Tag: John McCain

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The phone call came out of the blue on a crisp Fall day in 1974. I was a freshman (oops, “first-year student”) at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, a small public liberal arts school. He got right to the point. “I’m Ed Goeas, and I want you to join OIL,” he said. […]

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The second of a series looking into Biden’s first few weeks in office. It ain’t pretty. Watching the Democratic Presidential primary debates of 2019-20, it wasn’t hard to find the “uh oh” moment when you knew something would not end well. And it came early – June 2019 – during an MSNBC debate moderated by Savannah Guthrie. […]

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel’s critique of the media and appreciate that at least one veteran journalist has the courage to speak out on liberal bias in the news. They also take President Trump to task for attacking the late Sen. John McCain in a series of immature tweets and public statements. And they predict former Vice President Joe Biden won’t endear himself to progressives if reports are true that he’s planning to name former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams his running mate in 2020.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America sigh as Democrats repeatedly interrupt the start of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in a futile attempt to delay him from joining the court.  They also give John Kerry credit for explaining how President Obama’s failure to enforce the red line over chemical weapons in Syria led to major diplomatic headaches.  And they respond to calls for Meghan McCain to replace her father in the U.S. Senate by saying such seats are not family heirlooms and any family members who wants to serve should have to get elected.

Only 20% of Congress Are Veterans; Down from 80% in the ’70s

 

Considering the rank partisanship of modern American politics, the bipartisan mourning of Sen. John McCain feels like something from a different era. His broad-based appeal is partly due to his centrist politics but primarily his unique background as a Naval aviator and prisoner of war speaks to voters’ collective memory. He was a rare politician who could speak of duty, honor, and sacrifice without a hint of postmodern irony.

Veterans used to be commonplace on Capitol Hill, but today they’re an endangered species. Using statistics compiled by the non-partisan Brookings Institution, I graphed the decline of servicemembers in the Congress and Senate over the past 50 years.

Tragedy and Narcissism, or It’s Not About You

 

On any given day, around 6,700 Americans die. Celebrities, being mortals like the rest of us, die too, and when they do we are treated to eulogies, obituaries, memorials, and of course blog posts, Facebook status updates, and tweets. As one reads these, one is struck by the prevalence of the first-person singular pronouns. Frank Bruni noted this phenomenon in his recent New York Times piece, “Death in the Age of Narcissism“:

Just before and after John McCain’s death on Saturday, I read many tweets, Facebook posts and essays that beautifully captured his importance.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer the results of primaries in Florida and Arizona, pointing out that the GOP enjoyed turnout advantages in both states, and got its best option for holding the Senate seat in Arizona while Democrats nominated an avowed socialist for governor of Florida.  They also unload on a Catholic cardinal from Chicago for suggesting Pope Francis cannot go down “rabbit trails” like rampant allegations of pedophile priests and bishops who covered up the crimes because the pontiff needs to focus more on climate change and building acceptance for migrants.  And they roll their eyes as Democrats and the media (but we repeat ourselves) are horrified that any Republican senator would not immediately rush to rename a Senate office building in honor of John McCain and that any opposition to the idea is an endorsement of the segregationist views of the senator for whom the building is currently named.

Death, Decency, Humanity, and Politics

 

Senator John McCain, after suffering a long battle with a brain tumor, finally passed away on August 25, at the age of 81. The Senator was one of the more influential members of the Congress during my lifetime. For both better and worse, his opinion on the policy issues of the day have driven much of the debate in this country for over the last two decades.

This, of course, doesn’t even to begin to describe his sacrifice during the Vietnam War, where he suffered years of torture at the hands of his Vietnamese captors. This was a true American: imperfect, with lots of friends and enemies, but he certainly sacrificed much for the great cause of his nation.

And yet, like everything else in America today, his passing brought up terrible responses of hate, anger, and downright ugliness.

Did the American Legion Join CNN in Fact-Free World? Time for a Change in Flag Half-Staff Policy.

 

On Monday, August 27, CNN was constantly running a chyron claiming the American Legion “scolded” President Trump into issuing a proclamation to re-lower the flags. But, what are the rules? Would President Trump break the flag etiquette rules out of personal animus? If facts matter to you, the answer is readily at hand.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a helpful PDF publication on half-staffing: “Flying the American Flag at Half-Staff.” It informs us:

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From the Papa Possum Twitter feed: 1/4) I like to give a day before I comment on the passing of those about whom I have not much good to say.Senator McCain looked down upon and insulted people like me, and he did it regularly. — Papa Possum (@papapossum) August 27, 2018 Preview Open

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America examine the passing of Arizona Sen. John McCain.  They discuss his military record as well as a legislative career that gave conservatives reasons to cheer and reasons to fume.  They also call out the hypocrisy of the mainstream media, which provided adoring coverage for McCain when he was a thorn in the side of Republicans but trashed him viciously in 2008, when he was the final impediment to an Obama presidency, and at other times when he sided with fellow Republicans.  And they shake their heads as President Trump spikes any sort of White House statement on McCain’s death and the White House raises flags back to full staff.

