Does anyone feel sorry for John McCain?

[Frumious B]

I fundamentally disagree with so many of his policies, but to a certain degree he came across as a voice of reason compared to all of the other nut jobs at the RNC. He strikes me as sincere and well intentioned, but I don't think he realizes the extent to which the people applauding him last night truly revile him behind not so closed doors and are just using him to hold onto some semblance of power in the hopes that he either dies or is shoved aside so that Lady MacBeth AKA Sarah Palin can be elevated. Those are some sick, sick, mofos who need to be utterly defeated in two months. I hope that we and the Obama campaign are up to the task.

[frogcycle]

1. nope

he is a craven opportunist who willingly sold his soul

[lolamio]

2. He sold his soul. I have no sympathy for him. n/t

[mmonk]

3. Sympathy for the devil?

[Marsala]

4. Yes, I do feel sorry for him.

He really does believe he is doing the right thing. His policies are wrong (oh wait, he doesn't have any) and his utterly cynical way of seeking power is worse, but he really wants to help the country.

That's probably why the conservatives came down hard on his speech. They saw it as going to the middle and criticizing them.

[trueblue2007]

5. NO /// why should we? If he is elected, he will take down this country

I just have a feeling that maybe "they" will try and take over. Maybe I watch too many spy novels.

[dbonds]

6. You were punked.

He isn't sincere. He just says whatever he thinks he needs to to get elected. He thinks it is his turn. Don't feel sorry at all for someone that was part of hurting this nation so much and that recklessly sends our soldiers to their death.

[Frumious B]

11. "feel sorry for" was probably a poor choice of words on my part.

It's just that I get this kind of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader vibe from him. Maybe I'm deceived, but I sense good in him somewhere. However, I doubt he'll be rescuing us by throwing any Emperors down seemingly bottomless pits. He is a tragic figure in my eyes.

[hlthe2b]

25. that is PATHOS...

truly pathetic figures make us feel horrendous because of the loss of potential. But don't feel sorry for him. He has become this pathetic figure because of his obsession with the White House as his perceived "birthright."

[Thegonagle]

27. That's how I feel about him... Sold his soul/turned to the dark side.

[blondeatlast]

John McCain is a styrofoam column. Take it from a constituent of his for nearly 2 decades(me):

He has NO substance, no principles, no soul, no values. He sold them all for political ambition.

He's pathetic--but I don't feel the least bit sorry for him. He could retire to a beautiful ranch in Sedona and live a quiet life surrounded by gorgeous scenery and fresh air but he chooses Washington DC time and again.

Pathetic.

[Vinca]

7. No. I have zero sympathy for McBush.

There's a country filled with hurting people out here and he's on an ego trip and nothing else. When he loses he can go back to one of his houses and fondle Cindy's diamond jewelry.

[City Lights]

8. Hell no!

He sold his soul to the devil long ago.

[Maureen1322]

9. No

[terrya]

10. No, I don't.

He chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate. She's fronting the same disgusting, fundementalists motherfuckers who are destroying this country from within. He chose that, he has to live with that.

I don't feel the least bit sorry for him.

[cali]

12. no. I wish him the very worst- politically. I hope he's crushed

he's a war mongering asswipe and there's nothing reasonable about him.

[DarthDem]

13. Zero

His is some disgrace.

[genna]

14. Yes, I feel sorry that he was sincere in 2000 and sold out his essential character for the last 8

years. Anytime he can go out and hire the group who called his Asian baby, a black love child, and still hold himself out as a white knight...I have some serious concerns about his stability.

I am black and hate being used as a prop in a circus tent. He was treated as badly in SC in 2000 as I suspect Obama has and will be treated in similar settings and states. I felt a sort of kinship with him because he had never experienced American hatred of him and his family in his entire life like that.

For him to turn to the very proponents of that hate and embrace them and their tactics speaks more to what he has lost in this race than what he gained.

[GoesTo11]

34. I've concluded this is the real McCain, 2000 was an act

He just looked at how Forbes had locked up the far right, everything from the middle to Bush, so he decided to go for everything to the left of Bush. In particular, he actively tried to get votes from independents and even Democrats in open primaries. But it was a calculated choice to position himself to the left of where he had stood the rest of his career. Then after the election, he sort of flirted with the Democrats - leading to the Kerry VP rumor. Then he made his deal that he would embrace Bush and the medium and far right and go for 2008. Always, always, always, just doing what he thought would benefit him personally. Never really country first.

