What John McCain Told Me, and What it Says About How Far He's Fallen

Most Recent News: Brad Whitford and Richard Schiff corroborate my post in Friday's New York Times piece by Elisabeth Bumiller.

Second Update: McCain and Me: Hero Worship Dies Hard (But When It Does...)

Update: Through a spokesperson with the colorful name Tucker Bounds, McCain has denied telling me he didn't vote for Bush in 2000. "It's not true," Bounds told the Washington Post, "and I ask you to consider the source."

My sentiments exactly -- because John McCain has a long history of issuing heartfelt denials of things that were actually true.

He denied ever talking with John Kerry about his leaving the GOP to be Kerry's '04 running mate -- then later admitted he had, insisting: "Everybody knows that I had a conversation."

He denied admitting that he didn't know much about economics, even though he'd said exactly that to the Wall Street Journal. And the Boston Globe. And the Baltimore Sun.

He denied ever having asked for a budget earmark for Arizona, even though he had. On the record.

He denied that he'd ever had a meeting with comely lobbyist Vicki Iseman and her client Lowell Paxon, even though he had. And had admitted it in a legal deposition.

And those are just the outright denials. He's also repeatedly tried to spin away statements he regretted making (see: 100-year war, Iraq was a war for oil, etc.).

So, yes, by all means, "consider the source."

Original Post: At a dinner party in Los Angeles not long after the 2000 election, I was talking to a man and his wife, both prominent Republicans. The conversation soon turned to the new president. "I didn't vote for George Bush" the man confessed. "I didn't either," his wife added. Their names: John and Cindy McCain (Cindy told me she had cast a write-in vote for her husband).

The fact that this man was so angry at what George Bush had done to him, and at what Bush represented for their party, that he did not even vote for him in 2000 shows just how far he has fallen since then in his hunger for the presidency. By abandoning his core principles and embracing Bush -- both literally and metaphorically -- he has morphed into an older and crankier version of the man he couldn't stomach voting for in 2000.

McCain's fall has been Shakespearean -- and really hard to watch for those, like myself, who so admired and even loved him. His nobility and his true reformer years have given way to pandering in the service of ambition.

But a large portion of the electorate hasn't noticed the Shakespearean fall. How else to explain The 28/48 Disconnect -- wherein only a die-hard 28 percent of voters still approve of Bush, but 48 percent say they'd vote for McCain, who is running on the "more of the same" platform?

The thing is, these voters clearly still think of McCain as the maverick of 2000, a straight shooter who would never seek the embrace of a man he couldn't bring himself to vote for, nor accept the regular counsel of Karl Rove, the man behind the vile, race-baiting attacks on him during the 2000 campaign.

And the main reason for The 28/48 Disconnect is the mainstream media's ongoing membership in the John McCain Protection Society. They too continue to party -- and report on McCain -- like it's 1999.

Look at the slack they cut him after his infamous stroll through a Baghdad market was revealed as an utter sham. James Frey was eviscerated for far less. Or the slack they cut him after his repeated confusion of Sunni and Shia. Or the slack they cut him when his promise to run a "respectful" campaign ran aground on his sleazy attempt to connect Barack Obama and Hamas.

Every time McCain screws up, the media jump all over themselves to make it better, as if grandpa had said something embarrassing at the dinner table and it needed to be smoothed over as quickly as possible.

The latest example came late last week when the Straight Talk Express hit an oil slick and skidded off the road. Click here for the blow by blow, but, in short, McCain implied that Iraq is essentially a war for oil, then tried to take it back, explaining that he was actually talking about the first Gulf War, then, when pressed, denied that he was actually talking about the first Gulf War.

And, by and large, the media gave him a pass. Chris Matthews called the original war for oil comment "an astounding development," but most everyone else was too busy picking over the bones of the Wright/Obama carcass to give it much play.

Interestingly, McCain's mental meltdown over the reason we invaded Iraq was prompted by a comment from a McCain supporter who said he hoped a group called "Swift Boats for McCain" would be formed to help McCain in the campaign.

The gentleman needn't worry. The group already exists. It's called "the media." And they are very well-funded, and highly motivated. The Swift Boat Media for McCain are, for instance, going to make sure that we hear a lot more about the nuances of Obama's decision to not wear a flag pin on his lapel than about McCain's ideas on a little thing like the Iraq war.

Witness the reaction to McCain's repeated declarations that he thinks we should be in Iraq for "100 years." The DNC had the gall to use McCain's own words in an ad, causing McCain to flip out: "My friends, it's a direct falsification," he said, "and I'm sorry that political campaigns have to deteriorate in this fashion."