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I was read a book about behind-the-lines intelligence agents in WWII.  The book, published in 1949, made it clear that the brave folks who did their jobs were not heroes.  They just did what they were supposed to do.  It was the folks who went above and beyond their assigned duties in the face of […]

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America begin by reflecting upon the grim news that Sen. John McCain will discontinue treatment for brain cancer.  Then they tackle three good martinis, starting with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi insisting she will run for Speaker of the House if Democrats win the majority, thereby preserving one of the GOP’s best arguments for keeping control.  They also welcome the five-year prison sentence for Reality Winner, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information to the media.  And they marvel at polls showing a dead heat in the Oregon governor’s race, which seems to be a result of non-stop protests in the state that snarl traffic, exhaust law enforcement, and leave areas thoroughly trashed.

A Disgrace

 

Judicial Watch has obtained a memo that shows that John McCain and his Senate staff sought to collude with the Obama Administration to target conservative advocacy groups.

In the full notes of an April 30 meeting, McCain’s high-ranking staffer (Henry) Kerner recommends harassing non-profit groups until they are unable to continue operating. Kerner tells (Lois) Lerner, Steve Miller, then chief of staff to IRS commissioner, Nikole Flax, and other IRS officials, “Maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous.” In response, Lerner responded that “it is her job to oversee it all.”

Say No to Hereditary Titles of Nobility

 

Rumors abound throughout the news media that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is poised to appoint Cindy McCain to fill the remainder of John McCain’s senate term in the event he expires prior to the 2023 expiration of his term. Paul Mirengoff has a piece at Powerline arguing that Mrs. McCain is a qualified successor to her husband, although perhaps not conservative enough to be a good choice for the seat. With respect to Mr. Mirengoff, I suggest the issue at hand is not her qualification for the job, the issue is our nation’s longstanding rejection of hereditary titles of nobility.

It is one thing for a family member to run and be elected in his or her own right to succeed a close relative. While it happens often enough it is still something most Americans seem at least uneasy with. Running for office with the benefit of a beloved family name can be helpful to a candidate but it is also a turnoff for many voters and the genesis of much low hanging fruit for political attacks. But in the end, at least there is merit in being elected to one’s own term rather than being appointed to succeed a relative.

Frank Murkowski served in the United States Senate for two decades before he was elected governor of Alaska. Upon taking office Governor Murkowski promptly appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, to finish out his Senate term. This blatant act of nepotism so enraged Alaskans that the law was changed by referendum in 2004 to require a special election to fill a Senate vacancy and was a major factor in Governor Murkowski losing his re-election primary to one Sarah Palin.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America toast better-than-expected unemployment numbers, the best in 18 years.  They also lambaste Virginia Republicans for rolling over and approving the Obamacare Medicaid expansion they claimed to oppose for years.  And they dig through more eye-opening posts from Joy Reid’s supposedly hacked blog, including her likening of John McCain to the Virginia Tech shooter, endorsing the removal of the Israeli government to Europe, and likening illegal immigration to slave labor for multinationals.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert for shredding Chris Cuomo’s suggestion that Iran is suddenly a problem in the Middle East because President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.  They also scold White House communications aide Kelly Sadler for suggesting Sen. John McCain’s opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel didn’t matter because “he’s dying anyway.”  And as the media conveniently forget about the scandalous downfall of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman just a couple of days after his resignation over allegations of abusing multiple women, Jim notices how a disturbingly high percentage of such scandals involve politicians from New York City.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome Judge T.S. Ellis reminding Special Counsel Bob Mueller that he does not have “unfettered power” in his investigation and that he shouldn’t use his position to compel testimony towards a desired end in his probe.  They also also shake their heads as liberals are not getting upset with the Justice Department for enforcing existing gun laws and as officials in Broward County, Florida, admit that the Parkland shooter did avoid the criminal justice system for previous offenses by being enrolled in the school-based PROMISE program – and therefore never triggered any red flags when trying to buy guns.  And they wonder why Trump supporters are so upset that John McCain doesn’t want President Trump at his funeral.