Karl Rove, former Senior Counsel to President Bush, offered these insights into Sen. John McCain in today’s edition of the Wall St. Journal.

 

Getting to Know John McCain

It came to me while I was having dinner with Doris Day. No, not that Doris Day. The Doris Day who is married to Col. Bud Day, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, fighter pilot, Vietnam POW and roommate of John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton.

As we ate near the Days’ home in Florida recently, I heard things about Sen. McCain that were deeply moving and politically troubling. Moving because they told me things about him the American people need to know. And troubling because it is clear that Mr. McCain is one of the most private individuals to run for president in history.

AP

Col. (Ret.) Bud Day with John McCain at a campaign stop in Pensacola, Fla., in January.

When it comes to choosing a president, the American people want to know more about a candidate than policy positions. They want to know about character, the values ingrained in his heart. For Mr. McCain, that means they will want to know more about him personally than he has been willing to reveal.

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, “I told you I would make you a cripple.”

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day’s will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at “a goofy angle,” as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

 

But it didn’t heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in the prison courtyard to use as a splint. Mr. McCain put Mr. Day on the floor of their cell and, using his foot, jerked the broken bone into place. Then, using strips from the bandage on his own wounded leg and the bamboo, he put Mr. Day’s splint in place.

Years later, Air Force surgeons examined Mr. Day and complimented the treatment he’d gotten from his captors. Mr. Day corrected them. It was Dr. McCain who deserved the credit. Mr. Day went on to fly again.

Another story I heard over dinner with the Days involved Mr. McCain serving as one of the three chaplains for his fellow prisoners. At one point, after being shuttled among different prisons, Mr. Day had found himself as the most senior officer at the Hanoi Hilton. So he tapped Mr. McCain to help administer religious services to the other prisoners.

Today, Mr. Day, a very active 83, still vividly recalls Mr. McCain’s sermons. “He remembered the Episcopal liturgy,” Mr. Day says, “and sounded like a bona fide preacher.” One of Mr. McCain’s first sermons took as its text Luke 20:25 and Matthew 22:21, “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” Mr. McCain said he and his fellow prisoners shouldn’t ask God to free them, but to help them become the best people they could be while serving as POWs. It was Caesar who put them in prison and Caesar who would get them out. Their task was to act with honor.

Another McCain story, somewhat better known, is about the Vietnamese practice of torturing him by tying his head between his ankles with his arms behind him, and then leaving him for hours. The torture so badly busted up his shoulders that to this day Mr. McCain can’t raise his arms over his head.

One night, a Vietnamese guard loosened his bonds, returning at the end of his watch to tighten them again so no one would notice. Shortly after, on Christmas Day, the same guard stood beside Mr. McCain in the prison yard and drew a cross in the sand before erasing it. Mr. McCain later said that when he returned to Vietnam for the first time after the war, the only person he really wanted to meet was that guard.

Mr. Day recalls with pride Mr. McCain stubbornly refusing to accept special treatment or curry favor to be released early, even when gravely ill. Mr. McCain knew the Vietnamese wanted the propaganda victory of the son and grandson of Navy admirals accepting special treatment. “He wasn’t corruptible then,” Mr. Day says, “and he’s not corruptible today.”

The stories told to me by the Days involve more than wartime valor.

For example, in 1991 Cindy McCain was visiting Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh when a dying infant was thrust into her hands. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save her life, so Mrs. McCain brought the child home to America with her. She was met at the airport by her husband, who asked what all this was about.

Mrs. McCain replied that the child desperately needed surgery and years of rehabilitation. “I hope she can stay with us,” she told her husband. Mr. McCain agreed. Today that child is their teenage daughter Bridget.

I was aware of this story. What I did not know, and what I learned from Doris, is that there was a second infant Mrs. McCain brought back. She ended up being adopted by a young McCain aide and his wife.

“We were called at midnight by Cindy,” Wes Gullett remembers, and “five days later we met our new daughter Nicki at the L.A. airport wearing the only clothing Cindy could find on the trip back, a 7-Up T-shirt she bought in the Bangkok airport.” Today, Nicki is a high school sophomore. Mr. Gullett told me, “I never saw a hospital bill” for her care.

