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Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Presidential Politics: McCain's shame
Shame on John McCain.
The Arizona senator's mainstream political popularity is founded at least as much on his reputation as Bush critic and party maverick as it is on his status as a legitimate war hero.
But with 2008 clearly visible on the horizon and his intentions to run for the presidency just as visible, McCain has begun the all-too-predictable pander to the right. It's sad to see him so quickly abandon the right way for the way right.
How far right? When McCain himself once cited "pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and agents of intolerance," he mentioned Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
Guess who's giving the commencement speech next month at Falwell's institution, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.?
Oh, sure, McCain declared he and Falwell had "agreed to disagree on certain issues, and we agreed to move forward." Move forward? With the "agents of intolerance"? Sure, if the destination is the White House, right?
As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently pointed out, "By welcoming Falwell and people like him as members of their party, Republicans are saying that it's OK -- not necessarily correct, but OK -- to declare that 9/11 was America's punishment for its tolerance of abortion and homosexuality, that Islam is a terrorist religion and that Jews can't go to heaven. And voters should judge the Republican Party accordingly."
Not to mention John McCain.
Tell us what's on your mind.
 | |
| Is Sen. John McCain the leading early contender for the Republican presidential nomination, or is it Sen. Bill Frist? | |
 37.1%McCain |
5.0% Frist |
| 28.4% Neither. |
29.5% Don't know or care. |
| Total Votes: 482 | |
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