Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Monday, Dec. 13, 2004

1. John McCain Preparing for 2008 Race

NewsMax has learned that John McCain is already laying the groundwork for a run for the presidency in 2008.

McCain talked openly of his plans during a recent visit to London. There, he and a Senate ally, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, met with leading political and media figures for lunch.  They left their audience with little doubt a 2008 race was in the works.

A source who attended the lunch said, "McCain never said he decided, but it was clear he was preparing to run."

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  McCain acknowledged that his age, 72 if elected in 2008, might be an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one.

McCain told the audience that John Kerry had asked him to jump party lines and join him on the 2004 Democratic ticket.

He said had he done so, Kerry would have certainly won the 2004 election. But he said that he was a lifelong Republican and that such a move would not have been good for the country.

Though McCain said he has supported President Bush, our source said all of his references to Bush "had a total lack of warmth."

2. Internet Ends French Media's Monopoly

We've reported previously how Internet news sites such as NewsMax are growing at the expense of Old Media such as Dan Rather. Now we are pleased to add that news Web sites are also hammering – get ready for a multiple redundancy – the anti-American, left-wing French media establishment.

A "growing number of commuters no longer bother to buy a newspaper," the Associated Press reports from Paris. Thanks to the "growth of free Internet news," as well as the rise of radio, TV and ad-jammed free newspapers, the likes of Le Monde and Liberation are suffering their "worst ever financial crisis."
 

"Now, in a sign of how desperate things have become, the country's leading left-wing tabloid has just announced plans to sell a sizable stake to a Rothschild heir. Edouard de Rothschild, whose banking fortune makes him synonymous with starchy conservatism for many people, confirmed Monday that he plans to finalize his acquisition of a 37 percent stake in Liberation for $27 million by the New Year, becoming its main shareholder."

Pierre Defassiaux, an official at SNJ, the main union for French journalists, complained, "On a symbolic level, it's shocking."

3. Lynn Swann for Governor of Pennsylvania?

Here's a worthy item that few media outlets outside Pennsylvania reported this week: Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann is interested in running as a Republican for governor in 2006.

"He told me he was exploring the idea," state House GOP leader Sam Smith told reporters in Harrisburg. "He wanted to make it very clear he wasn't making a commitment to run, but he did want to put feelers out."

Swann is "a bright and articulate and obviously a very charismatic guy. I don't know where he stands on all the political issues, but if he pursues this, I will look forward to sitting down with him. I think it would be an exciting prospect," Smith said.

Swann, 54, spoke at the GOP convention on Sept. 2 and was co-chairman of the black steering committee for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. He issued this statement: "My decision is not imminent. However, I am discussing the issue with family, friends and political leaders."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported: "But Swann has a long way to go. He could end up facing at least three other Republicans in a 2006 primary, including former Lt. Gov. William Scranton of Scranton, former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey of Allentown (who narrowly lost a GOP primary this year to U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter) and state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola of suburban Harrisburg, who recently said he is '95 percent sure' he'll run in 2006."

Whoever wins the nomination would be an improvement over Democrat incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell, expected to seek a second term in '06. Rendell sleazily abetted Sen. John Kerry's narrow win in Pennsylvania by ordering an absentee-ballot vote drive for imprisoned felons even after he tried to block absentee ballots returned by U.S. troops serving overseas.

Added bonus if Swann catches the nomination: Kerry's ketchup queen of a missus will fly into another tizzy. The former wide receiver, president of the consulting firm Swann Inc., serves on the board of directors of H.J. Heinz Co.

4. Gun Saves Lives at Heavy-Metal Disaster

Once again the media establishment misses the point in a story about guns, and once again Gun Owners of America clears the air.

Reporters were clucking about the nut who killed four people at that heavy-metal concert in Columbus, but GOA notes, "Firearm Used to Save Countless Lives in Ohio Nightclub."

The organization salutes brave policeman James D. Niggemeyer, who arrived shortly after the attack began and shot the perpetrator.

• "After Peter Odighizuwa killed three people at a Virginia law school in 2002, two fellow law students used their own handguns to stop the gunman, forcing him to drop his firearm."
• "Roy Vertigan, a concealed-carry permit holder in Arizona, used his weapon to save an officer's life from three Mexican drug dealers in 1999. The police union was so grateful to Vertigan that it awarded him $500 and a certificate for a replacement gun."
• "Two pistol-packing seniors opened fire on an armed teenager who had taken a waitress hostage in a Jacksonville, Fla., restaurant in 1997. Despite being armed with a shotgun, the teenage robber was no match for Oscar Moore (69) and Robert Guerry (81), who used their handguns to shoot the perpetrator in the stomach."

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