OT - The John McCain Charade

[Mass]

Robert Kuttner seizes McCain very well. May be it is time to send that to Reid and others McCain enablers.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/09/30/the_john_mccain_charade/

The John McCain charade

By Robert Kuttner | September 30, 2006

WATCH OUT for this fellow, John McCain. He manages to be both the anti-Bush within the Republican Party, and also Bush's enabler. This schizophrenic role, which his bipartisan fans somehow miss, happens to position McCain perfectly for 2008 as the guy untarnished by all the bad stuff Bush brought us, but who continues the same regime.
Consider the two disgraceful pieces of extra-constitutional legislation that the Bush loyalists are ramming through Congress, first over McCain's objection, then with his help:

One is a law prompted by a Supreme Court ruling in June holding that the government could not set up kangaroo courts at Guantanamo and elsewhere, depriving defendants of all normal rights. (Lest you be reassured, the vote was 6-3, and since then moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has been replaced by Samuel Alito.)

...
But back to McCain, and fast forward to 2008. Bush is in his last year. His popularity ratings are below 30 percent. The economy has tanked because the trade deficit and budget deficit continued to explode. Iraq is a cauldron. The voters can't wait for this eight-year ordeal to be over, and the Democrats are clamoring to throw the rascals out.

But wait. There's John McCain! Isn't he the Republican who challenged Bush on Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo? Didn't he fearlessly investigate the corrupt Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff? Didn't he resist the right's immigrant-bashing? Didn't he cross the aisle to work with Democrats John Kerry on Vietnam POWs and MIAs, and Russ Feingold on the (worse than useless) McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act?

...
What a guy! You can just imagine the truly revolting columns by gullible Washington pundits on McCain as just the kind of bipartisan that the republic needs.
...

[Captain Hilts]

1. He ALWAYS comes back to the Republican reservation. nt

[TheFarseer]

2. I used the think he was great

but anyone that can be attacked in such a disgusting way as he was by the bush campaign and just be fine with it - there's something wrong with that. Add the fact that now I think he's a poser.

[tyedyeto]

3. I overheard someone down here in Repug AZ country

that McCain is Repug-lite back during the first round of torture bills.

:rofl:

[pwb]

4. McCain is another rich kid with no idea how average Americans live

reminds me of another pilot that should not have flown, but had daddy's help.

[Mass]

5. It is important to remember what we are fighting for (or against) or

we will enable other fake moderate Republicans as Romney or Guliani, who are not linked to *.

A few months ago, Paul Waldman pointed to what should be a truism to us, but often is not: "it is the conservatism, stupid".

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/07/12/its_the_conservatism_stupid.php