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Seeing as we’re talking about John McCain’s and Jon Kyl’s public statements on Richard Carmona…

by on Nov. 03, 2012, under Uncategorized

…on the front page today, I thought I’d add this.

Next to National Review, the Weekly Standard is probably the most popular conservative news and opinion magazine in America. Bill Kristol, a well-known conservative TV pundit, is its editor.

The Standard‘s David Halper has written a story that strikes very close to home for Arizonans. Not only in its target, but in its sourcing as well. (All emphasis is added).

Richard Carmona, the former surgeon general under President George W. Bush and the current Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona, recently came under scrutiny after Senator Jon Kyl revealed a memorable conversation the two had about the perks of being a member of Congress. It happened in the 2006 election cycle, Kyl revealed to this publication last week, when Carmona was briefly recruited to be a Republican congressional candidate in the district outside Tucson.

“I had one phone conversation with him when the Republican party was looking for a candidate to run in the congressional seat [for the seat close to Tucson], and I talked to him about it,” Kyl told me.

“I thought his response was odd and a little off-putting. … He seemed more concerned about the perks of the office; he specifically asked about a house and a car, in the context of, well, he wasn’t a wealthy man and he would need to consider what went with the job. And he also seemed to think that it was just a lot of work for just two years, and having to run again, he thought, well, a position in the Senate would be a lot better to hold.”

Oh, and here’s a current report on how Senators McCain and Kyl, REALLY stand on the Arizona Senate race.

Carmona has faced a backlash from both senators, who charge that it was dishonest of him to use their comments to imply support and that what they said in 2002 should have no bearing on the race today. They have both endorsed Flake for Senate.

Flake’s new ad, “Integrity,” features the two senators standing side by side speaking directly into the camera about Carmona’s ad, with McCain calling it “the most shameful of all.”

“We helped Carmona 10 years ago, but found he’s not the kind of man to represent you in the U.S. Senate,” Kyl says.

“It isn’t just that he supports the Obama agenda; his ads prove Carmona lacks integrity,” McCain adds.

Your comments are always welcome. Yours too, HP.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 at 2:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • BajaDemocrats

    Carmona’s ad clearly shows that McCain & Kyle’s comments were in support of his nomination as Surgeon General in 2002. The point is that both of them thought we was a terrific guy back then. Kyle still thought so highly of him he tried to recruit him to run for seat Jim Kolbe was retiring from in 2006. The only thing they have against him now is that Carmona went over to the ‘dark side’ and is running as a Democrat. That’s the kind of bitter partisanship that is damaging the country – it’s no longer “Country First” for the Republicans, it’s “Party First”. And Carmona, a life long Independent, said he decided to run as a Democrat only because he could no longer support the Republican war on women’s health issues. As a Doctor and former Surgeon General, he cares deeply about those issues.

    And Kyle is only telling his side of the story. Carmona says he wasn’t asking about a house and car in context of “perks” of the job, he was asking a man with long experience of having to maintain a home in D.C. and Arizona what he would need to get to maintain a residence & office in D.C.

    • fortbuckley

      Of course, Democrats would never engage in bitter partisanship, would they? And, four of the nation’s five women governors are Republicans.

      • Bob Quasius

        Obviously those four women governors are clear and convincing evidence of the GOP’s war on women, right? Susana Martinez and Brian Sandoval are prime evidence of a GOP war on Hispanics too? (hint of sarcasm)

      • BajaDemocrats

        Wow! A whole 13% of Republican Governors are women!! Ask Susana Martinez or Nikki Haley what they think about ‘legitimate rape’, or that if they got pregnant from a rape if they think it’s “God’s will”?

        • fortbuckley

          How many Democratic governors are women? Only one…Bev Purdue of North Carolina.

    • Bob Quasius

      2002 was ten years ago, and since then Carmona has demonstrated he is not fit to serve as U.S. Senator. It’s disingenuous to use comments from ten years ago regarding a different position and then imply they infer an endorsement today, when both Senators have endorsed Jeff Flake.

      • BajaDemocrats

        I believe you’re confusing “disingenuous” with “hypocritical” – the only thing that Carmona has demonstrated to Kyle & McCain in 10 years that he isn’t fit to serve as a US Senator is that when pressed to choose a political party he chose the Democrats.

  • alohapuna

    In February 2005, in a handwritten letter by Sen Kyl on his personal letterhead (reserved for unoffical or political use) referring to a previous meeting in Phoenix which included discussion on Carmona running for a state office as a Republican, he wrote, “Thanks for all you did for me in Phoenix last week. I look forward to coniinuing our discussion at your convenience.” He also writes “For someone who’s ‘Not so political’ you sure leave your audience in awe.”
    Both John McCain and Jon (not intended to be factual) Kyl are known for recanting or twisting facts to fit the occasion. Why should we beleive Sen. Kyl’s insinuation, and that’s all it is, has any more merit. It flies in the face of everything that is know about Dr. Carmona.

    • fortbuckley

      Known for recanting or twisting facts…in whose circles? MSNBC’s? The Daily Kos? As for “insinuation”—to paraphrase Inego Montoya from “The Princess Bride,” that word doesn’t mean what you seem to think it means. Senator Kyl told a reporter what Carmona told him. How is that an “insinuation?” Lastly, if Carmona leaves his audience in awe, how does that attest to his honesty and integrity. You sound like a Carmona Kool-Aid drinker.

      • alohapuna

        Let me give you some examples, Don. Your interpretation of “…..his audience in awe,” in context of the letter it was clearly not what Sen. Kyl meant, I’m sure you know. And by the way, Don, that’s an insinuation. :) It also serves as an acknowledgement of the letter which undercuts Kyl’s claim that his only communication was the phone conversation. “Sen.Kyl’s statement was not intended to be factual,” is a recant, for one. I appreciate a challenge from someone with different views but not with specious arguments.

        • fortbuckley

          alohapuna, if you don’t appreciate my comments, then YOU shouldn’t comment on MY blog. Truly, you have a dizzying, um, “intellect.”

          • alohapuna

            Maybe you’re right seeing that that’s the best response you can come up with. “To argue with a man who renounces the use and authority of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” -Thomas Paine

  • alohapuna

    Don, if Kyl can lie about his communication with Dr. Carmona, he can lie about the conversation too, I know what insinuate means and “He seemed to be more concerned about the perks…….” is an insinuation. Your column is based on the assumption that what Kyl said is accurate, taking one’s word over another without any corroberation. That is plain hearsay, Don, and not responsible journalism. A lie is a lie regardless of what circle. It’s just that Republicans refuse to take ownership.

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