cannabisnews.com: McCain In The Shadows 





McCain In The Shadows 
Posted by FoM on July 17, 2000 at 11:32:13 PT
By Robert Novak, Sun-Times Columnist
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Would Sen. John McCain be the keynote speaker of an alternative political convention with a distinct far-left aroma that intends to ridicule his Republican Party and is partially financed by the archenemy of the war on drugs, billionaire global financier George Soros? That is McCain's intent, even as other Republicans fall off the list of speakers.
McCain is the star attraction July 30, opening the "shadow" convention to be held in Philadelphia while the Republicans meet there beginning July 31. That makes him the only speaker who will address both a major party convention and one of the two alternative gatherings arranged by political gadfly Arianna Huffington in Philadelphia and shadowing the Democrats in Los Angeles. McCain will find himself sharing the podium with such left-wing GOP-bashers as ice cream Ben & Jerry's maker Ben Cohen and comedian Al Franken.In the Senate Republican cloakroom, McCain's decision has prompted comments that he is "out of control." But nobody says it on the record because the senator from Arizona has become America's most popular politician. Indeed, if George W. Bush wanted to assure victory over Al Gore, he would cajole McCain into becoming his vice presidential candidate. An important reason why he won't is McCain's mind-set in going to the Soros convention.Not to worry, said McCain political aide John Weaver. "He will take a decidedly pro-Bush and pro-Republican position," Weaver told me. Then why attend a conclave that may look like the bar scene in "Star Wars"? "He often accepts invitations that traditional Republicans don't," Weaver said, "in order to advocate causes he believes in--in this case Gov. Bush's candidacy."McCain's determination to keep his date, while Jack Kemp and apparently Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut were breaking theirs, particularly upsets Republican leaders because of the Soros involvement. A master currency speculator, the New York-based investor keeps a low public profile but ardently presses a distinctive political agenda.While Soros sometimes espouses conservative libertarian causes such as opposing federal police power to seize personal assets, he increasingly presses a decidedly liberal agenda by advocating gun controls, retention of the estate tax--and, most assertively--weaker drug laws ultimately leading to legalization of narcotics. That is not where McCain comes from.Involved in planning the alternative convention is Soros' political adviser Hamilton Fish V, leftist grandson of the legendary conservative Republican antagonist of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rep. Hamilton Fish III of New York. The current Fish sits on the board of the Open Society Institute, Soros' Washington front organization.OSI--therefore, Soros--is helping fund the alternative conventions. The Lindesmith Center in New York had been OSI's drug policy arm, lobbying for needle exchanges and medicinal marijuana on the road to total legalization. On July 1, it split off and is playing a direct role in the shadow convention, making sure the drug war comes under attack.Huffington, who not long ago was a conservative activist, has been raising money for the alternative conventions and getting on the phone to dragoon speakers for them. Kemp said yes when she offered him a chance to deliver an anti-poverty speech. But late last week, he decided that the 1996 Republican vice presidential nominee had no place at an event addressed by Franken making fun of the party and organized by a Soros aide who calls the GOP "hopeless" in comparison with Democrats.Shays, a sincere moderate who is McCain's House counterpart in crusading for campaign finance reform, also accepted but at this writing was ready to pull out. That leaves New Mexico's peculiar Gov. Gary Johnson, a drug legalizer, as the only other Republican on the shadow schedule.McCain was first unaware of the Soros connection with the shadow convention but decided to fulfill his commitment there even after he found out. Republican leaders can only hold their tongues and shake their heads.Robert Novak appears on CNN's "Capital Gang" at 6 p.m. Saturday and "Evans, Novak, Hunt and Shields" at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.Published: July 17, 2000Copyright 2000, Digital Chicago Inc. Related Articles & Web Sites:The Soros Foundation Network http://www.soros.org/Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Drug Policy Foundationhttp://www.drugpolicy.org/The Lindesmith Centerhttp://www.lindesmith.org/Shadow Conventions:http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/Overthrow The Governmenthttp://www.overthrowthegov.com/TLC & DPF Invite You To The Shadow Conventionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6386.shtmlGroups To Detail Convention Planshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6367.shtml
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