John McCain: disappointing sellout

[winterbadger]

from the Post's lead story on the first day of the Republican convention

McCain, Bush's rival from the 2000 primaries, has become one of his staunchest allies in the reelection campaign. He praised Bush's decision to depose former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, saying the war was "necessary, achievable and noble," even though no weapons of mass destruction have been found, because Hussein was determined to acquire them eventually.

My respect for John McCain: rapidly diminishing. I would have been capable of voting for him for president four years ago, depending on his challenger (if Lieberman had gotten the DNC nomination, I would have voted for McCain like a shot). I would have been able to stand the thought of him as president earlier this year. After the last few months, I don't think I have get come to actively detest him, but any faith I had in his integrity of moral compass is almost gone.

Comments

"Disappointed" is right...

[motherwell.livejournal.com]

One article called McCain's performance "a bizarre case of Stockholm Syndrome." After Bush's treatment of him in 2000, I thought McCain would at least step quietly back and let Bush hang himself, then maybe step forward later and play the role of uniter and healer. The far right have done that often enough - why not McCain?

His present performance makes me wonder what dirt Bush may have on him.

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

well, he's decided to "come in from the cold," I giess. He is, after all, a party member. Other than the idea that he wants to retain some "credibility" for a 2008 run or simialr, I can't see why he's stump so often, of course.

If he starts changing positions, I will know he's sold out.

[winterbadger]

After listening to another description of the campaigns that Karl Rove ran against him in SC* I look at JMcC hugging Bush and speaking in favor of him at teh convention, and I think that it must just be positioning himself to run in 2008. What else could be worth sacrificing your pride like that? And I don't think it is (worth it, I mean). If John McCain does, then he's not the man I thought he was.


*(an ad campaign by a Vietnam veterans group "not affiliated to Bush" trying to suggest JMcC was a whackjob after too long in the tiger cages; attmepts to turn his wife's very open admissions of drug problems and rehab into a "secret" that was being "hiddedn"; and an attempt to sugest the little Indian girl they had adopted from one a program run by Mother Teresa was actually JMcC's love child by an African American hooker)

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

yeah, I'm aware of this. The 2000 SC primary was nasty, nasty-- with McCain havign won NH and a few others and making Bush look bad. This is one of the things that worries me abotu the Bushies: they talk compassion and "big tent," but they are backroom political bullies, too, who play dirty. I've read one of the smear tactics in 200 was to call into question the parenthood of the McCain's adopted daughter from Bangladesh, whom the media has described as "black." This is nasty stuff, everywhere, but esp. suited to the racism seethign just under the surface in pockets of the Carolinas.

I don't tend ot think that McCain trusts the Bushies, but it would be consistent to publicly support the Pres., since McCain is a high profile politician and as a party member, surely will be voting for the Pres., anyway.

What I find rather interesting is the internal haggling within the Repub. party for the future of the party and whether it will be dominated by one aspect or another of its modern coalition of tax cutters, libertarians and social conservatives. There is some possibility that the dominance of the latter may break the coalition and result in the formation of a third party, esp. I beleive if the neocon hawks whose current infleunce tracks with none of these continue to speak lies to the power of the the religious right, edging out moderates like McCain, Snowe, Collins, Pataki, and Guliani and socially liberal Repubs like Arnold and Bloomberg.

[winterbadger]

I wonder if it's too much to hope for a rebirth of the Republican Party through the moderates and social liberals pulling a (Teddy) Roosevelt. It probably is--as with McCain's craven butt-kissing, I think they're simply too wed to the gravy train of the RNC's bankroll. :-(