2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain, who spurned Charlie Crist in his vice presidential selection process, has endorsed the Florida governor in Crist’s bid for the U.S. Senate in 2010. The Florida Capital Bureau reports:

“I was proud to have had Charlie’s support in my campaign, and I am proud to support him in his campaign,” the senator from Arizona said in a release.

Immediately following Crist’s announcement last week, his campaign rolled out the backing of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, head of the Republican senatorial campaign committee, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

McCain and Crist are both moderates and the endorsement is not surprising. It does continue to define the primary race between Crist and Marco Rubio, a former House speaker from Miami who is appealing to fiscal and social conservatives in the Republican Party.

File that endorsement in the “Doesn’t-really-help-much” folder.

(Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri is talking about supporting John McCain’s amendment today to scrap the recently passed $410 billion omnibus spending authorization bill because of its many earmarks. GoxExec reported:

Congress would extend expiring stopgap spending legislation through fiscal 2009 that would fund several government programs at fiscal 2008 levels and scrap a $410 billion omnibus fiscal 2009 appropriations bill the Senate began considering Monday, under an amendment introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “The approach is fiscally responsible, disciplined and expeditious, which is why just two years ago we agreed to nearly the exact same approach” for fiscal 2008 appropriations, McCain said.)

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Mitch Perry is the anchor of the WMNF Evening News on 88.5 FM community radio. This is his first post as a PoHo contributor.

Perhaps because of the mind blowing dollars attached to his policy prescriptions to change the country, President Obama’s announcement last Friday that he will withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by next summer and all remaining U.S. troops by the end of 2011 hardly registered as a momentous event on the national scene.. That is, if you go by the measure of how the D.C. press corps addresses news emanating from the Obama administration, which sometimes seems to be viewed through the prism of “How pissed are Congressional Republicans about it?”

In fact, John (Country First) McCain — he of the ‘I’d rather win a war and lose a campaign” mantra that he attacked then-Sen. Obama with most of last year when discussing Iraq — came out to announce that he thought the withdrawal “reasonable.”

In fact, it was Democrats who were disappointed by the fact that 50,000 residual forces are expected to still be in country by the end of next summer.

Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid expressed mild astonishment upon hearing those numbers, but seemed to be back safely in the President’s camp by Friday night. Even Dennis Kucinich didn’t seem that ruffled on MSNBC’s Hardball, in challenging the notion that 50,000 troops in Iraq constituted a withdrawal

But there are a variety of factors that prevents the new plan – which places a blueprint on ending of the most controversial, divisive wars in American history – from making bigger headlines.

The first and foremost reason being, there is no guarantee that the U.S. will be completely out of Iraq at the end of 2011, as forecast by the President.

But even before that realization kicks in, it should be noted that Obama’s plan is what was already previously agreed upon with President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last fall.

The Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA , calls for the same timetable withdrawal (the SOFA still needs to be subject to a national referendum this summer in Iraq).

But will we be able to get completely out of Iraq in less than 3 years? No less a respected reporter on such matters as Thomas Ricks, the special military reporter for the Washington Post, doesn’t believe so.

In his new book, “The Gamble,” Ricks speculates that the U.S. must stay there until at least 2015. He writes that “a smaller but long-term U.S. military presence is probably the best case scenario. He also writes that “there is also the alarming possibility that, years after a pullout, the U.S. military eventually would have to return to fight another war or impose peace on chaos”.

Of course, the main reason why coverage of Iraq has been reduced so much in the media is the relative reduction of violence, which began shortly after “Mission Accomplished “ was declared in the spring of ’03, and then completely spiraled out of control in 2006. Much credit has been given to the so called “Surge” of troops that began in early 2007, coupled with the “Sunni Awakening,” in which tribal leaders switched sides (and were amply compensated financially and militarily).

Of course, there are a lot of people disappointed by the president’s announcement on Friday. They reside mostly on the anti-war left. The Answer Coalition called the president’s address from Camp Lejeune a “disappointment for anyone who was hoping that Obama would renounce the illegal occupation of Iraq.”

The group also responded by declaring a mass march on the Pentagon next month, both against the continuing occupation of Iraq and the escalation of war in Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of more troops are expected to be deployed this year.

