : Jul 02, 2008

thanks, This war is real for those in the fight. For many though, it is just a little political sideshow to make the other side look bad. Many libs don''t give a rats behind about the casualties. They only hope to gain a change in national politics so that the can continue the gay rights, goat marraiges, free pot etc... elitist dream they see as the American Dream

[smirk5]

RGRXX175,

It''s like Colbert said about Bush. McCain''s campaign is soaring! If anything, McCain is rearranging deck chairs on the Hindenburg.

[rrauch1]

von, I''m a "lib" and you could not be more wrong about many of the points you just asserted. Free pot maybe.

[von_marko]

4000 dead Americans in Iraq = $4 gasoline = $4 milk = John McCain representing 4 more years of the same, and worse.
Posted by neoconism at 04:09 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Yep, True.. So is this:

1. More pregnant American women have been murdered by their boyfrinds and husbands in the last 2 years then all US Troops lost in Iraq.

ANYBODY care about them???? nope
WHY NOT??? Because it doesn''t make the republicans look bad and help get the libs elected.

[rrauch1]

if the system allowed the "libs" to do more to help with social services etc., maybe the murders could be avoided. Sorry no money for that, we''re spending it all on an illegal war.

[smirk5]

von_marko,

It''s a sideshow when you go to war and don''t give all your troops the best body armor.
It''s a sideshow when you go to war without any real plan to occupy.
It''s a sideshow when you go to war and tell people it will be quick and easy like McCain did before Iraq.
It''s a sideshow when you let people loot high-explosives because you didn''t invade with enough troops to keep that from happening.
It''s a sideshow when you strut around on a carrier play acting like your some kind of military hero and that you''ve won something.
It''s a sideshow when you tell people we''re "making progress" for years when things are actually getting worse.
It''s a sideshow when you lose tens of billions of dollars in Iraq and don''t know where you lost it.
And on and on.
This Iraq War has been run like a sideshow from Day 1.