2123 miles is how many miles i have run since i have been here in the UK. somewhere around 58 a week. if i was as fast as i used to be when i trained for marathons, the time it takes me to do the 58 miles a week no would be more like 75. never really had that kind of time back then. basically averaged 52 a week for the last 30+ years.
the one exception was the time i wanted to break 3 hours and the running store owner (and great runner) bruce robinson told me to add ten miles a week and do more long runs including one really long one 4-6 weeks before the marathon. that turned out to be a 36 miler. nice and easy and was actually pretty easy.
so i wrote up a little schedule that included getting up at 4:30am and running in the dark. did speed work twice a week- short and fast on tuesdays and long and just a little slower on thursday. ran 16-20 miles on saturdays and a shorter harder 12 miles every other wed. figured i could hold that schedule for the last 5 months before the marathon and ran 2:56 to go under 3 hours. only went under 3 hours two more times.
with a previous best of 3:03 at the time (boston), it doesn't seem like much of an improvement, but the seconds and minutes get harder to find as you get faster. a golf comparison would be that many get to a twelve handicap, but far fewer get to 8. or something like that; what do i know. sometimes when i think about having run 184 marathons i wonder if i should go for 200. but that is just a number right?
i do know that it felt really nice to be in that kind of shape, but also that i could not maintain that level of training and do much else. but for a few months i could eat everything. and i had a really good marathon plan for the day of the race which i went on to use another 150+ times. running is one of the things you can do that you can get better at just by doing it, doing more of it and doing it smarter.
people tell me that is true of golf; sure!
brings me back to reality and today. went out with gail and up towards st margaret's and our little measured telephone poles. gail had taken yesterday off so she ran the longer poles and i ran the shorter poles, just working on form and stride rather than speed. i counted twice to make sure i was going about 90 rpm's and then stopped and just ran close that feeling. think of it as swinging at 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock.
a nice sunny start to a cold and sunny morning. rain and hail would come later along with heavy winds. the cows and sheep were in the lower pasture and missed out watching the fun we were having. being careful not to hurt anything i tried to work the right leg and kept a close eye on legs that had already run 15 and 14 this week. seemingly ok afterwards and we headed down binsey lane towards the grocery store for potatoes and veggies and bread and yogurt.
eventually gail and i headed out. she was off to school and i was off to the bank and post office to mail four years of amended tax returns. the last couple of days could have been more fun and my current state of mind didn't help it at all.
but $30 later and three long lines down the stuff was on the way. never mailed tax returns with custom forms on them before. putting that stuff into the hands of the 6th worse post office in the UK was not that comforting and i will be interested to see what actually gets there. would not be at all surprised to find them delivered to me as other stuff has been.
then decided to try one more time to learn how to hit golf balls. cold and very windy there. place was empty. started out ok and then had ups and downs. am just not getting back to what i was for sure. i figure i can regain some short game again with lots of practice, but i have yet to find a swing that is as consistent as i was the past two years. today i just focused on keeping my right knee flexed and finishing the swing with the club over the shoulder. balance was ok and i actually had fun trying. attitude adjustment had kicked in. and i am learning things as i go. will see. didn't hit anything above the 6 iron though i tried a friend's cobra rescue 3 iron club at the end and actually hit it straight. where that came from after the balls before it i don't know.
anyway- went to watch the pro hit as he gets ready for the next tournament. as bad as i have been he actually trusts me to watch his swing-which i know by heart now- and i can actually point out some things. one thing i find interesting is that i almost always know- about 97% of the time- where the ball will end up by where his club is at the top of the swing. it is fun to watch him hit and he has been working on his swing change for a year now. high, long and straight must be nice.
i hit like the 20 handicapper i have become; bye bye 11; but it was still fun and in a very small way gave me some hope. not asking much actually. erased the next 5 sentences. no whining, but hard to write what i want to and make it sound understandable. got to hit a few chips in the pasture and that felt nice. eventually i will be on a golf course again. four more days of rain ahead won't help.
and so life goes on here in the UK. a good day i hope. ran, mailed and hit. ate some and read some. funny how into watching the master;s gail is while i don't watch at all. have boycotted that tournament for a few years now. they don't miss me.
oxford folk festival this weekend and maybe we'll get to hear some good music. stay well world out there.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
14 mile run, etc
got to sleep about 2am after doing on-line banking and bill stuff. plus dealing with last minute tax stuff from the states. i think i could write a handbook about how to live in two countries.