And as both former Pinellas County congressional candidate Samm Simpson and Phyllis Benis, from the Institute for Policy Studies have stated, neither SOFA’s nor the president’s call addresses the 150,000 U.S. paid contractors. (However, A U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, which took effect Jan. 1, does give the Iraqis the authority to determine which Western contractors operate in their country.)

Benis also commented in a recent op-ed the ambiguity revolving around the 50-plus U.S. Military bases in Iraq.

As has been frequently cited by conservatives, while George Bush’s poll ratings sat snuggly in the upper 20’s for the last 2 years of his presidency, he was joined there in 2007 by the institution known as Congress. The GOP loves to brand House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (“The San Francisco Democrat”) as representative of all that’s wrong in America (where she has replaced Hillary Clinton and before than Ted Kennedy in fundraising letters), and have continued that line of attack early on in the Obama administration.

I would argue that one reason that the Democratic-led Congress’ ratings never rebounded from how Republicans were faring before they were voted out of office in ‘06 was that there is a contention from a certain amount of voters that they were voting to get the U.S. out of Iraq, and they were terribly disappointed that didn’t happen in 2007.

Republicans such as Karl Rove have always disagreed with the notion that it was Iraq that lost them the House in ’06, countering that it was the “Culture of Corruption” emanating from the Jack Abramoff and Mark Foley scandals that did them in, as well as their lack of adherence to solid conservative principles of government ( McCain once again :”We came to change Washington, and instead it changed us”)

But getting back to whether or not we will know for sure the possibility that America’s tragic intervention will really end in 3 years time, we did have Secretary Gates speak on Meet the Press yesterday.

Gates played down the chances of any major slowdown in the withdrawal plan.

Calling the chances of still having US forces in Iraq by 2012 “fairly remote,” Gates said to those unhappy at the size of the transition force hovering between 35,000 to 50,000, “in the absence of any new agreement with the Iraqis, we have to be at zero by the end of 2011. So, that 50,000 or 35,000 is a way-station on the way to zero.”

Reporter Thomas Ricks says that Obama could be falling into the trap of Bush in painting a sunnier scenario about the facts on the ground in Iraq than are warranted. And of course, that is that pesky situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan, where the President has ordered 17,000 more troops to the region, with the promise of more to come, leading some anti-war activists to begin calling this “Obama’s Iraq”.

“And I’d like to close by asking all of you to join us in making this bipartisan dinner not just an inaugural tradition, but a new way of doing the people’s business in this city,” Obama said. “We will not always agree on everything in the months to come, and we will have our share of arguments and debates. But let us strive always to find that common ground….”

Full text of remarks after the jump:

Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama – as prepared for delivery
Bipartisan Dinner Honoring Senator John McCain
Monday, January 19, 2009
Washington, D.C.

I’m here tonight to say a few words about an American hero I have come to know very well and admire very much – Senator John McCain. And then, according to the rules agreed to by both parties, John will have approximately thirty seconds to make a rebuttal.

But in all seriousness, on this night, we are glad that the days of rebuttals and campaigning are for now behind us. There is no doubt that throughout the summer and the fall, John and I were fierce competitors who engaged in a vigorous and sometimes heated debate over the issues of the day. And in a great democracy, this debate is both healthy and necessary.

But what is even healthier and more necessary is the recognition that after the season of campaigning has ended, each of us in public life has a responsibility to usher in a new season of cooperation built on those things we hold in common. Not as Democrats. Not as Republicans. But as Americans.

And there are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain. It is what he has strived for and achieved throughout his life. It is built into the very content of his character.

I could stand here and recite the long list of John’s bipartisan accomplishments. Campaign finance reform. Immigration. The Patients’ Bill of Rights. All those times he has crossed the aisle and risked the ire of his party for the good of his country. And yet, what makes John such a rare and courageous public servant is not the accomplishments themselves, but the true motivation behind them.

It has not been a quest for fame or vanity that has driven this man. It has not been the need to compromise for politics’ sake that has shaped his distinguished career. It is rather a pure and deeply felt love of his country that comes from the painful knowledge of what life is like without it.

Few of us can imagine what John endured during the days he spent in that lonely prison cell, but perhaps we can imagine that surviving such an ordeal provides a unique and renewed perspective about what is important and what is not; about what is worth fighting over and what is not.

