Mark McKinnon, true to vow, exits McCain team rather than fight Obama

Mark McKinnon, the advertising wizard who helped shape George W. Bush's two winning presidential bids and helped steer Arizona Sen. John McCain from political oblivion last summer to the Republican nomination, is bowing out of the current campaign.

Last summer McKinnon, who lives in Austin, announced he would leave the McCain effort if it was going up against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

As noted by The Times' Maeve Reston, McKinnon and his lucky black hat (that's not the lucky one in the picture) have been a fixture in the former POW's comeback campaign and part of the five-man strategy team including Rick Davis, Mark Salter, Charlie Black and Steve Schmidt.

But he's sticking by his vow that if the Democratic candidate was Obama, he would step off the McCain ad team because Obama's election "would send a great message to the country and the world."

The transition will occur over the next few weeks. He will, however, continue as an informal advisor. "I'm just getting off the front line making ads," he said.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Bob]

Whatever your views on McKinnon are, McCain was stupid to hire the guy. Would Pepsi hire someone if that person said they would leave if Coke called?

[Mike]

Looks like McCain can actually pick at least one person with honor to surround himself with. That counts for something.

I admire this guy, because when he made that vow, no one expected an Obama led democratic ticket.

[ericmiami]

By the time McCain gets rid of the lobbyists, he may be pretty lonely in his campaign.

[Cindy]

wow. Happy to know that there are still some real honorable men left on this earth.

[marie fontaine]

McKinnon is NOT a lobbiest, OK?
And I say... Hey, Mark, why not come join the Obama team? You raked McCain over the coals for Bush, why not for Obama?

[Stine]

Haha! McCain's going to destroy the republican party. Yay! ...Of course, if Ron Paul were the republican ticket, I'd be a republican. I never realized that I really liked republican ideals (small government, low taxes, balanced budget, etc) because none of today's republicans (except for Dr. Paul) are actually conservative. Huh.

[1eyeninja]

so the repubs #1 media guy for the presumptive nominee is an avowed and declared obamaniac and has been kept on until he willingly left...
should've fired the obamamaniac when he disclosed this pending.. "affliction" put a fork in the repubs and McCain now.. these ass-hats have been played

[Tony]

why is he being called "honorable" ?

He seems like a turncoat to me. Definitely a closet racist.

[Rapompac]

Before we cannonize this fellow, let's take a more careful look:

What he said in February:
"I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama," said McCain adviser Mark McKinnon in an interview with NPR's "All Things Considered." "I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign."

He will, however, continue as an informal advisor. "I'm just getting off the front line making ads," he said.

I ask: How does telling the world that he's continuing as an "informal advisor" while merely getting off the front lines" constitute fidelity to his vow? Or is this simply the exit of yet another lobbyist in an ethicist's clothing?

[M.C.MAYS PULLIAM]

A very honorable man, true to his word.
As an Obama follower my hat is off to you we could use more people like you in the " New Democratic Party ",
stand proud,be counted and welcome aboard. !!!!!

[Richard P. McDonough]

Oh, my goodness. An honest man AND a Republican.
It happens once in every generation, I hear.

Bravo!

[Gary]

Don't you love all the "honesty" talk from the Demoncrats, like Obama invented honesty. I want him to be President to prove he is "just another lying politician". BTW, did you understand all the dishonesty during the years you were cheering WJC?

[dave]

how many people read the words, and do not understand: mccain's position as the preemptively-declared, presumptuously-presumptive would-be-nominee is completely fake: an advertising/pr(opaganda) product, made by hired whores. the same could be said for obama, or for clinton, whatever their respective standings. how many will wake up to see that something's wrong when two or three people will spend a billion dollars to get a 'job' that 'pays' perhaps a million? who accounts for the difference, and the astronomic 'investment returns,' if not you? and if you don't pay now, and not in dollars, it will be with your liberty, and by selling into slavery not just yourself, but your posterity. when (rarely) someone with integrity, like candidate for PRESIDENT, RON PAUL comes along to venture to defend liberty, prosperity and peace, the birthright of the people, this is not for profit but for love. whether people will snap awake from their hypnosis, and stop to idolize their greed, and stop to glorify deceit - it's up to them, it's up to you.

[ProserpinaFC]

"mccain's position as the preemptively-declared, presumptuously-presumptive would-be-nominee is completely fake."

You mean the landslide victory he received from his party's nomination progress isn't real? Ron Paul really recieved all those votes? lol

[Bubba]

Honor, or a strong desire not to be part of a lynching? Whether or not you think Obama will be a good president, you don't want to be part of a racist campaign painting him as a Muslim and urging weak-minded people to shoot at him, and frankly I don't see any other choice for McCain. If he tries to run on merit, he's old old old toast..

[littlelamb]

Don't get too excited folks, this 'honorable' repub didn't stray too far. Word is he's working Cindy McCain's image. And I just saw a short video of him defending Palin's Bridge to Nowhere lies. So the guy who sold half of America on Bush in 2000 & 2004 is still hard at work on behalf of McSame. Which is just weird when you think of how badly McCain was smeared...

[Tim M]

Knowing Mark McKinnon from years past, though not agreeing with him usually, I enjoyed his integrity, and am still confident in his honor.