John McCain: American Statesman

I've kept reasonably quiet over time about faux Republican John McCain for a variety of reasons. First of all, the man is a genuine American hero for his service in Vietnam, and the incomprehensibly brutal imprisoning he endured at the hands of our communist enemies. Secondly, I'm not all that enamored with Republicans and I think that a disturbingly high percentage of the Party of Lincoln are principleless hacks. Since the party took power in Washington in 1994 spending, deficits, and regulation have spiraled out of control. Reagan would not recognize what his party has become.



But we're talking about the Senator from Arizona here.



It was a while ago, but John McCain first came to my attention as a member of the Keating Five. While Senator McCain was found to have acted questionably, no serious charges were ever filed. None-the-less, I've always wondered just what motivates this "maverick" Senator.



The answer, it seems to me, is an inordinate focus on the goodwill of ole Johnny, as opposed to the people of the United States. Is there ever an opinion that McCain takes that isn't motivated by his desire to cultivate positive press? Lets face it, sticking it publicly to the President has served McCain well over the years. It comes as no surprise then that the minute some Republicans express doubt about Rumsfeld, McCain runs for the cameras to assert his vote of no confidence? My guess is that McCain's greatest concern was not with Rumsfeld ability, but rather that fellow faux Republican Chuck Hagle had beat him out on the stump. Some Leadership.



Yet a biased press, and misguided Republicans such as William Kristol, whose track record of backing winning candidates is among the worst on record, continue to promote this guy as presidential timber. Right. A man who in the middle of the most significant international conflict since the cold war, is preoccupied with steroids in baseball, and now a national boxing commission.



The point is, it's easy to be a senator like John McCain. Just make sure that you're never responsible for anything, and reliably express opinions that media can count on to reinforce their current version of the truth. Wa la! You're the next media darling, just don't screw up, cuz the fall is brutal.