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The media have rarely given so much undue credibility to an American politician as they have to Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. This love affair with the media began in 2000 when he ran an insurgent campaign against the preferred candidate of the Republican establishment, Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The press had unlimited and unfettered access to McCain as they were riding aboard the Straight Talk Express – McCain’s campaign bus. Through the love of this all-powerful fourth branch of government, McCain cultivated the image of a maverick and the whole country fell for it. With the exception of stories that have appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, the media still kneel at the shrine of St. John of Arizona.
In no equivocal terms, McCain honorably served his country in Vietnam and his heroism is beyond doubt. The torture he endured for his five-year duration in a prisoner of war camp in North Vietnam formed the future senator’s principled opposition to such brutality – a position he held until this year. McCain continued to serve the Navy in a limited physical capacity until being elected to Congress in 1982 as a “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution.” For the majority of his 25-year political career, McCain has accomplished practically nothing. Of all current U.S. senators, he has the worst attendance record.
Until he ran for president in 2000, McCain was best known for his role in the Keating Five scandal. According to the Post, he has maintained close ties to many lobbyists despite having a strangely impeccable reputation on ethics. Many work for his campaign. It was only until his 2000 campaign for president and his support for campaign finance reform that McCain gained the reputation of a principled, ethical maverick, which is nonsense.
He was known as a staunch conservative until he began to push for campaign finance reform. Because of this, his opposition to torture, voting against the Bush tax cuts and his support for immigration reform, many conservatives felt betrayed. Unfortunately, he reversed many of those positions. When asked at a Republican debate whether he would vote for his own immigration bill, McCain answered “No.” Throughout the campaign, he has insisted the Bush tax cuts must be kept no matter what. Finally, and most heartbreaking, he voted against legislation that would have applied the interrogation standards of the Army Field Manual to all federal agencies, effectively abolishing torture. Rather than letting coverage of this blatant flip-flop die, he urged Bush to veto the bill.
But these various flip-flops do not even compare to what is most dangerous about the prospect of a McCain presidency. His one consistency is overconfidence in the use of military power abroad. He sees America’s military power as the primary source of stability in the world, not international law or international institutions. Despite the success of military operations in Kosovo (where genocide was ended with zero American casualties), McCain opposed the intervention on grounds that it was not sufficiently forceful and urged President Bill Clinton to send in ground troops, a move that would have undermined the international credibility of the NATO operation. McCain has also strongly supported the invasion and occupation of Iraq, going so far as to suggest that we spend 100 years in the country. For a man who gloats fiscal conservatism, McCain sure does love this trillion-dollar foreign policy debacle.
Finally, McCain’s personality and priorities do not reflect the concerns of the American people. At a 1998 fundraiser, McCain joked, “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.” Rather than apologize to any of the women he insulted, he apologized to President Clinton. Apparently giving an apology to the family patriarch was sufficient. He has a prickly, hot-tempered personality that has caused strained relations with many of his fellow senators. This would compromise his ability to work with Congress and with other world leaders. Finally, his narrow-minded faith in militarism and lack of concern about economic issues calls into question his ability to lead the country in all situations.
Matt Struhar is a junior in political science and history. He can be reached at [email protected].
