let's finally bury the 'mccain myth'

[KG]

some on DU have advanced the notion the john mccain would make a good democrat.

he's not even a good person -

http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair11232004.html

Meet the Senator Most Likely to Start a Nuclear War
The Mark of McCain
By JEFFREY ST. CLAIR

>>>SNIP

But that's all part of the McCain profile. He is the senator of the hollow protest. McCain is nothing if not a political stunt man. His chief stunt is the evocation of political piety. From his pulpit in the well of the senate, McCain gestures and fumes about the evils of Pentagon porkbarrel. He rails about useless and expensive weapons systems, contractor malfeasance, and bloated R&B budgets.

But he does nothing about them. McCain pontificates, but never obstructs. Few senators have his political capital. But he does nothing with it. Under the arcane rules of the senate, one senator can gum up the works, derail a bad (or good, though those are increasingly rare in this environment) bill, dislodge non-germane riders, usually loaded with pork, from big appropriations bills. McCain is never that senator. He is content to let ride that which he claims to detest in press releases and senate speeches.

A recent example. In late October, McCain went on 60 Minutes to decry a footnote in the Defense Appropriations Bill of 2004 that transferred billions of dollars from so-called Operations and Maintenance accounts for US troops in Iraq to porkbarrel projects, such as gold mines and museums, in the states of powerful senators. In his stern voice before the cameras, McCain made congressional looting sound like a treasonable offense. But what he failed to disclose is the fact that he actually voted for the bill. Not only that, he was personally approached by each senator who wanted just such a transfer of funds and gave it his seal of approval.

McCain the Maverick is a merely a fine-honed act, underscored by these kinds of casual hypocrisies.

<<<<<SNIP


MORE>>>>http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair11232004.html

[jpgray]

1. He loves playing the maverick role, but he's a company boy.

He's whatever you want him to be in the locker room, but when the spikes go on you know where he's going. Witness his gala event for the press corps--image and posturing is the key to his "maverick" behavior, not substantial action.

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Put a stake through its heart and stomp it into the ground....

Back when people were proposing McCain for Kerry's VP, I said I'd write in Attila the Hun for president instead. I meant it.

Thanks for this, KG.

[autorank]

3. Oh so right. He's got no sense of loyalty (especially to his family!!!)

[SeveneightyWhoa]

4. I always feel agitated when The Daily Show's always-liberal crowd..

..cheers John McCain as if he were Ghandi. I think he's developed a "maverick", truth-telling reputation when he's clearly not that magical of a man.

On the other hand, there's a bad side to every politician. McCain has done good things, and is infinitely better than most Republicans...

[cyr330]

5. good candidate?

I wouldn't vote for that fucker if he were the last chance the Dems ever had of winning the WH. I absolutely LOATHE him.

[MattWinMO]

6. Counterpunch is just plain nuts....

The only thing I really had a problem with McCain on is being such a cheerleader for Bush. But I can see how attacking Bush wouldn't be too prudent for a Republican. Who can blame him for wanting to protect his job.

Counterpunch constantly attacked Kerry as a right-winger, hawk, and neocon. Not to mention they're cheerleaders for Palestinian "resistance" movement.

I'm not in the Sharon camp but I trust the Palestinian Authority as far as I can throw them.

McCain does seem to support neoconservative desires to use the US military to spread democracy, however I don't think he's as unilateralist.

[bunkerbuster1]

7. The Chelsea Clinton remark forever tarred this man in my eyes

http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html

in case it's not ringing a bell.

Maybe it's a superficial thing, but I could never vote for a man who'd say something even remotely like that in a public or private setting.

(Besides, he's not exactly a raving beauty himself.)

[Fla Dem]

8. I have never liked McCain..he may have suffered terribly as a POW

and I would never speak negatively about his service time, and I grieve for his and all POW's sufferings and those of their families. But having said that, I do feel he is 2 faced. As best I can tell he has had an unremarkable senate history,except for the McCain-Fiengold campaign reform bill which has had questionable results. He and John Kerry spearheaded the reconciliation with Vietnam, and the recovery of many MIA's remains. For that I am greatly in their debt.

However, after he was so scurrilously attacked by the Bush campaign in 2000, and a long time friend of John Kerry, how he could be such a cheerleader for Bush. This says to me he turned his back on his principles and honor, and he turned on his friend, for what has to be a promise from the Bush administration. So he is willing to sellout. For this he gets no respect from me.

[sweetladybug]

9. I would get angry when people here were saying Kerry needed to run

McCain for vice president. I don't trust McCain and I have no respect for him and there is no way I would vote for him. He's just another Republican con man and I think he will be the Republican candidate for President in 2008. And he'll continue to warm up to Democrats to get their vote in 2008!!!!

[Gyre]

10. Once a butt boy, always a butt boy.

The chimp tooled him in 2000 and he just came back for more. What a worthless piece of shit. And to think that I supported him before the repube nomination. Tool me once, shame on you.....

Gyre

[madison2000]

12. Thats what made me lose respect for him

Didn't the Bushies say he was insane for having been in a POW camp? Then next time around call Kerry a traitor? And then he backs AWOL coward Bush over Kerry. If I were Kerry, I couldn't even stand to look at him.

This man has no loyalty except to himself and it makes me nauseous when people talk like he's a moderate Rep who the Dems should even consider. He's a piece of crap.

[acmavm]

11. John McCain has less integrity than you average $2.00 hooker, and

would stoop lower than any hooker would if it would gain him political capital and a few more bucks in the old bank account.

McCain is dangerous, just like this article says, because so many people believe in the myth, not the truth. Exactly like Powell.