So, to review: using a candidate's own words against him is off limits, but making disgraceful insinuations about Hamas and Obama isn't.

But instead of nailing McCain on the "deterioration" of his ethics -- to say nothing of his logic and reasoning -- the Swift Boat Media dutifully repeated his talking points, as in this AP lede claiming, without reservation, that the DNC ad "falsely suggests John McCain wants a 100-year war in Iraq."

McCain tries to wriggle away from his "100 year" comment by saying that he wasn't talking about a hundred year war, but a very long term commitment of U.S. troops, like we have in Germany or South Korea. Maybe so, but the last time I looked no one was blowing up American soldiers in Wiesbaden.

The New Yorker's Rick Hertzberg, a writer who hasn't drunk the It's Still 2000 Kool-Aid, sums up McCain's Strangelovian "vision": "McCain wants to stay in Iraq until no more Americans are getting killed, no matter how long it takes and how many Americans get killed achieving that goal -- that is, the goal of not getting any more Americans killed. And once that goal is achieved, we'll stay."

The John McCain the media fell in love with in 2000 isn't on the ballot in 2008. And the proof has all but jumped up and grabbed the media by the throat: the ring-kiss of "agents of intolerance" Falwell and Robertson; the decision to make permanent tax cuts he twice voted against, saying he could not "in good conscience support" them; the campaign finance reformer replaced with a candidate whose campaign is run by lobbyists and fueled by loophole rides on his wife's jet; the hard-line stance against torture replaced by a vote allowing waterboarding; the guarded-by-a-battalion stroll through the "safe" neighborhoods of Baghdad; the use of Karl Rove as an advisor... and the embracing of the disastrous policies of a man he so abhorred he would not vote for him.

What will it take for the Swift Boat Media to realize that John McCain jumped the shark a long, long time ago?

For more coverage of John McCain, go to HuffPost's John McCain page.

Comments

[snarlah]

Sorry. That sentence about the meaning of liberal is out of joint because I kept having to remove words from my post. It was about double the allowed length.

[snarlah]

Regarding John McCain and how he's changed, do you know that as Governor he was the last holdout on Martin Luther King, Jr. day? He prevented it from becoming a holiday for years.

I wonder what you think was so wonderful about him. He's a Republican. By definition, he is not wonderful, yet you were apparently surprised when he turned more rightward than Bush for this election. I am not surprised. Maybe you did not examine his actual record of legislation as closely as you should have before deciding, as many people erroneously did, that he was a maverick or a liberal Republican. He was not and has never been a great guy who changed when power beckoned. Like most leaders, he is ill with greed. Where's the surprise?

Don't mistake me, I think that your blog is a great thing and the fact that you changed so much is a great thing. Liberal used to mean a middle-of-the-road American.

The Constitution lies in shreds, no one is impeached, the Bill of Rights is a joke. Habeas Corpus, a much older law, is ignored by these torturing monsters. They don't deserve us. They do not represent us. Politicians, since the days of Rome,have been scoundrels and liars. They may not start that way, but they get power and it corrupts them. It is only us, working together, who can bring change to this suffering world. And I am afraid we are going to be too late.

[mrBlue1]

John McCain has compromised himself on issue after issue. He is a "burned out shell of a man" who needs to be relegated to the musty dustpan of the past. We need 'Change we can believe in" and build on. Obama '08.

[Oceancal]

People dont care.....

Keep this post up for another 3 months and you'll break a thousand responses.

OC

[snarlah]

I think that you are right about people not caring. At least, not enough of us. I care, as you should be able to tell from what I've said. And as a person who has been an activist since the mid-60s, I don't think I deserve the consequences of war in the Middle East or crimes committed by the Bush Administration, or Pentagon freaks who want to drop "little" nukes on Iran, or Hlllary Clinton, who is prepared to "obliterate?" was that it, Iran, if "necessary." No, I don't think I deserve any of that. I think I deserve a long and healthy life. But I probably won't get that. So I'm looking for painless forms of suicide. Any suggestions? If I have enough warning, I have no desire to die of radiation poisoning or global warming.

[bracken]

'Member when Dukakis was running, and Loretta Lynn was going around to her constituency saying, "You don't want to vote for no . . . . Doo-kacky or whatever his name is."

Worked 20 years ago, will work in November. Buy Euros, stockpile food, send your draft-age kids out of the country. And be prepared for your cell phone and Internet connections to become spotty or disappear altogether.

