Republican Senator John McCain could be getting hurt by fellow Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl according to recently adjusted odds by a major internet gambling website. McCain was the clear favorite in 2006 but BetUS.com has now made Rudolph Giuliani the favorite at +140 to get the nomination from the Republican Party.
Is that a photo of Jon Kyl horsing around with presidential hopeful McCain at their weekly poker game?
"I once sat down at a blackjack table in Vegas next to John McCain," exclaimed a handicapping associate of Point-Spreads.com. "McCain was down about thirty grand when I got up from the table."
If McCain is a gambler, how can he support the initiatives of Kyl? Perhaps he is just appeasing him to gain support for his presidential campaign. Senator John McCain is no spring chicken at 70, he will be the oldest person to ever become President of the United States should he win the election in 2008. If McCain can pull off the win, he will be 72 years old and surpass Ronald Reagan, who was 69 years old when he was sworn in at his inauguration following the 1980 election. Kyl's crusade against internet gambling may be on its last breath anyways. The Democratic Party has control of Congress and is using it's oversight authority to right the wrongs of the last several years of Republican control of Congress. The Financial Times quoted the Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank saying that the law, formally known as the Unlawful Enforcement Gambling Act, is "preposterous" and one of the "stupidest" ever passed. Frank happens to be the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. In a pathetic attempted to rally support against Frank, Kyl recently began circulating a form letter he wrote to the President asking for members of Congress to use the letter to remind President Bush to enforce the UIGEA stating: "The immediate impact of this legislation on offshore operators was overwhelming: online gambling business listed on the London Stock Exchange lost over $7 billion in market capitalization in one day after the bill was passed by Congress. However, the law delegated critical implementation details to the Executive branch, so we once again respectfully request your continued leadership on this very important issue affecting countless families across the nation."
What Kyl forgot to mention was that the new law shut down publicly traded transparent businesses and companies willing to comply with measures to prevent underage gamblers. Also, it helped move the industry more underground and back to the street corner bookie.
Rudolph Giuliani: +140
John McCain: +250