We can imagine that the pettiness and bitterness and immaturity that often pervades our politics seems even more unworthy of our country from this perspective; that the incessant bickering and partisanship for the sake of scoring a few political points seems even smaller. And what seems bigger and more worthy of defending are those ideals we hold in common as Americans: liberty, equality, and opportunity.

Those are the ideals that John has spent and risked his life fighting for, and his example is one for all of us to remember and to follow as we seek to defend those ideals against the common threats to our prosperity and our security.

So I’d like to thank John for all he’s done and ask him to come join me on stage for a moment.

Thank you, John, for your service to America and the service you will continue to render in the months and years ahead. And I’d like to close by asking all of you to join us in making this bipartisan dinner not just an inaugural tradition, but a new way of doing the people’s business in this city. We will not always agree on everything in the months to come, and we will have our share of arguments and debates. But let us strive always to find that common ground, and to defend together those common ideals, for it is the only way we can meet the very big and very serious challenges that we face right now. Thank you, God Bless You, and may God Bless America.

###

• McCain says to leave Sarah Palin out of it.
• Alaska locates missing and uncounted ballots equaling ONE-THIRD of the total votes cast.
• Obama turns a cold shoulder on the lobbyists.
• Up next on the extortion bailout schedule: the auto industry.
• Google starts crossing the “don’t be evil” line, one flu search at a time.
• Exactly how stupid are Americans? This stupid.
• R.I.P. NASA’s Mars rover.
• Cat fight!

• Election wrap: Here, here, here and here.
• Even more election wrap: Here, here, here and here.
• The Washington Post on how Obama pulled it off.
• And now the hard part …
• Bushism of the year: “What an awesome night for you, your family and your supporters.”
• Can the Dems get to 60 Senate seats?
• One place the Dems got slaughtered: Pinellas County.
• Hillsborough County’s vote count screws the pooch.
• Florida to LGBT couples: Fuck off. The view from South Florida.
• Our projection: Beckner beat Blair.
• So much for the Democrats’ down-ballot efforts in Pinellas.
• The Diaz-Balart bros. hang on to their GOP congressional seats in Miami.
• The beginning of the end for Leavitt at USF football?

Early results are in, and the race between Lando Carlissian and Emperor Palpatine is still too close to call. As expected, Calrissian (shown left, receiving an endorsement from reformed rogue Han Solo) has carried the planet Bespin, home of the mining colony Cloud City, as well as Tatooine, where the Hutts are desperate to hold on to their independence, fearful of interference in their lucrative smuggling operations. And thanks to the symbiotic cooperation of the underwater Gungans and surface-dwelling, peace-loving humans, Naboo has also gone for Lando.

Palpatine, for his part, has taken the volcanic planet of Mustafar and Geonosis, territories where Imperialist sympathies run high.

And while Obama has Ralph Nader as a potential spoiler here on Earth, Palpatine has had to contend with the renegade Cheney-Vader ticket. But despite some last-minute campaigning in heavily contested battleground planets, including Hoth and the Galactic Center of Coruscant, the pair has yet to draw any significant number of votes from the front-runner.

Far more damaging to Palpatine’s hopes to retain power have been a series of attack ads noting his remarkable resemblance to Joe Lieberman, who is looked upon very unfavorably throughout the Republic.

We’ll have election updates from the Dagobah system, Kashyyyk and the moon of Endor as soon as they come in. Stay tuned.

Paul Pelak, professional photographer and college educator in Tampa
He’s voting for: The registered Independent hasn’t yet made a choice. “I am still torn.”
Why? “My dad’s a Democrat because he’s a union carpenter. I have my own business, so I can see where the Republicans make a lot of sense. It’s a malaise. I think everyone is waiting for something that is not business as usual. You keep on hoping for an independent third party.”
Local candidate who most interests him? No one. “My time factor at work … has torn me away. I have not gotten into the local races because I feel they have the least effect on my life.”

T. Hampton Dunn, founder of [5]art gallery in St. Petersburg
He’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “Although there are a number of reasons, my current motivation is to vote against the possibility of President Palin.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “Can you really vote for a group that thinks nominating Sara Palin was a good decision?”
Local candidate who most interests him: “With everything else that’s going on in the world, local politics usually takes a back seat.”

