President McCain?
Allan J. Ashinoff
November 18, 2005
"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"
- W.B Yeats, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
As a resident of the state of Arizona I’ve watched and heard John McCain probably more than most. When I moved to Phoenix in 1991 I was impressed that a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war was representing the state in the US Senate. As a veteran I immediately accepted McCain as a man of extraordinary resolve and from his words I credited him with character. It must have been in around 1998 that I had an opportunity to ‘meet’ John McCain at a community church. My impression of the man was reduced dramatically as his scripted and generic words poured over all in attendance with a stale type of sincerity that can only come from practicing in front of a mirror with that rehearsed photograph ready smile. Judging from the applause and the line to shake his hand, Mr. McCain delivered and received what he intended from the majority. But my expectations of Senator John McCain were greatly diminished. McCain, to me, became nothing more than another common spit-polished politician with a refined generic demeanor spouting neutral hyped up words intended to please whatever crowd he happened to be speaking to that day.
I’ve always attributed McCain’s ascent to ‘politician’ in my eyes to my own over expectations of character from a man who served during war and survived through enemy internment. In 2000, McCain failed in an attempt to challenge Bush for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Much to his credit, as any good party member should do, he got back in line and supported President Bush. But McCain wasn’t supporting the President unilaterally; he was picking his points of support and endearing himself to the moderate left. Sensing the level of President Bush’s popularity, Mr. McCain knew that his aspirations would have to wait past 2004 for his next Presidental run. Offending no one and talking favorably for both candidates, McCain began patiently planning and waiting for his opportunity in 2008. He developed his talking points to be appealing to both liberal and conservative moderates. Those disillusioned, disappointed, and disgusted with the Democratic Party, and there are many, now find an acceptable moderate Republican they may be able to support.
McCain has been called a maverick, or a dissenter, by the press. He’s the darling of the media because he doesn’t hesitate to go against his constituents, the Constitution, or his nation if there is enough political clout or media air time to further endear himself to the masses or better solidify his Republican nomination in 2008. Playing both sides as he is Mr. McCain may no longer be as concerned about the ‘republican’ nod as he once was but he recognizes that a vote is a vote. He’s walked a fine line subtlety undercutting the President, the Constitution, and the country just enough to give the left a degree of hope but not so blatantly as to disrupt his Republican base too much. In fact, in 2004 the Democrats were so excited about Mr. McCain’s position they attempted to seduce McCain into pairing with John Kerry to challenge President Bush for his second term. Many staunch Democrats including Senator Joseph Biden hinted of their favorable view of such a political ticket. But McCain, ever astute, understood that should he decide to run with Senator Kerry he’d surly lose whatever base he’d been accruing over the years. Besides, John McCain, the maverick, will not settle for number two when his only goal is to be the President.
The world is a different place in 2005; McCain is a vastly different political creature in 2005; and the enemy, who hasn’t changed much ideologically in roughly 1600 years, is as ruthless and determined as ever. To this enemy, these non-soldiers caught on the battle field and openly hostile to America, Mr. McCain wants to extend American legal protections. It is to this enemy, to those who entice each other and their children to suicide in the name of religion, Mr. McCain wants to protect from ‘our’ version of torture, which is a world away from the enemies version. It is to this enemy, who beheads our people on television before the world to demoralize us and appease their god that McCain wants to offer legal protection. It is this enemy who will, if this McCain Amendment passes, cause our soldiers to second guess their actions in battle, thereby jeopardizing their lives, for fear of legal consequences if they are fortunate enough to survive the initial encounter with the terrorists. What are you thinking Mr. McCain? Who are you protecting? Who are you serving? Is your concern still the ‘American fighting man?’
It’s no surprise that years before the 2008 election we see McCain circumventing the senate filibuster crossroads with his ‘Gang of 14.’ Understanding his true motivation, it’s not shocking to find him cozying up with a Democrat to violate the first Amendment with the McCain-Feingold bill. A bill which has set limits to the free speech of citizens and businesses related to how much money they can contribute to candidates. A bill which restricts when citizens can legally voice their opinions about political candidates. This laws handiwork has given rise to the 527 organizations which grew into prominence as the socialist fat cats of the Democratic Party had to divert their funds and voices to groups like moveon.org not to violate the funding restrictions and the gag order McCain helped to push through to law. The political tone of the 2004 election was appalling as were the tactics set forth by these 527 organizations as they sought ravenously to project the worst possible image of the President. No longer filtered by party elders, 527 groups freely advertised any claim, credible or not, to discredit their political opponent. Sensing the momentum and the possibility of regaining undeserved power, Democrats in hoards aligned themselves with these groups in hopes of gaining financial, organizational, and popular support of the left in America. The Democrats sold their party; the radical left groups know this and are expecting a return on their investments. Thank you Senator McCain.
