If I were McCain, this guy would be history. NOW! I can't imagine keeping this yutz on the payroll, given his apparent difficulties in determining where his loyalties lie. When I heard this story, I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. What a weasel! Good riddance.

If it was me, I'd fire him just for being on NPR!

___________________________________ 

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber

...before the real race even starts.

Imagine my surprise.

Smile. It is not the end of the world.

right here right now..

McCain is on thin ice with most real conservatives already... to allow this...

McCain himself has obvious divided loyalties. That's the point. He's a RINO and a horrible candidate. There's going to keep being disgusting things about him and his advisers coming out all the time. The only defense of this man will be to keep saying, "But he's better than Hillary or Obama."

Boy if Hillary is the nominee I just can't wait till she and McCain "debate" each other. Won't it be nice to see him compliment her time and time again? Oh but I guess an admirer of Hillary is better than Hillary herself. Yippee.

McCain Happens

Hillary Happens

Perhaps this is just a manifestation of McCain's famous "sense of humor," and this guy is going to be given his walking papers once McCain has secured the nomination.

Smile. It is not the end of the world.

I now think I know who his running mate should be

I always wanted to get into politics, but I was never light enough to make the team.

fight for it?  the media is always saying how negativity in campaigns doesn't work, but past history shows that a candidate's inability to fight for the job hurts more.  i never would have thought bush would beat kerry (i've never, ever seen such hatred for a sitting President as i've seen since 2000), yet out come the veterans for truth and down goes kerry.

 mccain had better focus on obama's lack of a sound plan, political inexperience and his stupid comments (like invading pakistan) ... if he plays it safe, he's going to lose ... bush 41 obviously didn't take clinton seriously and look what happened. 

and i don't really care about hardcore conservatives' opinions ... rush, hannity and the bunch will not be financially affected by an obama or hillary white house ... they will thrive.  it's the rest of us that will get killed by tax increases (and probably terrorism) ... we will be the ones who will get pulled out of iraq, but sent into darfur (and if obama gets his wish, pakistan).

 i'm disappointed in the fact that before the nomination is even won, mccain has a staffer who is afraid to fight the battle ahead.  i hope mccain fires him ... i desperately want a republican to stay in the white house.  a dem president, house and senate is not something our country can put up with for 4 years (or more), regardless what the talking heads say.

The last thing John McCain should do is fire this frumpy greaser, but instead sign him to an exclusive contract.

The reason is simple, that way the greaser wacko can not go help the GOB group of Gore, Obama and Bloomberg.

From what I have seen of Wacko Marko his work has not been that inspired as any fool can run a campaign against Obama.

Rule 1: America rejected Hillarycare, now we have Obamacare not for Americans but at 1 trillion dollars for the world.

Rule 2: Brother can you spare an underhanded kick back off a housing sale WHEN A MILLION AMERICANS ARE IN DANGER OF LOOSING THEIR HOMES.

Rule 3: Little girl singing picking petals off a daisy in 1960 and a nuke goes off.....in the cloud we see Barak Obama's infamous face with his infamous pledge to nuke Pakistan.
Narrator says, "Senator Obama, Pakistan is an ally of America".

That took me by God's inspiration 1 minute to come up with a startegy to have Obama get about 15% of the vote.

McCain just needs Conservatives who know how to win and a Conservative on the ticket.

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

For years we have been aware of BDS, that typically liberal viral infection that cause grown men to weep and pull out their hair at the mere mention of the President's name. Alas, it appears to have mutated, much like the flu virus, and there are reports coming in from outside sources of a particularly virulent strain making its appearance in the American conservative blogosphere. Tagged MDS, it seems to affect those conservatives who are exceptionally rigid and inflexible, clouding their minds, their sight, and their common sense. On newsbusters.org, the effect has been startling, even showing up as the very thing about which the site purportedly tries to warn others, namely biased reporting.

Good lord, people...WAKE UP! Whichever NB staffer posted this article and question should have at least had the intellectual honesty to give all the facts, rather than those designed to draw out those suffering most severely from MDS. Let's complete the thoughts of McKinnon, shall we. '...while he disagrees with Obama on fundamental issues, he likes him a great deal...he will still support McCain — only not as the chief media advisor...'

What is McKinnon's job? All together now - "HEAD MEDIA ADVISOR!" Assuming Obama is the eventual democrat nominee, McKinnon's job would be to get those media reports/ads/infomercials out there that will place McCain in the best possible light, while portraying Obama in the worst possible light. Personally, I like Joe Lieberman, but I wouldn't vote for him for president. However, I wouldn't want to try to co-ordinate a media campaign on McCain's behalf that had to malign and belittle him. My heart wouldn't be in it, and I would do a dis-service to the man who is counting on me to be a focused attack dog. Far better that I tell him up front that should such a thing be necessary, I would request to be replaced.