about 4am the rain woke me up as it was pouring down loudly on the back porch. then at 5:30 or so the crying thumper cat started his late night cries for something. all in all i did not get up to run at 6:30 am like i usually try to. but a little after 9i was out there letting my legs decide what to do. figured i would go longer if i was up for it or really short so i could recover and go long tomorrow.
went south today and did a loop around king george park and then over to the trail south towards the back of north hinksey village which is usually too muddy to run on, but seemed dry enough today and i ran along the creek there and came out at the Fishes restaurant and down to the rugby stadium. sun was even out and temps were not quite 50 yet.
did some short hill repeats there, about 10 of them. the quads take a real beating here as the runs tend to be almost all flat. then i headed back north and over the bike path and down the road to the trail behind the bodleian library and picked up the thames south there. all the way down to iffley lock. really pretty this morning. by this time i had decided i was staying out for at least 10 miles and would skip the daily frustration of the golf driving range. with no hope of actually playing and no real short game practice at all, i can afford the break.
so long it was and coming north on the river i turned near grand pont park and took a path i had seen but not run on yet. took me into south oxford village neighborhood and a past Pembroke college and an elementary school and brought me to what look like a dirt path. took a chance on that and figured i could turn back if it dead ended. hit the lap counter so i could time myself down that path and know what i needed to do later.
but as it turned out it was a nice trail which turned along the train tracks. with rabbits and many birds out it was pleasant enough, but short. the good news is that it turned back towards the river and came into the back of grand pont park so got lucky there. found another little 20 second hill there and ran up it and down about 12 times to stretch the legs, which by this time were saying -fooled you. but what i lack in talent i make up for in stubbornness.
back along the river north and ran into a guy from scotland who worked at the lock and was a bike rider. we talked about walking the ridgeway trail together and he actually took time to give me his phone number and a trail pamphlet. the scots are the best. that also killed some time so i could forget about my legs and just a little bit after i left "campbell" i ran into a woman and her husband who had biked all over america and lots of miles in virginia. they had actually ridden from portsmouth, va to alaska. i left them at osney lock as the boat they lived on was waiting for them. asked if i could borrow the bike and she laughed and said only if i ran their dog down the trail. but i was going north.
and over to the little hotel grocery to get a bottle of water where my friend from iceland wanted to know how far i had gone. not sure he believes me as his friend runs three miles a day and tells him how hard it is. what can i say?
across the street and up the swan trail and over the bridge up the thames again. went all the way up and crossed over and through port meadow and did the little loop back next to allotment creek. then headed up and across the rainbow bridge and north. at tree cemetery i met a couple going as slow as me from cheltenham, uk and he was a golfer also. he talked about playing the old course at st andrews in the winter. told me to try it in the spring or fall instead as it was very cold and windy and damp. sounds like usual weather here. but scotland is probably colder in the winter. went south with them but they went over to port meadow and i stayed south.
ran into some disappointment here. the guys working on the trail were cutting down trees to get rid of the roots as they fixed up the trail. didn't say a word as i didn't want to sound like everyone here about how disappointed i was that fixing the trail meant cutting down the trees. this section could use a little help, but i will miss the naturalness of it, as well as the shade. if i ever have enough money i will buy everyone here a book on how to "prune". but as i like to say, i digress.
down the thames and towards home. calculated that the trip down and over would give me just a little more than 14 miles and that was good enough. second long day this week. just to make sure i had enough in i ran some striders along the swan trail. the two swans looked at me as i went by a few times. enough and to home. all in all, somewhat tired at the end, but had enough to do the sprints and that actually made me feel better.
home to finish dealing with taxes i thought. turned on the pc after the shower and food and it said it would not start. that took awhile to fix and here i am. i wouldn't mind being dependent on technology if it was as stubborn as i am about getting things done. knowing it would take time i got some laundry done. who says multi tasking doesn't work?
more later- not as tired as depressed but it will pass. the sun is back out and the dark skies have passed by. 5 days of rain in the forecast. listening to old nancy griffith and kris kristofferson songs as i type and that brings back some good stuff. found an old you tube tape of nancy when she was a nursery school teacher and trying to make it as a singer. funny and good. and i always loved the old kris when he wrote well and had a gruff voice. listening to him sing was like watching your life happen. throw in some john prine "the great compromise" and the clouds lift.
