February 18, 2008

Does John McCain’s ‘Straight Talk Express’ Have the Bends?

 

John McCain has been a darling of many Democrats, occasionally myself included, who don’t say good things about many Republicans. “Only if he weren’t so rigid on abortion or pro-Iraq War . . . ” McCain differentiates himself from many fellow party travelers by his great story and strong personal qualities.

 

His military experience distinguishes him from “chickenhawk” fellow Republicans – quick to send our boys to war, while using influence to keep themselves and their families from harm’s way. Can anyone imagine “W” or Mitt Romney turning down a chance to leave a North Vietnamese prison without his men? Here is a genuine hero – a rare commodity these days, especially among our political leaders.

 

He developed a reputation for honest talk – a noble quality. What do we do with a guy we believe has a lot of what it takes to be president, but with different views on key issues? Might he still be a reasonable alternative, despite a few policy differences?

 

Not so fast! Our father-figure Republican hero has been losing a lot of his mench-cred (reputation for being a straight and decent guy) through changes in his positions and behavior.

 

His authenticity image seems a better fit as an underdog. Remember Janis Joplin’s “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” The “Straight Talk Express” turns into plodding local, or to quote myself, “Conservative Pander-Wagon”, when he moves closer to the flame. He seems to fear Rush Limbaugh more than harming his own integrity. Witness changes in statements about immigration, tax cuts and his new buddies on the Religious Right.

 

McCain has a much worldlier sense than our current president. He actually knows where countries are, and often who runs them. But his rationale for continuation of the tragic Iraq adventure demonstrates the same blind spots, as Bush’s War becomes McCain’s own. His focus on military matters sometimes makes him sound more like a candidate for Joints Chiefs Chairman than president.

 

He says we must remain in Iraq, and suffer casualties, as long as it takes, even 100 years, to defeat the Islamic jihadists that attacked us on September 11, 2001. In fact, most American casualties have come at the hands of other groups, including Baathist former insurgents, for many years the arch-enemies of fundamental Islam; and Shiite militias, such as the army of al Sadr, again no friend of Al Qaeda.

 

Many Sunni antagonists have been mainly fighting Shiite domination, with the U.S. in between. Our actions have made deadly enemies of people who had little quarrel with us before we attacked their country.

 

Sen. McCain talks about our “success” in Iraq, despite no evidence that the current reduction of violence increases the likelihood of lasting peace, past the presence of significant American combat troops. No wonder he talks about being there for 100 years.

 

He’s adopted the Bushian invocation of “evil” to describe what we find abhorrent and don’t understand – Salem witch-style. Individuals blowing themselves and others to smithereens to make a point is beyond my ability to fathom, and scares me a lot, since strategies for fighting such an enemy are not obvious. Even more chilling – parents of these “martyrs” glorifying their accomplishment, with the enthusiasm of Jewish parents whose son or daughter had just been admitted to medical school.

 

Scary and mysterious as these actions are, we must understand people’s drive to do them if we are to fight back. It is not enough to call the perpetrators evil, as if that solved the problem, like doctors confusing naming an illness with doing something to cure it. This is a hallmark of W’s approach, apparently now adopted by Sen. McCain – an approach that has caused a many-fold increase in the number of these “evil” people.

 

What of the “Straight-Talk Express”? The Bush tax cuts, which McCain could not support with integrity a short while ago, are suddenly support-worthy, the notable difference being the presidential campaign. He still seems to support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but he doesn’t talk about it much anymore, with his new emphasis on the wall.

 

On a personal level this mild-mannered military hero has been letting a mean-spirited cat out of his good-guy bag. He seems short- and ill-tempered, impatient with non-genuflectors. Every time I hear him use the words “my friend”, I feel the urge to jump under a table. And I haven’t been next to him on the stage. He said it to Mitt, and two days later Mitt was out of the race.

 

He’s either a right-wing wolf in sheep’s clothing, or panderer-in-chief. Will the real John McCain please stand up?