Reporter: "Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?"

Mr. McCain: "Well I think it's a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes - and I was just reading the thing he wrote- that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn't succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I'm not very wise on it."

(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)

Mr. McCain: "I haven't thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don't know if I would use taxpayers' money for it."

Q: "What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?"

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy."

Q: "So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?"

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "You've stumped me."

Q: "I mean, I think you'd probably agree it probably does help stop it?"

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) "Are we on the Straight Talk express? I'm not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I'm sure I've taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception - I'm sure I'm opposed to government spending on it, I'm sure I support the president's policies on it."

Q: "But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: `No, we're not going to distribute them,' knowing that?"

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) "Get me Coburn's thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn's paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I've never gotten into these issues before."

It will be hard enough to spin his way out of the "100 years" quote (which, of course,he's trying to defend rather than explain), but everything about the 2008 incarnation of John McCain reads "pandering."

He has never had support from Democrats (why would he?), he deliberately turned away from the wingnut base, he has struggled (to say the least) to win support from the Republican establishment, and the Christian right just plain hates him. Is he counting on some kind of miraculous outpouring of support from the independent middle in a year where a super-majority of Americans want out of Iraq, the health care crisis is reaching a crescendo, and the economy (his admittedly weakest subject) is in the toilet?

I say, not a freakin' chance. In fact, I will say what I said a year ago, we could run a can of soup against the republicans this year and win by a landslide.

The primary season has only proved this fact. Republican voters have outnumbered Democratic voters in only three primary states: Florida, Michigan, and Utah. Our outpouring of passion is not only remarkable, it is unstoppable. We don't need to look at the polls (which only measures preference, not passion), it's useless to look at previous elections (which literally have no resemblance to the political climate of 2008), and for heaven's sake stop listening to the pundits (who are just trying to fill a 24 hour news cycle).

Look no further than the mirror!

Can we win this? Yes!

Will the Republican smear machine work this time? No!

Are we right on the issues? Yes!

Will McCain win? Hell NO!

I don't care who your preference is in the Democratic primary, I don't want to hear another one of you even speculate that McCain has a snowball's chance. It just isn't true. If we're right, if we're strong, if we're organized, and if we're united, we CAN NOT LOSE!!!

Why the hell are you wasting your time on a political blog if you believe otherwise?