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Who
is John McCain? An In-Depth Look at the Arizona Senator's
Rise to Prominence
"Senseless Killings, Flagrant Abuse of Police Power,
Willful Disregard of Prisoners' Rights" - A Look at Maricopa
County Sheriff Joe Arpaio
How the GOP and Dems Secretly Control the Presidential Debates
Who is John McCain? An In-Depth Look at the Arizona
Senator's Rise to Prominence
We take an in-depth look at Sen. John McCain (R - AZ) -
one of the most powerful members of the U.S. senate. From
his marriage to the wealthy heiress of a liquor fortune to
Vietnam to the vicious dirty tricks campaign by Bush operatives
in the 2000 presidential race to his emergence as an influential
supporter for Bush's reelection in 2004.
Today we are broadcasting from Phoenix, Arizona - home state
to Republican Sen. John McCain. He is one of the most powerful
members of the US Senate and ran against President Bush in
the 2000 Republican primary. In fact, McCain won in New Hampshire,
but after a vicious dirty tricks campaign by Bush operatives
against him in South Carolina his candidacy plummeted. In
a moment, we'll look at that issue. But now, John McCain is
crossing the country campaigning for Bush's reelection. The
Vietnam veteran has emerged as one of the president's most
influential supporters where he could affect the outcome in
crucial battleground states like Ohio, Colorado and his home
state of Arizona.
Last month, McCain spoke on the opening night of the Republican
National Convention in New York. In the first major primetime
address of the week, he took to the stage in Madison Square
Garden to endorse President Bush's re-nomination.
- Sen. John McCain (R - AZ), speaking at the Republican
National Convention on August 30, 2004.
Sen. John McCain speaking on the opening night of the Republican
Convention last month. McCain's support for President Bush
is surprising for those who remember the bitter race between
the two men four years ago in the Republican primaries. In
the 2000 South Carolina primary, the Bush campaign launched
a vicious attack against McCain that included questioning
the Senator's commitment to veterans and spreading rumors
that he had been brainwashed in a Vietnamese prison camp,
that his adopted daughter was a love-child he had had with
a prostitute, and that his wife was a junkie.
Four years later, McCain has emerged as one of President
Bush's most influential supporters and was recently presented
the "Team Player of the Week" award from the National
Republican Senatorial Committee.
At the Republican Convention last month, I caught up with
McCain in the halls of Madison Square Garden. I began by asking
him what he thought about the Swiftboat ads attacking John
Kerry's record in Vietnam.
- Sen. John McCain (R - AZ), being interviewed by Amy Goodman
inside Madison Square Garden, Septembr 2nd, 2004.
Sen. John McCain last month. Joining us today in our studio
in Phoenix, Arizona is John Dougherty. He is a staff reporter
for the Phoenix New Times, an alternative newsweekly based
in Phoenix. He has covered John McCain's career for years.
- John Dougherty, staff reporter for the Phoenix New Times.
"Senseless Killings, Flagrant Abuse of Police
Power, Willful Disregard of Prisoners' Rights" - A Look
at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio
We take a look at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Abuses
and killings have been documented in his county's notorious
"tent-city" jail where detailed reports about deaths
and riots are illegally withheld from public inspection.
- John Dougherty, staff reporter for the Phoenix New Times.
How the GOP and Dems Secretly Control the Presidential
Debates
We examine the rules governing the debates and who controls
them. We speak with George Farah, author of No Debate: How
the Republican and Democratic Candidates Secretly Control
the Presidential Debates and Sue Hilderbrand of the October
13 Alliance which is planning to stage protests outside the
October 13th debate at Arizona State University. [includes
rush
transcript]
President Bush mocked opponent John Kerry at a campaign stop
yesterday saying he had shifting his positions on Iraq so
many times he could "debate himself" in this week's
face-off between the two candidates.
Kerry responded that Bush has used "scare tactics"
to divert attention from the administration's record and accused
the president of failing to level with Americans over Iraq.
The comments come as both candidates are gearing up for the
first presidential debate this Thursday in Coral Gables, Florida.
The focus of the debate will be foreign affairs, and some
analysts say the face-off may be pivotal to the outcome of
the election in November.
Voters across the country are looking forward to Bush and
Kerry finally squaring off face to face in a debate, but what
exactly are the rules governing presidential debates and who
controls them?
- George Farah, executive director and founder of the organization
Open Debates.
He is author of the new book No Debate: How the Republican
and Democratic Candidates Secretly Control the Presidential
Debates.
- Sue Hilderbrand, organizer with the October
13 Alliance, a coalition of over 20 Phoenix-area groups
who are planning to stage protests outside the October 13th
debate at Arizona State University in Tempe.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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