A few, but not many, of the stories told to me by the Days have been written about, such as in Robert Timberg’s 1996 book “A Nightingale’s Song.” But Mr. McCain rarely refers to them on the campaign trail. There is something admirable in his reticence, but he needs to overcome it.

Private people like Mr. McCain are rare in politics for a reason. Candidates who are uncomfortable sharing their interior lives limit their appeal. But if Mr. McCain is to win the election this fall, he has to open up.

Americans need to know about his vision for the nation’s future, especially his policy positions and domestic reforms. They also need to learn about the moments in his life that shaped him. Mr. McCain cannot make this a biography-only campaign – but he can’t afford to make it a biography-free campaign either. Unless he opens up more, many voters will never know the experiences of his life that show his character, integrity and essential decency.

These qualities mattered in America’s first president and will matter as Americans decide on their 44th president.

 

House Democrats last night took care of their union friends by watering down an ethics bill that would revoke pensions from lawbreaking state officials. The amended bill would limit the amount a court could revoke for state employees covered under union contract.

For the better part of this Legislative session, State Rep. Chris Caruso, D-Bridgeport, has been scolding the Legislature over the lack of pension revocation of all state officials. He has said to reporters that anyone who gets a state pension should have it taken away if they betray the public trust.  He even agreed that the state worker who was convicted of child molestation in his role as a probation supervisor should be treated with the same punishment as former Gov. John Rowland.

But Caruso had a change of heart Tuesday, saying collective bargaining issues require changing the law, even though numerous other states with similar laws do not distinguish between elected and appointed officials, or between management and protected classes of state employees.

According to the Hartford Courant - the amended bill “says a judge could extract from an employee’s pension any fines, restitution costs and the $25,000-or-more annual cost of his incarceration after conviction of a corruption charge.”

House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, said the fix was in:

“There’s hundreds of bills on the calendar — what do you think the odds are this’ll become law?” he said in debate. “Now when that happens, when we adjourn on May 7, are we going to show ’shock and outrage?’ … And you know what the excuse is gonna be? [That] ‘we had to change the bill to make it less, less harsh on public employees, and that’s why we don’t have an ethics bill.’ I don’t want to go back home and say that. I don’t think you want to go back home and say that.”

Cafero believes Governor Rell will veto the bill if it ever gets to her desk.

Map produced by Genghis Conn of CT Local Politics, Modified to reflect Republican retirements from State House in yellow

With the end of the legislative session rapidly approaching, the list of Representatives in the Connecticut House who are not running for office this fall seems to grow on a daily basis - on both sides of the political aisle in both chambers.  The House of Representatives will look quite different in January 2009 when the new General Assembly is called into session.  The House Republican Caucus - the ”Fighting 44″ - will put a substantially different team on the field.  Two Members will bid for the higher office while five others will retire after long and commendable service to the State of Connecticut.

As is tradition, some members - two, in this case - will seek to make the jump to the State Senate.  Both Members ran unopposed in 2006, but represent districts where Republicans have the party registration advantage over Democrats.  State Rep. Toni Boucher, who currently represents the 143rd District (most of the town of Wilton), will bid for the open 26th State Senate seat, to be vacated by the retiring Sen. Judith Freedman.  The 26th - made up of Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, Westport, and parts of New Canaan and Bethel - is fertile ground for Republican candidates, and Boucher should do well in the race.  Ned Lamont’s Treasurer, John Hartwell, will be running on the Democratic line.

Rep. Kevin Witkos, of the 17th (all of Canton, most of Avon), is vying for the 8th State Senate seat.  The retirement of Sen. Tom Herlihy from the Senate opens the hotly competitive seat for another close election.  Herlihy won by only 367 votes in 2006.

Rep. Ruth Fahrbach, of the 61st District (Windsor, East Granby, and Suffield), ran in a tough race against newcomer Derek Donnelly in 2006 and eeked out a 229 vote win.  She has announced her retirement from the House.  There are several Republican and Democratic candidates that may compete for the open seat, which should again be very competitive this fall.