As 2008 fast approaches we see McCain in the media fairly often. He’s had a book release chronicling his military service which has recently been made into a movie. A new children’s book teaches civic responsibility and lessons to the nations young. The media loves his face and squeals in anticipation of what, and who, he’ll take a jab at next as he continues to attempt to appeal to both sides. His pseudo Massachusetts tone is the opiate of the liberal masses and the duplicity of his actions gives Demlibopeans hope of regaining some degree of political control that they can not achieve on their own ideology.
The oath, Mr. McCain was to defend the constitution not ignore, circumvent, or re-write it to suit your political aspirations.
As the election of 2008 gradually approaches it’s increasingly difficult to ideologically see what Mr. McCain is. It appears to be his deliberate intent to blur the waters and to speak in such a way that one hears what one wants to when listening to him. McCain is definitely not the conservative that many Arizonians voted for 3 times in the past. In Arizona there are very few realistic choices for political candidates. Prior to 2004 Mr. McCain was still sounding like a Conservative Republican. But now as 2008 begins to take shape McCain’s strategy is coming to fruition by creating in him the perfect poster boy to stand in the ‘hate Bush at all costs’ chasm between the left and their Democrats and the Republican Party. The question remains: who is McCain and what does he believe? As he seeks to please as many people on both sides of the political spectrum McCain is obscuring what type of President he could be. A President must make concrete decisions with information available to him and not play both sides to appeal to the nation or the world. What’s really in there Mr. McCain? Why are you hiding it?
The role of ‘appeaser’, as we have witnessed, is a dangerous role for a United States President. At this juncture in time, does America need a leader who is a political panderer that splits hairs on important issues? Dooes America need a President who will view the terrorists as tools to satisfy the world at the expense of American security? Do the American people award the legislative violation of our constitutional right to free speech by giving one of its attackers the Presidency?
Senator John McCain is an exceptional speaker and a better orator than President Bush. His soft issue crusades like boxing corruption and baseball steroid use do not give the American people a real sense of how he’d react to say ‘a Nuclear Iran’ or ‘Social Security’ or a ‘hostile China'. In an effort to remove dependence on any one party to gain the Whitehouse, McCain has diluted what once was a strong message. This tactic leaves those who have supported McCain wondering if his message is truly watered down or has political philosophy been consumed by his ambition?
Undoubtedly, John McCain is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. The question which remains is whose wolf is he and which sheep are going to be fodder to his political appetites.
- W.B Yeats, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
As a resident of the state of Arizona I’ve watched and heard John McCain probably more than most. When I moved to Phoenix in 1991 I was impressed that a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war was representing the state in the US Senate. As a veteran I immediately accepted McCain as a man of extraordinary resolve and from his words I credited him with character. It must have been in around 1998 that I had an opportunity to ‘meet’ John McCain at a community church. My impression of the man was reduced dramatically as his scripted and generic words poured over all in attendance with a stale type of sincerity that can only come from practicing in front of a mirror with that rehearsed photograph ready smile. Judging from the applause and the line to shake his hand, Mr. McCain delivered and received what he intended from the majority. But my expectations of Senator John McCain were greatly diminished. McCain, to me, became nothing more than another common spit-polished politician with a refined generic demeanor spouting neutral hyped up words intended to please whatever crowd he happened to be speaking to that day.
I’ve always attributed McCain’s ascent to ‘politician’ in my eyes to my own over expectations of character from a man who served during war and survived through enemy internment. In 2000, McCain failed in an attempt to challenge Bush for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Much to his credit, as any good party member should do, he got back in line and supported President Bush. But McCain wasn’t supporting the President unilaterally; he was picking his points of support and endearing himself to the moderate left. Sensing the level of President Bush’s popularity, Mr. McCain knew that his aspirations would have to wait past 2004 for his next Presidental run. Offending no one and talking favorably for both candidates, McCain began patiently planning and waiting for his opportunity in 2008. He developed his talking points to be appealing to both liberal and conservative moderates. Those disillusioned, disappointed, and disgusted with the Democratic Party, and there are many, now find an acceptable moderate Republican they may be able to support.
McCain has been called a maverick, or a dissenter, by the press. He’s the darling of the media because he doesn’t hesitate to go against his constituents, the Constitution, or his nation if there is enough political clout or media air time to further endear himself to the masses or better solidify his Republican nomination in 2008. Playing both sides as he is Mr. McCain may no longer be as concerned about the ‘republican’ nod as he once was but he recognizes that a vote is a vote. He’s walked a fine line subtlety undercutting the President, the Constitution, and the country just enough to give the left a degree of hope but not so blatantly as to disrupt his Republican base too much. In fact, in 2004 the Democrats were so excited about Mr. McCain’s position they attempted to seduce McCain into pairing with John Kerry to challenge President Bush for his second term. Many staunch Democrats including Senator Joseph Biden hinted of their favorable view of such a political ticket. But McCain, ever astute, understood that should he decide to run with Senator Kerry he’d surly lose whatever base he’d been accruing over the years. Besides, John McCain, the maverick, will not settle for number two when his only goal is to be the President.