[eShirl]

15. only in the sort of way I felt sorry for Locutus of Borg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUHVuCNmXY

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. I used to have some modicum of respect for McSame

But he's repackaged himself almost as many times as Madonna it's difficult if not not impossible to determine WHICH "version" of McSame we're actually seeing at any given time. The man I've seen since 2004 seems so obsessed with becoming President that there's not really much he probably isn't willing to compromise in order to win. Do I believe that everything he says is truly heartfelt? No. Not really. But if he were really the "maverick" he claims to be, then I can think of a lot of ways that he could have demonstrated it better over the last few years than he actually has. Despite whatever "noise" he has made about Bush's policies over the last few years in the end he has always ended up supporting/defending Bush and helping him get whatever he has wanted. Although his speech last night had a lot of nice platitudes about wanting to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats, I'm not convinced of the sincerity of his statements based on his past behavior but more importantly, the tone of most of the speeches (most notably Palin's) and I believe that if he is elected he will not be genuinely interested in working with Democrats nor do I believe that he would be able to encourage his fellow Republicans to work with Democrats even if he was sincere about it. A lot of people fell for Bush's "uniter not a divider" mantra in 2000 but Bush, as we all know, ran one of the most divisive (mis-)administrations in recent history and his partisan crusade only stiffened and polarized the tone in Washington. Had McSame been truly interested in projecting a more unifying bipartisan image for the party he would have done well to encourage his fellow Republicans to tone down their attacks on Democrats and/or talk more about bipartisanship and if I were him I would've never let Palin deliver such a hateful and vindictive speech as the one she gave on Thursday. However, of course, his campaign prepared it for her with his blessing, so, in the end, as far as I'm concerned, McSame apparently doesn't really care all that much about bipartisanship and promises more of the same if elected.

[dennis4868]

17. I don't feel bad for that man....

why should I? He is promoting endless war...nuff said!

[Kahuna]

18. Uh..lemme think.-----No! Not even a little bit. nt

[WinkyDink]

19. Not for a loooooong time. At least from the time he said the U.S. "doesn't torture".

But I'm pretty sure it was from this point:

[ITsec]

20. In one word... NO.

[ShortnFiery]

21. NO. eom

[quantass]

22. I still dont believe the Repubs view women as human beings...no way

[Matariki]

23. Yeah, kind of . I think he's being played.

I don't think the Republicans really want to win this cycle. Gotta wonder why. Maybe they don't want to clean up after the drunken frat boy?

[hlthe2b]

24. No... maybe in 2000, but he has sold out everyone, including

his family, his supporters, his soul to get himself into the White House. In actuality, it goes even back to his POW days and before, if you read the real story of his time there from a fellow POW and Naval Academy classmate. Another silver spoon Bush type who thinks he is entitled to the White House. Wake up, if you are feeling sorry for him. That sympathy is greatly misplaced.

[AlinPA]

26. Are you joking? Voice of reason? Sincere?

[annabanana]

28. dear bandersnatch

"sincere and well intentioned" is a front that he's constructed over the 20+ years he's been in the Senate. It only takes a tiny bit of investigation to uncover the depth of his corruption. He personally suppressed massive amounts of evidence of corruption in the Abramhoff scandal. . He has been a neo-con true believer from the start. He likes the idea of Empire with him as the Emperor and he doesn't care which constituency gets him there.

A police state apparatus is pretty much in place by virtue of signing statement and regulation, waiting only a word from whoever holds the title "President" and the charade will no longer be necessary.

[RagAss]

29. He needs to see a Neurologist......early signs of Dementia..

Confusion.
Magical Thinking.

[jakem]

30. I feel sad for him.

He does seem to have some kernel of good intention that has systematically destroyed by the means to the end.

But weighing the future of the world v one man's tragic arc does not bode well for him in the election.



He is the center of a very dark comedy, and is going to live out the appropriate ending.

:shrug:

[rasputin1952]

31. No...the man is an idiot...he doesn't even try to make sense...

x(

[timtom]

32. How about "Hell NO!"

Evil needs to wither on the vine.

[graywarrior]

33. No. He needs to be ripped to shreds along with the rest of his party.

[nc4bo]

35. no. nt

[ps1074]

36. Yes I do

That was his big moment. His farewell to the nation if you will. He could have done it gracefully and but instead he blew it.

For him it is all downwards from here. After it is all over, he will be remembered as a partisan hack and he can blame noone but himself for that.

[debbierlus]

37. No. He is a liar. A bully. And, one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Iraq war

And, look at his campaign. Dirty. Evil. Mean-spirited.

Feel sorry for him.

No. He can rot in the innermost circle of hell.