Rep. Claudia “Dolly” Powers, has served as the State Representative for Greenwich’s 151st District for 16 years.  Her announced retirement at the end of the term will open up the overwhelmingly Republican district - 5265 Republicans versus 2832 Democrats - for a race.  Republican Alfred Camillo is expected to take on Democrat Edward T. Krumeich.

The Honorable Michael Caron of the 44th District (Killingly Sterling, Plainfield) will be leaving the House after 9 terms.  Caron’s personal popularlity in the district has long defied the strong Democratic registration advantage, and poses a challenge for the GOP in 2008.

Rep. Leonard Greene has represented Beacon Falls and Seymour (105th District) in the House since 1996 and will be hanging it up at the end of 2008.  Democrats narrowly outnumber Republicans in the district (3398 Dems to 2934 GOP) and could be one of the most exciting races to watch in 2008.  As is often the case, the 7,867 unaffiliated voters will be determinative. 

Newtown’s 106th district has elected State Rep. Julia Wasserman as its representative since 1991.  Wasserman has faced nominal opposition in recent years, and her departure may set the stage for a more competitive 2008 race.  The district has 4,589 Republicans to 3,711 Democrats.

The “Fighting 44″ will be a different bunch in 2009 - but with strong candidate recruitment efforts already well afoot and a resurgent House Republican Caucus in the lead on initiatives like the “No Tax Increase” Budget, they are well positioned for the future.

We will continue “Changing of the Guard” tomorrow with our analysis of the Democratic retirements in the House of Representatives, and discuss the Senate on Thursday.

House and Senate Republican leaders Monday unveiled a tax cutting alternative to the state budget which provides relief to motorists, ends a nuisance tax on business, provides new alternatives for elderly care and plans for the future with an optional state employee retirement program.

“There is a better way,” said House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk. “We cannot afford to do nothing.”

Cafero, along with Senate Leader John McKinney,  R-Southport, held an extrordinary press conference at the Legislative Office Building, which was attended by every media outlet in the state and continued for over an hour.

Repubicans called for budget adjustments, all validated by the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis, which would give motorists a 10 cent per gallon holiday on gasoline for two months this summer while capping the gross receipts tax at seven percent. Republicans also want a final curtain call on the Estate Tax and the Corporate Entity Tax, the latter of which assessing businesses $250 annually. The end of the “death tax”  cliffs would save estates $24 million in value and keep many families in Connecticut, rather than heading to warmer climates where no estate tax exists, which often saddle heirs wtih punishing costs.

But the real demarkation came with the GOP plan to tackle long-rang deficits by offering an early retirement plan for 11,600 state employees which would save taxpayers $163 million in the first year alone.  This would begin to thin the ranks of high-salaried long-term employees and balance out the payroll projections of the state’s work force.

Typically, House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, defended the status quo, saying the state couldn’t afford to lose such valuable, experienced personnel. First, it isn’t Amann decision whether people who are eligible for retirement want to take the buy out, and second, valuable state employees that are unreplacable? The ERIIP has been offered twice in the last 10 years and has met its cost savings targets.

As for the health care options, the Republicans would allow 700 seniors to move from nursing home care to home care under a federal program which would pay 75 percent of the cost. This would save $17 million through the Money Follows the Person option,

So, the Republicans are on the move again, leading the debate and offering tax relief up front and where it counts. They also have put down a workable option to save money in the next few years as the darkening clouds of the recession gather. The Democrats are offering their own excuses as usual - it is too late, it can’t be done or more impotantly, it isn’t their idea.

But this has been the difference since the House and Senate caucuses have come under new management with Cafero and McKinney. They take their jobs seriously, think outside the box and aren’t afraid to lead when it the moment demands it.

Connecticut can go either way - singing by the graveyard or step up to the reality that businesses and people are voting with their feet and we better starting grabbing at their ankles or call it a day.