The world is a different place in 2005; McCain is a vastly different political creature in 2005; and the enemy, who hasn’t changed much ideologically in roughly 1600 years, is as ruthless and determined as ever. To this enemy, these non-soldiers caught on the battle field and openly hostile to America, Mr. McCain wants to extend American legal protections. It is to this enemy, to those who entice each other and their children to suicide in the name of religion, Mr. McCain wants to protect from ‘our’ version of torture, which is a world away from the enemies version. It is to this enemy, who beheads our people on television before the world to demoralize us and appease their god that McCain wants to offer legal protection. It is this enemy who will, if this McCain Amendment passes, cause our soldiers to second guess their actions in battle, thereby jeopardizing their lives, for fear of legal consequences if they are fortunate enough to survive the initial encounter with the terrorists. What are you thinking Mr. McCain? Who are you protecting? Who are you serving? Is your concern still the ‘American fighting man?’
It’s no surprise that years before the 2008 election we see McCain circumventing the senate filibuster crossroads with his ‘Gang of 14.’ Understanding his true motivation, it’s not shocking to find him cozying up with a Democrat to violate the first Amendment with the McCain-Feingold bill. A bill which has set limits to the free speech of citizens and businesses related to how much money they can contribute to candidates. A bill which restricts when citizens can legally voice their opinions about political candidates. This laws handiwork has given rise to the 527 organizations which grew into prominence as the socialist fat cats of the Democratic Party had to divert their funds and voices to groups like moveon.org not to violate the funding restrictions and the gag order McCain helped to push through to law. The political tone of the 2004 election was appalling as were the tactics set forth by these 527 organizations as they sought ravenously to project the worst possible image of the President. No longer filtered by party elders, 527 groups freely advertised any claim, credible or not, to discredit their political opponent. Sensing the momentum and the possibility of regaining undeserved power, Democrats in hoards aligned themselves with these groups in hopes of gaining financial, organizational, and popular support of the left in America. The Democrats sold their party; the radical left groups know this and are expecting a return on their investments. Thank you Senator McCain.
As 2008 fast approaches we see McCain in the media fairly often. He’s had a book release chronicling his military service which has recently been made into a movie. A new children’s book teaches civic responsibility and lessons to the nations young. The media loves his face and squeals in anticipation of what, and who, he’ll take a jab at next as he continues to attempt to appeal to both sides. His pseudo Massachusetts tone is the opiate of the liberal masses and the duplicity of his actions gives Demlibopeans hope of regaining some degree of political control that they can not achieve on their own ideology.
The oath, Mr. McCain was to defend the constitution not ignore, circumvent, or re-write it to suit your political aspirations.
As the election of 2008 gradually approaches it’s increasingly difficult to ideologically see what Mr. McCain is. It appears to be his deliberate intent to blur the waters and to speak in such a way that one hears what one wants to when listening to him. McCain is definitely not the conservative that many Arizonians voted for 3 times in the past. In Arizona there are very few realistic choices for political candidates. Prior to 2004 Mr. McCain was still sounding like a Conservative Republican. But now as 2008 begins to take shape McCain’s strategy is coming to fruition by creating in him the perfect poster boy to stand in the ‘hate Bush at all costs’ chasm between the left and their Democrats and the Republican Party. The question remains: who is McCain and what does he believe? As he seeks to please as many people on both sides of the political spectrum McCain is obscuring what type of President he could be. A President must make concrete decisions with information available to him and not play both sides to appeal to the nation or the world. What’s really in there Mr. McCain? Why are you hiding it?
The role of ‘appeaser’, as we have witnessed, is a dangerous role for a United States President. At this juncture in time, does America need a leader who is a political panderer that splits hairs on important issues? Dooes America need a President who will view the terrorists as tools to satisfy the world at the expense of American security? Do the American people award the legislative violation of our constitutional right to free speech by giving one of its attackers the Presidency?
Senator John McCain is an exceptional speaker and a better orator than President Bush. His soft issue crusades like boxing corruption and baseball steroid use do not give the American people a real sense of how he’d react to say ‘a Nuclear Iran’ or ‘Social Security’ or a ‘hostile China'. In an effort to remove dependence on any one party to gain the Whitehouse, McCain has diluted what once was a strong message. This tactic leaves those who have supported McCain wondering if his message is truly watered down or has political philosophy been consumed by his ambition?
Undoubtedly, John McCain is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. The question which remains is whose wolf is he and which sheep are going to be fodder to his political appetites.
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