[snarlah]

I'm afraid you're absolutely right.

[yankhadenuf]

Arianna, I guess you earn the Helen Thomas Award of the hour, the day , the week, maybe even the year? It is great, refreshing to see so much come out about John McCain, including from all the commenters. We know it is not easy for you to break the lockstep "love affair" that McCain has carefully cultivated with the mainstream media all these years. There were many times that I was losing hope that so much of this would be buried, and that other of McCain's "stuff" would never even see the light of day. Yes , there is so very much more to reveal about John McCain. What we see so far is merely the tip of his cold-hearted iceberg. Keep digging everybody ! It is all at your fingertips on the internet.

[snarlah]

No, just don't vote for McCain. He's a Republican (see my comment above). Obama is probably not much better, but I put him just slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton (and husband--that's 8 more years of Bill as far as I'm concerned) and way ahead of McCain. After what the Neocons have done to the world, why would anyone want to see their reign continue?

[Spiriteddona]

Spiriteddona says-- Yes, Arianna, I might as well have been clinking glasses with you at that party. While on O'Reilly-- McCain had to laugh it three times, before he had enough nerve to say he voted for Bush. He blew it! Not voting Bush would impress the masses. I have a Yahoo Video, acccapello rap for Hillary. The link number is http:video.yahoo.com/watch/2559101/7672083
Any yahoo video upload can be found at the yahoo "video" search engine. The title is "Pantsuit Vixens For Hillary". It has a little trib to Tina Fey! I thank you!

[snarlah]

I'm going to check out your video Spiriteddona. There is nothing that I like about the DLC and one of its founders, Hillary Clinton. They are no different from Republicans. Clinton began the serious outsourcing of our best jobs and the destruction of Iraq before Bush could even get there and make it worse.

[DesertLight]

Well after reading Arianna's columns this week, I am convinced that the devil is a pretty good entity as compared to McCain that is.

[snarlah]

How many devils can the White House hold before we realize that politics are the problem, not the solution?

[in4success]

the real john mccain: http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/468-the-real-mccain

[mbaty]

It's like, "where's that other McCain?" Like he's been brainwashed or chipped or cloned--or he's just pandering a lot. However, given the military analysts scandal, should we be looking for other reasons the media don't want to hold him accountable the same way they do Hillary and Barak?

[snarlah]

Sure there's a reason--he's a Republican in Republican times. The media are with them with rare exception. To get any real news you have to go to alternative sources on the internet. I'm so glad to have had this possibility for the last several years. It has educated me like nothing else ever did. There are problems with learning almost everything by computer, but they are outweighed by the advantages--check out Australian, English, European news in general. It's not the same as what we get and it tends to be much more truthful. Not that they don't have their problems.

[tjwdraws]

This party was at Canice Bergin's home.
Is she a republican?

[Herb515]

It is true that McCain challenged the Bush administration at the beginning because he was appalled at their arrogance and disdain for the Senate. He was beaten into submission by Bill Frist, the majority leader under threat of being stripped of all committee appointments.

Since that time he has walked in lockstep with Bush and the Republicans. He is a charletan of the worst order. The only reason he didn't go to jail for the Savings & Loan scandal (which his partner, John Keating did) was he turned state's evidence.

Now he is allied with Leibowitz, who is a Senator looking for a constituency (Connecticut will never re-elect him); The Democratic candidates don't want his endorsement, won't ask for it although he caucuses with them as a party; The Republicans use him as a puppet because he is obligated to them for not running a candidate against him in CT, so he could be elected as an "Independent." He was once a Liberal, a Democrat, and is now a quasi-independent marching in lockstep with Bush and the Republican minority. He doesn't know to whom he belongs but Mccain can have him and the Democrats will take Connecticut.

[mrBlue1]

My in-laws lost their paltry life savings of $30,000 in the S&L scandal, and later all they were able to recoup was 10%. John McCain has screwed Arizona for decades, too.

[snarlah]

McCain and Liebowitz make me ill. As does the supposed "Dr." Bill Frist. I did better just the other day, realizing that a friend had shingles just by his description over the phone. I did not even have a video tape. I was right and Frist was so wrong about Terry Schaivo that you would have thought he was completely uneducated--so, here I am, diagnostician without a degree and there he is, diagnostician without any brains. And a billionaire. I could do some good things with the Frist money. He won't.

