An Indpendent Call by Katherine Morrison Now at Amazon.com

My latest book, An Independent Call - From New Hampshire On, is now available at Amazon.com. An Indpendent Call recounts the experience of a wary Independent slowly being won over by the McCain campaign during the primary process, and eventually becoming a campaign volunteer and credentialed blogger. This book relates stories of political craziness from the primaries through the general election, shedding light on the opportunities and experiences provided to those who volunteer. A mix of good humor and political opinion from the middle.

Rockingham NH County Commissioner, Maureen Barrows, recommends An Independent Call stating that it is, "A must read for anyone interested in the day to day life of a volunteer in a political campaign...attention to detail is brilliant." --Maureen Barrows

-Katherine Morrison

Why Become a Politician?

After the NYT article ran last week a question popped into my mind as it has done several times before; 'Why would anyone in his or her right mind become a politician?' There's been such a degradation in political discourse and journalistic standards that good people may start turning away from politics simply because they don't want to subject themselves to all the nastiness and cheap shots. The two candidates that often appear to take the brunt of this low-ball politics are Senator Clinton and Senator McCain.

This month Senator McCain has taken it from both sides. The NYT spreads rumors about him; right wing radio pitches a fit about his nomination. Both sources were so wrong and low-ball in their attacks that people are coming to his defense even when they are not on his side politically.

As for Senator Clinton, she seems to be a constant target for juvenile remarks. I don't know any public figure that takes as much flak for petty things like dress, appearance, or tone of voice. I can't imagine anyone has berated Senator McCain for a poor choice of tie like they do to Senator Clinton if they don't like her outfit. Two of the main problems with type of politics are one; we're forgetting that these people are human beings. There is a certain level of decency that all people should be afforded, even politicians. Two, as stated up front, this could easily dissuade good people from getting involved in politics, then the country looses out. I'm all for challenging politicians on issues, and questioning their actions. I'd just like to see it done with more fairness and maturity.

Decency on Immigration

Reprinted from - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301493_pf.html

Apart from John McCain, it's hard to find that quality in the Republican presidential contest.

Saturday, November 24, 2007; A16

THE SPEAKER was discussing the human face of illegal immigration. "People are continuing dying in the Sonoran desert, and it's just a very sad thing to see," he said. "One 3-year-old baby died, a 16-year-old girl with a rosary in her hand. There's a side of this that grieves me terribly. These are God's children. They're not from another planet, and the whole thing . . . frankly, this whole issue saddens me a great deal."

These statements were moving, but they would not have been especially remarkable except for the fact that the person speaking is a presidential candidate -- a Republican presidential candidate, in fact -- at a time when the campaign has taken a particularly toxic tone when it comes to the issue of immigration. In a meeting with Post editors and reporters the other day, Arizona Sen. John McCain described the toll that he believes his championing of comprehensive immigration reform took on his campaign. "It was the issue of immigration that hurt my campaign," he said. "I have not encountered a domestic issue that has provoked the emotional response that this issue does with a lot of Americans."

Indeed, even as Mr. McCain was speaking, his GOP rivals were busy turning an ugly immigration debate even uglier. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who said in 2005 he thought that the McCain-Kennedy comprehensive immigration approach was "sensible," and former New York mayor

Rudolph W. Giuliani, who as mayor protected illegal immigrants from being reported to immigration authorities when they sought police protection or hospital care, competed to see who could sound toughest.

"As governor, I opposed driver's licenses for illegals, vetoed tuition breaks for illegals and combated sanctuary city policies by authorizing the state police to enforce federal immigration law," Mr. Romney said in a statement. "As president, I will secure the border and reject sanctuary policies by cities, states or the federal government."

The Giuliani campaign shot back, in a statement by communications director Katie Levinson: "On Governor Romney's watch, the number of illegal immigrants in Massachusetts skyrocketed, aid to Massachusetts sanctuary cities went through the roof and Governor Romney even went so far as to hire illegals to work on his lawn." Mr. Romney and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson have also taken shots at former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for allowing the children of illegal immigrants in Arkansas to qualify for in-state tuition and academic scholarships if they graduated from high school there. As Mr. Huckabee told Fox News, "the basic concept, and I know this is still an anathema to some people, I don't believe you punish the children for the crime and sins of the parents."

