McCain channels General Alexander Haig

[arendt]

John McCain increasingly sounds like a right-wing blogger. His arrogance in claiming that he speaks for the American people during a dangerous crisis demonstrates greater hubris than anything he will accuse Obama of doing.

Brent Budowsky, "John McCain on Russia: Angry, Bellicose, Belligerent and Extreme"
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/print/16478 /

The following reference may go right past younger folks here; but anyone who remembers the Reagan presidency remembers this arrogant chump - a Kissinger protege, of course.

In 1981, after the March 30 assassination attempt on Reagan, Haig asserted before reporters "I'm in control here" as a result of Reagan's hospitalization.

“ Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State in that order, and should the President decide he wants to transfer the helm to the Vice President, he will do so. He has not done that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending return of the Vice President and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course. ”

——Alexander Haig, Alexander Haig, autobiographical profile in TIME Magazine, April 2, 1984

Rather than being seen as an attempt to allay the nation's fear, the quotation became seen as an attempt by Haig to exceed his authority

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Haig

Someone needs to put Haig and McCain side-by-side in an ad. Two wannabee dictators trying to grab power in a crisis.

arendt

[enough]

1. I remember that Haig moment very clearly. He seemed deranged.

There's an odd parallel here. At the time, President Reagan was incapacitated. Everyone seems to be treating Bush as if he is too.

[arendt]

6. Good point - there IS a power vacuum. Bush is completely out-to-lunch (of the 3 martini kind).

And Bush is not going to be as lucky (UNEXPLODED explosive bullet lodged next to heart) as the Gipper. Bush is just coasting now - he is openly, publicly drunk.

arendt

[David Zephyr]

2. Great analogy! It fits.

[chieftain]

3. My favorite Haig moment came when he said that 4 Maryknoll

nuns had been shot and killed in an "...exchange of gunfire" with government forces. As a graduate of Catholic schools, the General disgraced himself with this slander of unarmed, peace loving women of God. His spreading of the image of rifle toting Maryknoll missionaries will require some serious explaining of himself to not only St. Peter but to the sisters who taught him to behave better than he did throughout his career.

[SuperTrouper]

5. and McCain needs to explain his attempted coup d'etat and his

bizarre behavior with Georgian President Shittyvili

[TrogL]

4. I miss Haig - he took iconoclastism to a whole new level

[enough]

7. Thinking all this over, I'm wondering if they could be purposely allowing Bush to fade out

so as to give McCain McCain a chance to play President for the cameras? Cheney too is extremely quiet.

Little niceties like the Logan Act wouldn't stand in their way.

[Virginia Dare]

8. Meanwhile Bush appeared to be in some sort of drunken stupor..

or drugged out haze..

[Virginia Dare]

9. If this is the case, I think McCain is messing with the wrong dude..

why pick a fight with Vlad Putin? Has he forgotten what Pooty does to his enemies?