112 days to go.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fact of the Day - from the Scotman
Today in 1912, the world's most famous ocean liner, the RMS Titanic, sets off from Southampton on its maiden voyage. Labelled unsinkable, this behemoth of the seas was crammed with the rich and famous of the day, all enjoying the latest in ocean-going comfort, as well as numerous steerage passengers off to make a new life in America. Most of them would not make it. Five days later she sank after striking an iceberg with the loss of around 1,500 lives - most of the deaths due to there only being enough lifeboats for about half of the passengers and crew. See more news on accidents at sea
about 4am the rain woke me up as it was pouring down loudly on the back porch. then at 5:30 or so the crying thumper cat started his late night cries for something. all in all i did not get up to run at 6:30 am like i usually try to. but a little after 9i was out there letting my legs decide what to do. figured i would go longer if i was up for it or really short so i could recover and go long tomorrow.
went south today and did a loop around king george park and then over to the trail south towards the back of north hinksey village which is usually too muddy to run on, but seemed dry enough today and i ran along the creek there and came out at the Fishes restaurant and down to the rugby stadium. sun was even out and temps were not quite 50 yet.
did some short hill repeats there, about 10 of them. the quads take a real beating here as the runs tend to be almost all flat. then i headed back north and over the bike path and down the road to the trail behind the bodleian library and picked up the thames south there. all the way down to iffley lock. really pretty this morning. by this time i had decided i was staying out for at least 10 miles and would skip the daily frustration of the golf driving range. with no hope of actually playing and no real short game practice at all, i can afford the break.
so long it was and coming north on the river i turned near grand pont park and took a path i had seen but not run on yet. took me into south oxford village neighborhood and a past Pembroke college and an elementary school and brought me to what look like a dirt path. took a chance on that and figured i could turn back if it dead ended. hit the lap counter so i could time myself down that path and know what i needed to do later.
but as it turned out it was a nice trail which turned along the train tracks. with rabbits and many birds out it was pleasant enough, but short. the good news is that it turned back towards the river and came into the back of grand pont park so got lucky there. found another little 20 second hill there and ran up it and down about 12 times to stretch the legs, which by this time were saying -fooled you. but what i lack in talent i make up for in stubbornness.
back along the river north and ran into a guy from scotland who worked at the lock and was a bike rider. we talked about walking the ridgeway trail together and he actually took time to give me his phone number and a trail pamphlet. the scots are the best. that also killed some time so i could forget about my legs and just a little bit after i left "campbell" i ran into a woman and her husband who had biked all over america and lots of miles in virginia. they had actually ridden from portsmouth, va to alaska. i left them at osney lock as the boat they lived on was waiting for them. asked if i could borrow the bike and she laughed and said only if i ran their dog down the trail. but i was going north.
and over to the little hotel grocery to get a bottle of water where my friend from iceland wanted to know how far i had gone. not sure he believes me as his friend runs three miles a day and tells him how hard it is. what can i say?
across the street and up the swan trail and over the bridge up the thames again. went all the way up and crossed over and through port meadow and did the little loop back next to allotment creek. then headed up and across the rainbow bridge and north. at tree cemetery i met a couple going as slow as me from cheltenham, uk and he was a golfer also. he talked about playing the old course at st andrews in the winter. told me to try it in the spring or fall instead as it was very cold and windy and damp. sounds like usual weather here. but scotland is probably colder in the winter. went south with them but they went over to port meadow and i stayed south.
ran into some disappointment here. the guys working on the trail were cutting down trees to get rid of the roots as they fixed up the trail. didn't say a word as i didn't want to sound like everyone here about how disappointed i was that fixing the trail meant cutting down the trees. this section could use a little help, but i will miss the naturalness of it, as well as the shade. if i ever have enough money i will buy everyone here a book on how to "prune". but as i like to say, i digress.
down the thames and towards home. calculated that the trip down and over would give me just a little more than 14 miles and that was good enough. second long day this week. just to make sure i had enough in i ran some striders along the swan trail. the two swans looked at me as i went by a few times. enough and to home. all in all, somewhat tired at the end, but had enough to do the sprints and that actually made me feel better.
home to finish dealing with taxes i thought. turned on the pc after the shower and food and it said it would not start. that took awhile to fix and here i am. i wouldn't mind being dependent on technology if it was as stubborn as i am about getting things done. knowing it would take time i got some laundry done. who says multi tasking doesn't work?
more later- not as tired as depressed but it will pass. the sun is back out and the dark skies have passed by. 5 days of rain in the forecast. listening to old nancy griffith and kris kristofferson songs as i type and that brings back some good stuff. found an old you tube tape of nancy when she was a nursery school teacher and trying to make it as a singer. funny and good. and i always loved the old kris when he wrote well and had a gruff voice. listening to him sing was like watching your life happen. throw in some john prine "the great compromise" and the clouds lift.