Illegal immigration provokes strong emotions, understandably so. But it would behoove all the candidates to engage in a little less chest-thumping and speak with more of the decency and compassion that Mr. McCain exhibited.

Returning From Iraq, McCain Focuses on New Hampshire

Reprinted From - http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3905857
Republican Contender Attempts to Set Himself Apart From Pack in New Hampshire
By RON CLAIBORNE
Nov. 23, 2007 —

When he talks about his national security credentials, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., likes to point out that he already knows foreign leaders like Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and that he has traveled the world extensively.

Almost as an aside, he says former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has never been to Iraq and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has gone only once. This week marked McCain's seventh visit to Iraq.

So, even though McCain traveled to Iraq this week very quietly for a politician  no press entourage, no public events  the trip still carried political overtones and imagery: McCain conferring with Iraqi leaders and Gen. David Petraeus in Baghdad while his rivals sit down to turkey at home.


Iraq Position Once a Political Liability
McCain, the candidate who paid the political price for his early, unwavering support for sending in more troops, is now proved right as the troop surge is apparently working.

On a trip to Iraq in April, McCain was ridiculed by some for saying the security situation had improved while he was under the heavy protection of U.S. troops. This time, the security situation really has improved.

In Baghdad, McCain only somewhat facetiously told ABC's Aaron Katersky, "The surest sign that things are working [is] they don't call it the McCain surge anymore."


Steadfast Support for the Surge
His support for the war and the surge and his backing of the ill-fated immigration bill hurt McCain with Republican voters. Immigration still does. But the decreasing violence in Iraq has given McCain a new opening on that issue.

At the same time, his steadfast support for the surge reinforces his image as a straight talker who is willing to buck popular sentiment for what he believes in. And just in case voters miss it, he's quite willing to point it out.

Campaigning in New Hampshire last week, he said: "They said McCain's chances to be president are permanently damaged and they may have been right. But I've said many times, I'd rather lose the campaign than lose the war."

"It's something of a risky argument because the war continues to be generally unpopular, though that's not quite the case among Republicans," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

"In talking about his support for the surge, you have to evaluate it two ways. & Is the surge working? And I think many Republicans think it is. & But the other side of that is John McCain and consistency. He says what he believes even if it's unpopular, even if others criticize him and that is an appealing quality for many Americans and for many Republicans."


'It Was Mishandled'
But McCain is also trying to make sure he is not seen as having been blindly supportive of how the war was planned and the occupation handled.

On the stump these days, he notes that he was critical of the Bush administration and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld in particular for not committing more troops sooner.

"It was mishandled by the secretary of defense and this administration and it was mishandled for nearly four years," he said at a campaign stop in Nashua, N.H.

The challenge for McCain now is to get Republican voters to give him a second look. Unlike, say, Romney, he's already well-known. Some Republicans like him. Some don't. There is probably not a huge segment of those who haven't already considered him and decided one way or the other.

With just weeks to go before the first contests, the McCain strategy appears to be to focus most of his time, resources and energy on New Hampshire, where McCain beat President Bush by 18 points in 2000.

He trails badly in Iowa and likely won't be spending much, if any, time there before the Jan. 3 caucus. A strong showing in Iowa by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee could help McCain by hurting Romney.

McCain trails Romney in New Hampshire, but he is hoping the combination of a big effort  he'll spend at least five straight days in the Granite State at the beginning of December  and Romney coming out of Iowa slowed or weakened could give him the boost to win there.

Another theme he will be pushing will be "electability." Some polls show he is the strongest GOP candidate when matched up against Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. More and more often, he is criticizing Clinton's positions even while assailing his rivals for "ridiculing" and "degrading" her in their own more personal attacks. He even talks about "when" he beats her in November.

But first things first: like getting the Republican nomination. A win in New Hampshire would be a huge step in that direction. A loss there and he's almost surely finished.