[graffen48]

"John McCain's choice to manage the GOP convention this summer is lobbyist Doug Goodyear, whose firm once represented Burma's repressive regime."

Just another little tidbit about McCain and his "anti-lobbyist" campaign.

[in4success]

Everything one needs to know about McCain/Lieberman/Neo-Con AGENDA: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03072008/watch.html

please take the time to inform yourselves . . . this is our path to victory in 2008. Spread the link and bring awareness to this sick, twisted, horrific anti-American fascist ideology and agenda.

We do not need these people controlling the most powerful position in the free world -- it would be to our certain peril as a free nation.

I am actually begging you to engage and shout out from the mountain tops. please. Knowledge and Information are our greatest weapon. I can't believe even the most "reasonable" conservatives would support this madness.

Please -- Do Something!!!

MB covers the same Event: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/rapture-ready-the-unauth_b_57826.html

[yankhadenuf]

in4success Outstanding post , and will spread widely !
Unfortunately, McCain has even more homegrown and self-serving agendas that have violated human rights stateside . These hidden agendas have barely seen the light of day. Google "McCain Dineh Navajo Peabody" .

[snarlah]

In the 18th century, right here in America, information was distributed in pamphlets on street corners and by word of mouth. Now we have the internet. Aren't we lucky? But if we lose the internet--remember the pamphlets and word of mouth--they work. They have a proven track record. Information is stronger than weapons.

[fdp3]

An important outcome of this is that McCain has been forced to respond that he worked and campaigned very hard for Bush in 2000 and 2004. We should all be reminded of this. As we are also reminded that about a week after Bush was re-elected McCain stated publicly how badly the war was being managed by the man he'd just worked so hard to get re-elected. Candid opinions he'd never shared as he stumped for Bush from coast to coast.

Nothing speaks more loudly about a man's blind, dangerous partisanship than the sacrifice of his country's safety to his party's short-term interest. Nothing speaks more plainly of a man's corrosive ambition for the White House than Mr. Straight-talk's pimping of a buffoon in exchange for a shot at the nomination in '08.

There are many things that disqualify McCain for our support but this is the most damning.

fp

[Binx101]

Bravo!

Very nicely written. However. I fear that there are may other things that this American has done that speak with equal volume.

He speaks of heath care that he has never had to buy.

He speaks of working Americans with ostensible impunity - yet he's NEVER been on anything but the public payroll

He admittedly speaks of his lack of skill in economics - yet - he's been at the center of one banking scandal and is economic adviser Phil Gramm (also campaign co chair) is most noted for being at the center of the current sub-prime scandal

He reversed his own position and didn't support the torture ban

We've devoted a few lines from time to time to this paragon of contradiction.

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[snarlah]

Please, I beg you, do not vote Republican, whether it's for McCain or anyone else. It is a horrible idea. Democratic is not much better, but the tendency is there for a few good things to happen when the Democrats are in power, assuming that they hold Congress at the same time and don't spend all their time fighting off false investigations and ridiculous sexual problems brought on them by the Republicans. Remember, the Republicans have been caught, literally, with their pants down numerous times and don't fall for their self-righteous nonsense. The religious right used to be a fringe movement. Now it is huge! How did that happen? Where did those mega churches come from? They came from our pockets when Bush decided not to honor the separation of church and state. Everything the Neocons do is corporate-oriented and wrong. Please, don't forget that.

[CactusTom]

While George W"s grandfather (Prescott) would likely have found it impossible to relate to the current Republican party faithful and his father does so only by holding his nose, the born again drunk has always felt right at home among the Jesus freaks and know nothings of the modern Republican party, causing him to revel in the gutter (swift boating) politics engineered by "his brain" Carl Rove, techniques that were extremely effective in firing up the crude party base.

That brings us to John McCain. This strange creature, once the hero of moderates and independents, might be viewed as sort of a weird amalgamation of Prescott and George W."half pragmatic politician, half true believer nut case. But though McCain reeks with many of Bush"s frat, bad boy personality traits, his go it alone ways have alienated him from the rightwing ideologues. It"s hard to imagine any political strategy in which McCain can fire up the Republican base and still maintain his carefully crafted straight talk image. This brings us back to the fundamental question of will the black vote override the redneck vote. In a McCain vs. Obama race it"s still an open question. If the Republicans are successful in making the contest mostly about Race, McCain wins. If on the other hand the redneck vote goes AWOL, Obama wins. But since hate, as that great American philosopher, Eric Hoffer, has strongly suggested is the most powerful of unifying forces, I would put my money on McCain.