112 days to go.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fact of the Day - from the Scotman
Today in 1912, the world's most famous ocean liner, the RMS Titanic, sets off from Southampton on its maiden voyage. Labelled unsinkable, this behemoth of the seas was crammed with the rich and famous of the day, all enjoying the latest in ocean-going comfort, as well as numerous steerage passengers off to make a new life in America. Most of them would not make it. Five days later she sank after striking an iceberg with the loss of around 1,500 lives - most of the deaths due to there only being enough lifeboats for about half of the passengers and crew. See more news on accidents at sea
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
another day down
got up and went out for a short effort; it is time to start getting some recovery into the schedule; did the usual 4 mile loop on a pretty and cold morning. the rain had already passed through and the next storm wasn't due until 1pm;
did housework and online stuff and then went to the range where i had nothing. tried for 2 buckets worth, and did hit many decent shots, but takeaway is still a problem and i feel like i have two different versions of it. at any rate, i finished that and hit some chips on the grass at the end of the range and went home before they told me to stop. very depressing.
at home did laundry and listened to earlier news shows and caught up a little on emails and then read for awhile. brings me to right here. still pretty cold out. the rain at 1-m passed by though the sky went dark and the temps dropped. still pretty cold fore april. 4 more days of lousy weather and hopefully we can get some relief. can live with whatever it does, but it is demotivating to know a storm is coming if i might want to take 2 buses to go try and hit some balls off of grass. it can all wait i suppose. in the big scheme of things does it really matter where a golf ball goes? and i did hit some nice 6 irons. why does that swing not work for the other clubs? go to your left your right your left and so on......smile! all positive.
did housework and online stuff and then went to the range where i had nothing. tried for 2 buckets worth, and did hit many decent shots, but takeaway is still a problem and i feel like i have two different versions of it. at any rate, i finished that and hit some chips on the grass at the end of the range and went home before they told me to stop. very depressing.
at home did laundry and listened to earlier news shows and caught up a little on emails and then read for awhile. brings me to right here. still pretty cold out. the rain at 1-m passed by though the sky went dark and the temps dropped. still pretty cold fore april. 4 more days of lousy weather and hopefully we can get some relief. can live with whatever it does, but it is demotivating to know a storm is coming if i might want to take 2 buses to go try and hit some balls off of grass. it can all wait i suppose. in the big scheme of things does it really matter where a golf ball goes? and i did hit some nice 6 irons. why does that swing not work for the other clubs? go to your left your right your left and so on......smile! all positive.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
14 mile day, etc.
late at night now after a long day so i will wiz through this one a bit. had promised myself that if i woke up and it was raining as hard as predicted i would give myself a much needed day off, but alas, the rain had passed already.
so out the door i went trying to take it easy for a bit. heart rate had been 46 so that was ok. but after 37 miles of running in the last four days plus any walking and golf range stuff, i knew i wasn't going to be fresh.
headed up binsey and over to port meadow and then down the thames, but the workers had the trail blocked and closed. this was one day after they told us it would not be closed while they worked on it, but turned around and went over the bridge and did the short loop aroun port meadow and headed to university parks. took the long way over and ran on some streets i hadn't run on in a couple of years and it was pretty enough. came to a dead end behind st margaret's college, but a guy painting a house let me through the gate and i headed over to the st margaret's entrance into the park. this brought me in near the pond and i did the short run around that and headed down the trail towards the back trail. passed a bench with a message saying marcus sutton ran here. will look that up later.
went out the back gate and down the trail along the water, once again missing the turn for marston road that i had missed when beth and i did this route. told myself i would double back and see why. was nice out along the water and instead of going all the way down i turned on the street where beth and i had doubled back to. then once on marston i found the path and ran back up it. i had estimated it to be about a mile and it took a little over 8 minutes to run back. the problem was that the trail was now blocked by a gated wooden door that was locked. i turned around and went back towards the road and found a new trail that would work, but the gate there was unlocked so sometimes this would not work either.
out the trail and crossed the street and up the long hill into headington park. went all the way up to gail's school and cut over and did a loop around her campus and then stopped at her office, but she was not in yet. asked the staff person there to tell her i had been by and headed back out the way i had come in and across to run down the hill. ever notice how downhill running beats up the legs more than uphill?
