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We’re Even, Senator McCain
Photo credit: Krista Kennell / Shutterstock.com
First off, I generally agree with Senator John McCain on foreign policy, even the aspects thereof that have fallen out of favor. That said, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much respect and restraint is due John McCain in his dying days and in the days immediately following his death. Here’s what I’ve concluded: not much. This post is not about denigrating him. It’s about declaring a debt paid. It’s about the Right’s freedom from any further obligation to a senator who has been justly compensated over a lifetime. Please tell me if we can stipulate the following assertions:
- John McCain leveraged his heroism and sacrifice into decades of fame, power, adulation, and fortune.
- John McCain, for decades, has made a regular practice of going out of his way to smite his enemies, primarily in his own party (i.e., people who Ricochetti generally agree with, respect, and/or like).
- McCain has continued that regular practice in his dying days, even going so far as to settle scores with his enemies in his own party. We get it, sir, you don’t like us very much. Point taken.
- McCain generally held his fire against then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 general election campaign, even going so far as to denounce Republicans who ran ads about Obama’s extreme anti-American pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
- McCain voted against the Bush tax cut; co-sponsored the unconstitutional campaign finance reform bill; supported immigration amnesty; and killed Republicans’ last chance at Obamacare repeal.
To the extent that we can stipulate these assertions as facts, I hereby free the Right from the obligation to praise John McCain. I further free the Right from their vow of silence over McCain’s history of abusing anyone and everyone on the Right who disagrees with him. John McCain has been amply compensated for his honorable military service during the Vietnam War. The Right has paid its debt to him. We’re even.
Published in General
John McCain is an Arizona Republican which seems to me to be very close to a Democrat in most places. He has acted accordingly.
Hear hear!
He served as a Republican. Republicans owe him no more than the civility that he showed us.
*Cough* Keating Five *Cough*
John McCain is a Scoop Jackson Democrat, and I could deal with that. But his recent softening on foreign policy is sad, and I wish he would have retired sooner, fresh from the success of the Surge.
So…’wacko-bird’ then.
Yes.
Really? BTW (and I’m not just picking on you), I think I’ll take posts on John McCain off my list. There’s a point for me when I’ve had enough. I’ll move along.
Yes, really, Susan. He’s received a lifetime of respect from the right. He has not reciprocated. We know what he really thinks about us. I’m just setting my people free to speak their minds about him. That’s all.
Well, I hope your fan base appreciates your efforts.
John McCain was courageous to vehemently argue in favor of the surge in Iraq. He was right when most were wrong. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. On too many other issues, he has been wrong.
I never understood John McCain.
Generally or stereotypicaly veterans are very careful when considering a military deployment. They talk about scope of mission, exit strategies and limited engagements with a clear definitions of success. John McCain liked a very robust gunboat diplomacy.
I wondered about the Keating 5 scandal. Did the press include John McCain to make it a bi-partisan scandal? Both McCain and Glenn where found to have exercised poor judgement, but had not broken the law. The partisan complexion of the scandal changes the solution, if its a bi-partisan scandal there have to be campaign finance reform, if its a democrat scandal its easy enough to vote the crooks out.
When it comes to making liberal mistakes bipartisan, McCain leads the way.
My sense about McCain is that his sense of honor (which often seems to be focused on himself) explains almost everything including his political stances. For example McCain-Feingold. Money in politics just struck McCain as dishonorable and grubby. It didn’t matter if his proposal to deal with it was illegal. And his constant harping on bipartisanship and the dignity of the Senate, issues which his constituents probably don’t care too much about, but which in his mind seemed to reflect on his sense of duty to rise above it all or whatever, even if it got in the way of getting things done.
Perhaps you could pointedly praise Rep. Sam Johnson instead. Like Mark Davis just did at Townhall.com.
This sounds like a “restitutions” essay.
What is this guy, that we need to approach our criticism of him in the same terms we discuss restitution for the descendants of slaves?
I owe him nothing. He has done nothing for me. His service does not exempt him from criticism.
Its heinous that this man is being treated like this by freaking conservatives who would never admit this much deference to black America! Not saying blacks should get restitution, but let’s put this in perspective.
Perhaps Trump’s biggest mistake in life was not going to war. If he had been captured, criticism of him would be verboten.
If there’s a standard to be met when it comes to a public figure moving along to meet his maker, I’d like it to be something similar to Malcolm’s encomium regarding the Thane of Cawdor’s last words before his execution: “Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.”
This continual drip, drip, drip from John McCain, including the most recent lambasting of Sarah Palin in his latest memoir, is unbecoming, undignified, and petty. What a shame. I don’t expect history to be kind to the man. And if that’s the case, he has no-one to blame but himself.
I think the fact that I’ve never heard of Rep. Sam Johnson proves my point: John McCain has received decades of respect, power, fame, and fortune. Nothing more is due him.
I think it’s sad when we let politics overwhelm the history of a man who served our country honorably in time of war. Not many who criticize Senator McCain have equal claim to such honor.
Senator McCain, I disagreed with you more often than not, but I thank you for your service to this nation.
I agree withJamie.
The best service Mr McCain could perform now would be to retire, to resign pronto. He’s too sick to serve.
I never claimed any such equal honor. Furthermore, to imply as I believe you have that his military service gives him immunity from criticism in perpetuity is unreasonable. I’m simply saying that the credit he had with the right is used up.
If he does that, I will salute him and say no more about him.
I have criticized Sen McCain often, I don’t know what is accomplished by much of the criticism I see directed his way at this time. Criticize the things he’s saying or doing, but lets leave the hate to one side. Sometimes politics doesn’t matter.
I guess I owe the conservative movement an apology.
I apologize for thinking that spitting on the grave of an old man literally dying of brain cancer before said grave has even been filled to be in poor taste.
I’m sorry for thinking that war heroes deserve respect regardless of their political positions.
I guess I just don’t like winning, or whatever.
On behalf of the conservative movement, I accept your apology.
I thought I did criticize what he’s said and done. See #5 from the OP. Please dispense with the bonfire of the strawmen. Nothing I said was hateful. I just said that it’s okay to criticize him. Please point out the hateful part of the OP.
Nope, I will not kiss his behind. I will praise what is praiseworthy and criticize what deserves criticism. I defy you to point out the part of the OP that involved ‘spitting on his grave’.
McCain Feingold is unforgivable, even though like so many of his positions it was rooted in his lack of understanding of important matters including all economic issues.
Yes, but the clock is still worthless the rest of the time . . .
That had been my thought, too, but — if McCain retires before May 30 — that triggers a special election that could go to the Dems. I do hope McCain retires on June 1, and will be disappointed if he does not. If that’s what he’s doing, I agree with @she that it’d be best to keep his mouth shut while the clock runs out.
I’ve mixed opinions about McCain: He’s been wrong on a lot of issues — there’s no excusing McCain-Feingold; none — and has a reputation for being a grade-a jerk in some situations. That said, I not only salute his service in the Navy, but also his (IMHO) downright heroic advocacy for the Surge in 2007-2008. And despite all the grandstanding he could do when he was wrong, he has a respectable 81% lifetime ACU rating witha solid history of voting for conservative justices.
Not a bad legacy.