“I have never run a small, struggling enterprise — unless you count my presidential campaign last year.”

-Senator John McCain in a speech to the National Federation of Independent Business.

The nomination…in eight minutes…

I took the bus to Philadelphia this weekend, because it’s just too expensive to drive. I made sure to take note throughout my trip of the incredibly high gas prices between D.C. and Philly. I didn’t see any regular gas under $4/gallon. On my ride back last night, it hit me that President Bush was asked a few months ago about the rising gas prices and the prospect of prices hitting $4/gallon. He shrugged of the notion that prices would get that high, even in the face of analysts predictions. This was the line of questioning from a CBS news reporter on February 29, 2008:

Peter Maer of CBS News Radio asked: “What’s your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4-a-gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing … ”

“Wait, what did you just say?” the president interrupted. “You’re predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline?”

Maer responded: “A number of analysts are predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline.”

Bush’s rejoinder: “Oh, yeah? That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard that.”

Hadn’t heard that? Maybe that’s because President Bush doesn’t have to buy gas, or pay utility bills - the tax payers cover that for him.

Bush went further to reject the idea that gas could hit $4/gallon.

The president, however, had difficulty grasping the possibility, even after Maer told him.

“You just said the price of gasoline may be up to $4 a gallon — or some expert told you that,” Bush repeated. “That creates a lot of uncertainty.”

Here’s some video of that press conference.

Bush was asked about the rising gas prices back in February and here we are in June, about to enter the heavy summer driving months and gas now looks like it could top $5, or more in the near future. We need to remind people that Bush is wildly out of touch and that he doesn’t understand the problems people are facing filling up their cars everyday.

Maybe a reporter should ask John McCain to respond to Bush’s naivety on this important issue for the American people. I’d be interested to see what McCain’s response would be? Would he embrace Bush’s brazen aloofness, or would he have to further distance himself from his fundraiser-in-chief?

More: H/T to Jeff for sending in the “$4/gallon remix.”

Yesterday, I was on MSNBC discussing Obama’s veep search, as well McCain’s proposal to hold 10 televised town hall meetings with Obama. Props to Josh, whose post was the fodder for our discussion on the teevee. Check it out. Happy Friday.

John McCain is using his first general election campaign ad to proclaim “I hate war.” This is a curious strategy. McCain will essentially be asking voters to make a leap of faith in believing that he hates war but still wants to continue fighting the current one in Iraq.

Here’s the script:

JOHN MCCAIN: Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war.
When I was five years old, my father left for war.
My grandfather came home from war and died the next day.
I was shot down over Vietnam and spent five years as a POW. Some of the friends I served with never came home.

I hate war.

And I know how terrible its costs are.
I’m running for President to keep the country I love safe.
I’m John McCain and I approve this message.

Here comes the general election.

John McCain is in the Florida Everglades today, further trying to burnish his green credentials as an environmentalist and telling reporters he’s “in favor of doing whatever’s necessary to save the Everglades.”

This despite the fact that he did not vote for the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and urged his fellow Senators to sustain President Bush’s veto of the bill that would have allocated $2 billion to restore the Everglades. Apparently Senator McCain wants to protect the Everglades, he just doesn’t want to pay for it.

Much like his 0% lifetime rating from Planned Parenthood, John McCain recently scored a “stunning” zero out of 100 from the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard.

Sure doesn’t seem like a leader we can believe in.

Imagine this: It’s August 28th, 2008 in Denver, Colorado and the Democratic Party is concluding its convention on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech by nominating the first African American candidate of a major party in American history. The crowd is cheering, the balloons are falling, and across the country and the world there is a sense of history being made.

On to the stage steps the tall figure of Barack Obama beaming his megawatt smile and waving at the crowd. He is flanked by his wife Michelle, his running mate, and the running mate’s spouse. They’ve joined hands and lifted their arms in the air. It’s a new day and a new direction for the Democratic Party.

Can you really imagine the last person on that list to be former President Bill Clinton? Can President Clinton be the fourth most important person on the stage that night?

And come January, when it would become President Obama, could he truly run his administration with President Clinton advising Vice President Clinton across the street in the Old Executive Office Building? The man is undeniably brilliant but can he stand in the shadows?

I think Senator Hillary Clinton would be a great running mate and a great Vice President. It could be a 16-year ticket of progressive good governance. But I worry that Bill Clinton, the only Democratic president I have known in my lifetime could not handle his far less prestigious and powerful role.

I’m not sure this is a dream I want to have.

A guest post from David Greenberg, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette

John McCain is one of only a few Senators to earn a Zero percent lifetime rating from Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund, and he only scored that high because the organization doesn’t have a lower rating. Let’s look at how he accomplished this.

McCain is so extremely anti-choice that he believes that Roe was wrongly decided, saying, “I do not support Roe verses Wade. It should be overturned.” (Sen. McCain, Associated Press, February 19, 2007).

He further stated, “If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement.” (Statement by Sen. McCain read by Sen. Brownback at the March for Life, Washington, DC, January 22, 2008).

Further, in an interview with George Stephanopoulous on ABC’s This Week, McCain said, “I do believe that it’s very likely or possible that the Supreme Court should, could overturn Roe v. Wade”. (January 19, 2006).

But Senator McCain is also opposed to providing birth control to prevent the need for abortion. Let’s look at his record:

He voted against requiring health care plans to cover birth control (3/22/03).

He voted against comprehensive, medically accurate sex education (7/25/06).

He voted against international family planning funding (3/14/96).

He voted against funding to prevent teen and unintended pregnancies (3/17/05).

He voted against public education for emergency contraception (3/17/05).

And he voted against restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning for low-income women (3/17/05).

NPR reported (2/2/08) that, “Many Republican voters seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Senator John McCain, supports abortion rights.”

John McCain wants us to believe that he’s a moderate who supports improving the health of women in the United States, but in fact he’s among the most extreme members of Congress who voted against common sense measures on family planning, sex education and access to basic healthcare.