I suppose it is possible that some of the other motives atttributed to McKinnon in this thread are actually his - but I hope not, and so far have seen no indication that such is the case. All I see is a man who has tried his best to help McCain, is (obviously from the data so far) doing a good job as media advisor, and who has notified his boss of a potential personal conflict that may in the future prevent him from doing his best. How can you have a problem with that? Most managers I know would relish having such an employee, yet there are darned few of them.

Why are there so few? Well, consider what the typical reaction has been here.

"...I can't imagine keeping this yutz on the payroll..."

"...Why should he keep his job if he's not willing to go the whole way?..."

"...McKinnon was a questionable hire..."

Those are typical comments about any employee in these circumstances. Rather than looking at him, and saying, "thanks for the heads up. Let's get someone ready to take your place should it become necessary," it's "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Give the man a break, and let's be honest here.

The real problem isn't what happened, it isn't really about Mark McKinnon at all. If all of you here treat your employees the way you're screaming for him to be treated, your businesses deserve to sink. No, what you saw here was another chance to vent your displeasure with John McCain, and no facts are going to stand in your way. MDS rears its ugly head, and you're all off like a liberal pack of wolves.

Shoot, I talk too much. In response to the original question, "...would you fire this man immediately ..." my answer would be no. Rather I would thank him for letting me know in advance that I might have to replace him.

"...Can't I enjoy my martini ..."

Sorry, Noel - isn't going to happen, lol. While Chivas is my drink of choice, I'm not at all adverse to a good single malt. Haven't had a good martinin in about 40 years - just hang out with the wrong crowd, I guess.

V/R

Clyde

"...the aspirants to tyranny are either the...men of the state, who in democracies are demagogues,... or those who hold great offices, and have a long tenure.." - Aristotle, Politics, c350BC

Mark McKinnon is free to work as he pleases in accordance with contractual agreements.

What I find distasteful is that McKinnon aired this in public knowing damn full well that his words and actions will be used to the detriment of John McCain.  As if Democrats need more quotes about Republicans "attacking" them!  This remark helps to emasculate the McCain general election campaign strategy before it gets off the ground.

Vote for whomever you like Mark.  Work for whomever you'd like.  But keep your yapper shut when it comes to betraying your employer, at least while still in their employ.

McCain is a numbskull for not contractually gagging McKinnon given the advance warning.

Based upon this public airing of crossed political allegiance, I would fire McKinnon ASAP and take him to court for breach of his fiduciary responsibility to McCain's campaign if he retaliates or pouts (based on what I've read here). 

I don't care how nice a guy or how talented McKinnon is, he just gave a gift to the Dems that will keep on giving till November 2008. Retaining McKinnon as an active member of the team after this revelation would further paint McCain as weak and incompetent. 

McCain played with fire and got burned.  Dumbass!

Killing them with kindness isn't working.  Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.

Won't campaign against him?  Why the hell are you still on the pay roll? Why in the world would you have a hard time attacking Barry?

That Juan would have someone such as this man on his payroll is no surprise.  Juan, you lay down with Democrats and you get fleas buddy.

Someone asked if he may be worried about a race war.  Why the hell would anybody be worried about such a thing?

The media and the left pulled this same stunt before Clinton's re-election campaign. The MSM had story after story and poll after poll that the American public did not want to see a negative campaign, and whatever happens, "you better not go negative". Why? Because their man had SOOO many easily attackable negatives it wasn't even funny. Unfortunately, the Dole/Kemp campaign fell for it and stayed above the fray.

Well, there has not been a candidate with more negatives than Hussein Obama in a long time, from his TOTAL lack of experience, to his Hussein/Muslim ties, to his refussal to wear an American flag pin, to his castigation of those who wore pins as hypocrites, to his failure to place his hand over his heart during the pledge, to his "Che Guevara" supporters, to his "globalist" agenda, to his "make nice with the bad guys" attitude. Let's don't fall for it again fellows.

When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).

McCain would have us beleive that he is a conservative, yet he hires as a senior advisor a democrat who is now obviously pro-Obama?

It's looking like this guy took the MCain job in order to derail Hillary's nomination hopes. Now that his true candidate is looking like he's going to win the Democratic nomination, he will back out of the McCain campaign because his job is accopmplished.

I wonder how McCain feels knowing that he's been a tool that the democrats have successfully used to get their new star a real shot at the Whitehouse?

The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.