Gregory Giordano, chief legislative assistant to state Sen. Mike Fasano
He’s voting for: John McCain
Why? “The life issue is very important to me, and I believe John McCain has a very solid record of standing for the rights of the unborn. As well, I believe he has the most experience, not only legislatively, but through his military and what it means to be a front-line soldier and what they have to experience and as commander in chief, I believe he would use his military experience to understand the needs of the soldiers on the front line as well as have the strategic or tactical understanding of being head of the worlds strongest military.”
What he would say to an Obama supporter: “I would suggest that an Obama supporter truly understand the background of that individual and how their experience would translate into the US. Does he have the wide-ranging experience to run the military, to understand the legislative process in grave detail? Does he have the experience as an executive? I would just encourage an Obama supporter to look at that, all the items, as well as make certain that the voters core beliefs in whatever issues life, taxation, health, match up with the positions that Mr. Obama has professed.”

Dr. Steven Tauber, professor of political science at the University of South Florida
He’s voting for: “Of course, I am speaking for myself and not from my position as a USF professor, but, with that said, I am enthusiastically supporting Barack Obama.”
Why? “There are a number of reasons, but first and foremost it is essential that there be a Democratic president because the past eight years of the Bush/Cheney presidency have been a disaster on economic policy, foreign policy, and social policy. The United States needs to go in a significantly different direction. …I appreciate Senator Obama’s style.  Many people have criticized him for being too ‘professorial,’  but quite frankly that is exactly what the nation needs.  We have suffered through eight years of an intellectually uncurious president who thinks in the short term and operates on gut instinct (which is almost always wrong).”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “I would tell people considering voting for John McCain that he is not the so-called ‘maverick’ that he claims or might have appeared to be in 2000.  McCain supporters should examine how John McCain has run his campaign, and they can see that his presidency would be no different than the Bush presidency. His selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a perfect example of his ill-considered leadership style.  In order to satisfy the immediate goal of revving up the radical right-wing base of the Republican Party, McCain settled on an ethically challenged person who is totally unqualified for the office of vice president, much less president if anything ever happened to McCain.”
Local candidate who most interests him: “The most interesting and most inspiring local candidate is Phyllis Busansky, who is running as the Democratic nominee for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.  The current occupant of the office, Republican Buddy Johnson, is incompetent and corrupt, and he has brought shame to Hillsborough County.”

Hannah Altman, high school student in Tampa and CL intern
She’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “His speaking skills? Sure, he’s an eloquent speaker – but that doesn’t cover the issues. The fact that he’s black? Well, Palin’s a woman and I don’t support her, so it’s not the diversity he represents. What it comes down to is his positions on issues that I feel important. If McCain had the same views I do, I’d vote for him! But he doesn’t.”
What she would say to a McCain supporter: “I hear people say McCain has ‘more experience;’ Obama’s ‘new.’ Both McCain and Obama have experience as senators. McCain has experience as a soldier and politician. Obama’s early experience took him to the streets of South Side, Chicago, working with the poor, helping them better their lives. I can relate to Obama; I think he can relate to the average American when he’s president in Washington.”

Charles Farrell, pianist, part-time resident of Tampa, currently living in Boston.
He’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “The Bush administration plunged the country into the most catastrophic state in its history. We’re in hopeless economic shape, we’re mired in a war that makes no sense and is incredibly costly, our civil liberties have nearly disappeared, our standing with the rest of the world has eroded to a justifiable point of contempt or ridicule, and our citizens have increasingly been reduced to two classes, rich and poor, with the majority falling into the latter category.
“Even a woman’s right to choice whether or not to have an abortion is under serious attack. John McCain blithely would continue along a path that has already brought the United States to the brink of near collapse. My vote is as much a vote against John McCain (as my last two votes were votes against George Bush) as it is a vote for Barrack Obama. That said, I do have a guarded sense of optimism about Obama. My sense is that he will set about mending foreign relations and will work both sides of the aisle in the Senate and in Congress.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “If they were wealthy, I might not try. If they weren’t, I’d suggest to them that under another Republican administration they risk losing their home, their savings and retirement funds, they won’t be able to afford decent health care, and they can forget about their kids’ college education. They’d better be a little careful about where they travel in the world too — not that anyone can afford to travel anymore.
“I’d add two final words that should send anyone who isn’t certifiably insane rushing to vote for the Democratic ticket: Sarah Palin.”