In March, the Republican ranks grew with the addition of now State Senator Rob Russo to the Connecticut State Senate.  That victory broke the Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly and represented the first positive movement for Republican numbers in recent memory.  Along with the January victory of Sen. Rob Kane from Watertown and the strong leadership of Sen. John McKinney, the Senate Republican Caucus has had the momentum on their side.

The conventional wisdom, of course, is that the special election victories were nice, but the coming turnout of the Democratic base will once again spell disaster for Republicans in November 2008.  The conventional wisdom hasn’t realized yet that the presumptive Republican nominee John S. McCain will make Connecticut competitive for the first time since 1988.  And it also has yet to fully appreciate the strong GOP candidate recruitment season.

Which brings us to this evening’s announcement of candidacy for former State Representative David Blackwell, of Manchester.  Blackwell announced that he will be running for the Fourth Senatorial District seat, currently held by ten year incumbent Mary Ann Handley.  Mr. Blackwell took to the podium in the Fireside Commons at Manchester Community College to talk about the challenges facing Connecticut and his desire to be part of the solution. 

Blackwell cited the high cost of doing business in Connecticut, spurred by high taxes, burdensome regulations, and skyrocketing electricity prices.  He spoke of how this high cost of living drives young workers out of the Hartford suburbs and into other states - like Oregon, Arkansas, and Alabama.  And he reminded the room of nearly 60 guests that too many of our fellow citizens in Connecticut are homeless, and it is our civic obligation to help them.  The energy in the room was palpable as Blackwell finished his 10 minute speech, and the applause was raucous.

With candidates like David Blackwell stepping up to challenge heavily entrenched Democrats, and other terrific Republican candidates signing up to fight along side him, November could be very interesting for the Connecticut State Senate and House of Representatives.

Check out the photos of the event!

With the Presidential election season upon us, as well as a busy election cycle for the State House and State Senate, the ability to contact the Republican Town Committee Chair or the McCain for President Coordinator in your town will be more important than ever.  That is why we have added GOP CONNECT to our website - to facilitate interaction between Republicans in Connecticut.

We have completed the data collection for RTC Chairs.  Every town that has an RTC Chair (167 out of 169) is listed with at least the name of the RTC Chair.  Two towns - Columbia and Scotland - don’t have functioning RTCs at the current time.  Feel free to check out the map today!

It’s Monday morning, April 28; there are 190 days left until Election Day, 2008.  The front page of the day’s Hartford Courant frets about the skyrocketing global food prices and its effects on people who eat.  Can we finally end federal subsidies for the ethanol industry now?  Probably not.

If you missed any of our coverage of President George W. Bush’s visit to Connecticut last Friday, just scroll down.  Also check out the photographic evidence from the event, if you haven’t already.  Make sure you look for conspiracies - they’re everywhere!

Governor Rell has an op-ed in the Courant this morning, imploring legislators to knock it off with the taxing and the spending: “Quite simply, the budget decisions state government makes over the next several days will either help Connecticut get through the toughest of times or they will make our economic difficulties worse. Our government must live within its means. Spending money we do not have will lead to only one thing: future deficits that neither our businesses nor our taxpayers can afford.”  Keep your optimism in check on this one.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS, for those in the Know) put their collective foot down today on the Voter Identification laws.  Three Justices (Souter, Ginsberg, Breyer) trust everyone to do the right thing when it comes to voting.  The other six Justices want to see some ID before you vote - trust but verify, as they say. 

But that’s not all from the Supremes - the much-reviled Justice Antonin Scalia was the man in the arena last night for a 60 Minutes profile with Lesley Stahl.  And even though some of Stahl’s questions were posed like she was interviewing someone from another planet, on balance it was a fair and interesting piece.

This week promises to be a big one for GOP CONNECT, our (relatively) new interactive reference map.  The names of McCain for President Coordinators in each town are coming in at a good clip now (as RTCs meet and pick a Coordinator), and you can expect a good number of towns to turn “orange” by the end of the week.

Weather report - 45 degrees and rainy today, a little warmer tomorrow but more rain forecasted.