Okay, here's a conspiracy theory for youFollow

I've been thinking about this for a month now. Well, longer, really; but since the first debate, certainly.

Do you think McCain has been set up to lose by his own party? That their position was just so weak after eight years of BushCo that they decided to throw a loser under the bus and regroup for 2012?

Quite the contrary: I believe they thought McCain, being the "maverick" as he endlessly goes on about, was the least Republican Republican they could field. They needed to space themselves from the Bush regime, so if they wanted any hope of winning, they needed the closest thing to a non-Republican they could find, but one they could still bamboozle into doing their bidding once elected.

I'd like to believe that, to assume the men running the Pubbie machine are just stupid and took a bad misstep; but my cynicism level is stuck at 11.

Varus would have us believe it was a brilliant campain statergy designed to unbalance the Dem's and ensure that "Queen" palin would win because all Democrats are evil Commies and Marxists..

What do you mean? It wouldn't have a practical effect except that Palin would probably become the candidate of choice and would most likely choose a well-know Republican as her running mate.

Or, in an emergency meeting I suppose the RNC could try to yoink Romney or someone to be the candidate for Pres.

I haven't a clue what the RNC might do, but seems like maybe they'd have a contingency plan considering the age and health status of McCain.

It might mess up their conspiracy though if McCain couldn't hang on til the election.

In the event McCain croaked, Mitty Mitty Bang Bang would get his spot.

He'd probably have Palin foisted onto him as his VP, but since she was nominated and not chosen through a primary process, it would be anathema to stick her on the top of the ticket. I'm not sure there's a precedent, since in the old days before the party system was firmly established, the runner up on election day was the VP.

I supposed they could reconvene the delegation and ask for a do-over with Palin as a scribbled write-in, but I believe the party rules say that if McCain dies before the election the runner up in delegates gets the ticket.

Same thing, if Obama has a freak heart attack before Nov 4th, then we get HRC as the Dem candidate.

On the other hand, AFTER the election, if McCain wins but dies before inauguration, or if Obama wins but dies before inauguration, per the Constitution the VP is inaugurated as if they were elected.

So it's in the evangelicals best interest to keep McCain alive until Nov 4th, then mix up his meds on Nov 5th, if they want a Palin prez.

No, I don't think McCain has been set up to fail by the Republicans, but him being the choice to be nominee is in reaction to Bush, that is he is considerably more moderate than Bush ever was, despite the tar baby effect the Black Neo has given him.

However, this will be McCain's last trip on the merry-go-'round. He'll finish his career in the Senate never to run for president again, regardless his lifespan. And maybe that'll be a good thing for him, much as it has been for Teddy Kennedy. To achieve our nation's highest office would quite possibly diminish the legacy either of them will leave behind.

That said, whoever becomes president will likely be a one termer, because the economy will utterly crush whoever is in office. FDR Obama ain't. And neither is McCain. Nearly every piece of legislation they'd love to move through a vilified Congress will be severely hampered by extraordinarily tight purse strings, thus leaving either of them a lame duck in 2010.

To speak to your original question, though, Sammy, I'd suggest the Clinton's half-hearted support points to them wishing Obama fails miserably so that Hillary can swoop in in 2012 and tell the Democratic Party, "See? I told you you should have nominated me in 2008!"

Totem

Well, true, Sammy, except in a vast Left-wing Clinton conspiracy kind of way. I submit to you, both Hillary and Bill have conspired together to not actively work towards Obama's victory except to damn him with faint praise.

Totem

/shrugs
Who knows? Maybe Obama specifically asked them not to stump for him, thinking the lesser the voting public sees of the Clintons, the lesser they will mentally tie the excesses of Bill's years in office as a Democrat to him. But it is remarkable how little we have seen of the Clintons since the nomination.

Totem

I think Totem was closer to the mark, actually. Bill Clinton was a very popular President, and reputedly at least he is incandescently charismatic in person. I'm sure Obama, who tends to be understated and who is often described as "professorial", prefers not to stand in the Clinton aura.

The Clintons were stumping for Obama in south Texas a few days ago. That's probably the best use for them -- send 'em to places where Hillary won big in the primaries to drum up support from Clinton strongholds.

Not that I think they'll flip Texas but they might cause McCain to waste some time or money there.

I honestly believe this. I think his own party is brewing him into a stew that he doesn't really want. I don't think he wanted to be landed with Palin and used as a far-right stooge just to win the election.