cut back and ran through town rather than go back the way i came. was shorter and i could see this was turning into a long run. i was still on tired legs but they felt strong, if not somewhat sore. going through town brought crowds into play but i weaved my way around them ok and headed back towards home. decided to cut through christ church and go back along the river. this worked fine and added less people and a prettier, softer trail.
came back through the industrial center trail and past osney island and then a long king george trail and up to the store for some breakfast stuff. then walked home. about 14 miles with the up and backs and turn arounds and various extra loops.
after usual at home stuff i went up to the range and hit some balls. still cold and windy but was able to get some decent work in. have to figure out my takeaway better as i seem to feel like i am doing it one way for the shorter clubs and one way for the longer ones. did hit some fairways woods today and saw some progress. originally i had hoped just to get back to where i was last june when i had gotten my handicap down to 11, but now want a better swing.
after the driving range i cleaned up and went to my monthly book club meeting. about 18 people were there and we had a lively discussion on this month's book- and somehow that morphed into politics and religion and books in general and raising kids, etc. was interesting seeing it from a UK perspective as well as the other cultures there. the heavy rain kept us there a little longer than we had planned but it did let up and we headed home for some dinner at 11pm.
all in all as ok a day as it could have been i guess. everyday an adventure. will put golf plans off until next week as we are in for 5 more days of rain. have lots of things i want to get done in the next few days to set up the next few months.
back tomorrow.
so out the door i went trying to take it easy for a bit. heart rate had been 46 so that was ok. but after 37 miles of running in the last four days plus any walking and golf range stuff, i knew i wasn't going to be fresh.
headed up binsey and over to port meadow and then down the thames, but the workers had the trail blocked and closed. this was one day after they told us it would not be closed while they worked on it, but turned around and went over the bridge and did the short loop aroun port meadow and headed to university parks. took the long way over and ran on some streets i hadn't run on in a couple of years and it was pretty enough. came to a dead end behind st margaret's college, but a guy painting a house let me through the gate and i headed over to the st margaret's entrance into the park. this brought me in near the pond and i did the short run around that and headed down the trail towards the back trail. passed a bench with a message saying marcus sutton ran here. will look that up later.
went out the back gate and down the trail along the water, once again missing the turn for marston road that i had missed when beth and i did this route. told myself i would double back and see why. was nice out along the water and instead of going all the way down i turned on the street where beth and i had doubled back to. then once on marston i found the path and ran back up it. i had estimated it to be about a mile and it took a little over 8 minutes to run back. the problem was that the trail was now blocked by a gated wooden door that was locked. i turned around and went back towards the road and found a new trail that would work, but the gate there was unlocked so sometimes this would not work either.
out the trail and crossed the street and up the long hill into headington park. went all the way up to gail's school and cut over and did a loop around her campus and then stopped at her office, but she was not in yet. asked the staff person there to tell her i had been by and headed back out the way i had come in and across to run down the hill. ever notice how downhill running beats up the legs more than uphill?
cut back and ran through town rather than go back the way i came. was shorter and i could see this was turning into a long run. i was still on tired legs but they felt strong, if not somewhat sore. going through town brought crowds into play but i weaved my way around them ok and headed back towards home. decided to cut through christ church and go back along the river. this worked fine and added less people and a prettier, softer trail.
came back through the industrial center trail and past osney island and then a long king george trail and up to the store for some breakfast stuff. then walked home. about 14 miles with the up and backs and turn arounds and various extra loops.
after usual at home stuff i went up to the range and hit some balls. still cold and windy but was able to get some decent work in. have to figure out my takeaway better as i seem to feel like i am doing it one way for the shorter clubs and one way for the longer ones. did hit some fairways woods today and saw some progress. originally i had hoped just to get back to where i was last june when i had gotten my handicap down to 11, but now want a better swing.
after the driving range i cleaned up and went to my monthly book club meeting. about 18 people were there and we had a lively discussion on this month's book- and somehow that morphed into politics and religion and books in general and raising kids, etc. was interesting seeing it from a UK perspective as well as the other cultures there. the heavy rain kept us there a little longer than we had planned but it did let up and we headed home for some dinner at 11pm.
all in all as ok a day as it could have been i guess. everyday an adventure. will put golf plans off until next week as we are in for 5 more days of rain. have lots of things i want to get done in the next few days to set up the next few months.
back tomorrow.
john mc cain from liars and cheaters blog
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don’t):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be
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