Eric Davis, artistic director of freeFall Theatre Company
He’s voting for: Obama/Biden
Why? “There are a lot of specific reasons. The overall general reason is that they represent a huge change from what has been leading us for the last eight years and I think we need that change desperately. I like his approach to how we solve the energy crisis. I like his commitment to health care. And of course his position on the war in Iraq is more in line with my view of that issue as well.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “I think that people who have decided are decided. I don’t think anyone could change my mind at this point, and I know there are plenty of people out there — plenty of people I know — who have decided to vote for the other ticket. Where this will be decided is among people who haven’t decided.
“Those people I know I would tell to go to factcheck.org — a non-partisan not-for-profit group at the University of Pennsylvania. All they do is take every single iota of what either of the campaigns are saying in any forum — debate, commercials  — and put up a detailed analysis. Instead of taking either side’s word for what the other side thinks, you get to find out from someone who’s non-partisan.
“In the arts the stereotype that’s often true is that artists vote on the Democratic side of things. But it’s not completely true. For instance I’ve worked at Disney —there were a lot of folks on either side. [But] in this particular election I see that Obama’s positions are more in line with most of my friends who are artists.”
Local candidate who most interests him: “Kevin Beckner [who is running for Hillsborough County commissioner against Brian Blair] is very interesting. His position on growth that is sustainable is very in line with my view of things.”

Pam Iorio, mayor of Tampa
She’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “Our country is faced with serious problems both domestically and abroad.  Our ever-growing deficit and debt threatens our future. We need a different kind of leader — someone who is thoughtful and looks for long-term, meaningful solutions to our problems. I have watched Senator Obama closely over the past two years. He clearly has the intellectual capacity, the ability to bring people together, an open mind to new ideas and a demeanor that inspires confidence. Further, his communication skills will help all Americans better understand our problems and the possible solutions.”

[poll id="2"]

• Your polling location: For Hillsborough residents, for Pinellas residents.
• Got voting questions? Here’s the answers.
• Bring on the sports metaphors: The candidates turn up on Monday Night Football.
• If McCain’s going to win, this is how.
• If Obama loses, “It would mark the biggest collective error in the history of the media and political establishment.”
• It’s election day: Free coffee and donuts for everyone!
• Instant nostalgia: The New York Times remembers Election ‘08.
• R.I.P. Obama’s Grandmother. Madelyn Dunham.

Palm Beach Post: John McCain made his final pitch for Florida’s crucial 27 electoral votes here this morning, then planned to hit six other states today in a bid to pull off a come-from-behind presidential victory.

“The pundits may not know it, the Democrats may not know it, but the Mac is back,” a raspy-voiced McCain told a crowd of more than 1,000 outside Raymond James Stadium.

McCain was introduced by Gov. Charlie Crist and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Allstot. He was interrupted at one point by competing chants of “Nobama, Nobama” and “U.S.A., U.S.A.”

Orlando Sentinel: A defiant John McCain made one final plea to Florida voters this morning, imploring supporters at a boisterous rally here to ignore polls suggesting the election may be out of reach and turn out to vote Tuesday.

Nothing is inevitable,” McCain told the cheering and chanting throng of about 1,000 outside Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. “We never hide from history. We make history!”

Resurrecting the slogan that carried him through his improbable, come-from-behind run to the Republican nomination during the primaries, McCain told the crowd, “The pundits may not know it, the Democrats may not know it, but the Mac is back!”

Tampa Tribune: John McCain just completed a speech of less than 15 minutes, clearly intended to rouse the crowd, end quickly and speed him on his way to his planned tour today of seven battleground states including Florida.

One of his main messages to the crowd was to ignore polls and predictions that Obama is winning.

“The pundits may not know and the Dems may not know it, but the Mac is back. We’re going to win this election,” he said.

St. Petersburg Times: John McCain just finished a quick, rousing speech in Tampa. “We will win Florida and we will win this race. There is one day left until we take America in a new direction, my friends. We need your help and we win!…Nothing is inevitable here! We never give up, we never quit!”

He talked about the troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan in victory, not defeat. He talked about his records fighting for change in Washington, and Barack Obama’s lack thereof. And he talked about cutting taxes, not raising them.

“Sen Obama’s massive tax increases would kill jobs, make our economy worse,” McCain said, drawing cheers of No-Bama! No-Bama”

“Nothing is inevitable here! We never give up, we never quit!”