McCain to Me in 1999: Bush "As Dumb as a Stump"

As a lawyer might say (OK, I am one), I have no personal knowledge of whether John or Cindy McCain voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. However, now that that has been called into question by Arianna Huffington (who says no) and Huffington's truthfulness has in turn been questioned by the McCain campaign (although not yet by the McCains), I can offer the following anecdote as admissible hearsay shedding a little light on the subject:

Over the Fourth of July weekend of 1999, I had the good fortune to accompany my then fiancée (and now happily my wife) to the McCain vacation home in Sedona where she was interviewing them for a Home and Garden Television show. The interview itself was entirely apolitical, focusing on fabrics and furnishing in their lovely Oak Creek abode, topics about which I do recall the senator was less than comfortable discussing.

Always the goods hosts, the McCains also invited us to spend the day with them, including for barbeque, a favorite of John's. And as McCain flipped burgers, I could not help but ask his views about then candidate George W. Bush.

"He's as dumb as a stump," McCain offered. We then went on to discuss other matters (including Vietnam) but that quote remains seared in my memory.

So how the McCains actually voted that November is between them and their voting booth. But if John McCain did end up voting for Bush, then by his own admission he voted for a stump.

Comments

[JTyroler]

"Dumb as a stump"? Well that does explain some things.

[wmbear]

ACTUALLY THE STUMP...

Is probably more articulate than Bush....

[REZBOO]

Which is worse....? The person who is truly dumb and ruins the country with his policies, or the putatively enlightened one, who votes with the dummy 96% of the time and greatly assists the imbicil in ruining the nation.

McCain wins the booby prize period.

[mairs]

You've gotta think that 99% of Republicans in politics think the same thing. They don't follow in lock-step because they think he's smart and knows what he's doing. They do it or else they're ruined, which McCain escaped by the hair of his teeth, or the teeth in the glass by the nightstand... or whatever....

[ResidentChimp]

Which is worse....? The so called intellectuals who are outsmarted by the stumps every four years or the stumps? The Dems are either monumentally incompetent or they're not as smart as they think they are.

[Msohio]

What happened McCain? Maybe you were once a straight talker. But, you became a suck up to the extreme neo-cons and lost your bearings.

[wmbear]

THAT STRAIGHT TALK CRAP...

Was always an act. McCain has been a complete phony for at least the last 7-8 years if not before. And the Bush/Cheney war crime family has managed to brainwash him far worse than the North Vietnamese ever did....

[LeftLeanWing]

So in the past McCain said the President G W Bush was as d umb as a stump; which we all agree with - hmmmmmm.?

And this is a bad thing ?

[darker]

Inane McCain and Bush are from that same stump.

[Puller58]

McCain would likely have trouble remembering what he had for breakfast if Lieberman or somebody weren't around to tell him. That is what his campaign is all about. He is being led through all this by a staff who realizes he can't be left alone. Reagan did things his staff had to clean up after, so this nothing new. As for the dumb as a stump remark, it takes one to know one.

[anfractuous]

So I guess that makes him a tree hugger.

[StephenDedalus82]

Hahaha

[mairs]

Yes, a most perfect comment.... :-)

[JessWonderin]

LOLROFF!!! close comments NOW - this can't be topped . . . .

[wmbear]

ACTUALLY...

A stump-hugger....

[pcplz]

Wonderful! You rock!

[jhamm1]

Aparently, stupidy among the Bush's is contagious, and 8 years have seen McCain as having dwindled from a reasonably rational Senator into a presidential candidate who is, as of now, "dumb as a stump."

[sheraz]

He probably did vote for Bush, but the story is he TOLD them at the dinner that he didn't.

Why? Because he's a panderaholic! He told them what he thought they wanted to hear. He didn't deny that in his comments today. He only denied not voting for him.

Either way, he's a lying sack of Republican

[Viper]

If some one admits to voting for the worst President in U.S. history, campaigning for them, supporting 95% of the BUSH policies... and doing it twice... Does that qualify them to be a President of the U.S. or just show incrediably bad judgement.


Regards

[wmbear]

THAT'S AN INTERESTING THEORY...

It's plausible. Talking with dinner guests, McCain might very well have not wanted to seem contemptible in their eyes by telling them he voted for someone who'd basically trashed his personal life during the primary campaign. So McCain either lied to Ariana or he's lying now but I don't doubt that he said what she (and others) said he said....

[nirek]

McCain was right then and is so very wrong now! Enough said.

[farseer]

If it's true that McCain saw that Bush was dumb, and didn't even vote for him, this information makes McCain himself look stupid for supporting all the Bush policies that didn't work. Why is he supporting the policies of a dummy?

[pedrothemigrant]

Wait so McLame has a higher view of himself than a stump then? The guy in the bottom 5 of his Naval Academy class. Barely made it through flight school; getting in only by the grace of Admiral pops... Who knows what kind of pilot he was, no wonder he was shot down. At least W was a C student, and was smart enough to stay stateside during the war. He became pres WITHOUT POW status! Who's dumb as a stump that keeps propogating a war with no end and has no idea about the economy?

[JulieSA]

"Barely made it through flight school; getting in only by the grace of Admiral pops..." Cite, please? Were you there?

So everyone who was shot down was dumb? Do you have any idea what you're saying? Probably not, so here goes. You have just insulted every pilot who was ever sent into a dangerous situation and didn't make it back. I hope you Obama supporters continue with this line of attack.

[Pennsylvanianne]

Reportedly McCain crashed five times, only two of which involved combat. I would say those other three times are what pedro referred to. Taking out power lines in Italy is not exactly something to be proud of, nor is crashing into the Gulf off Corpus Christi or graduating 894th in a West Point class of 899 cadets. Yet somehow these facts constitute an "attack?'

[instagladiator]

err, uhh.... I think you should re-read ped's comments. Your answer blows it completely out of proportion - you sound repub to me fronting as a HRC supporter?

[shm259]

This is going to backfire- we're not agitating the conservative base by questioning whether or not Mccain voted for bush- they're dismissing the claim in the first place. What we are doing is giving moderates a reason to conclude that if McCain didn't vote for Bush- he can't be Bush's third term- we should be treading carefully.

[nellie]

I'm not sure that McCain's disdain for Bush hurts him. Plus, he's not the same person he was in 2000. I think that's the real issue, and the one the Democrats should be emphasizing.

[JulieSA]

That's an interesting anecdote, and thank you for providing it. I have a couple of quibbles with some of facts around the periphery of your story.

First, you said your visit was in 1999, and that you don't know who the McCains went on to vote for that fall. But the election was more than a year later, in 2000.

Also, you say that the McCains haven't yet questioned Arianna's story. That's not true. Senator McCain said the story was false last night on the O'Reilly show, and Mrs. McCain said it was false on the Today Show, yesterday. I have no idea who's telling the truth, but your statement that the McCains haven't denied it is incorrect.

[MPeter]

Thank you MS Meyerhoff. McCain is a liar just like Bush. Straight talk was just a gimmick. He drools for power and will do anything; could have done anything including bend over and get screwed. McCain is a joke I believe Arianna, you and anybody over this Repug. He has no credibility.

[bobdob]

Ms. Meyerhoff has kind of a fancy haircut, but I'm pretty sure Al is a guy's name.