John McCain: The Eddie Haskell of Politics

John McCain is the Eddie Haskell of politics.

So observes Bob Neuman, aide to the late great Arizona Congressman Mo Udall, in Amy Silverman's devastating article on John McCain. Silverman, a fifteen year veteran of Arizona newspapers and long time McCain observer, arrays stunning evidence in support of the claim.

Again and again, the article details what a self-aggrandizing two-faced liar McCain is. A particularly salient incident is his ambush of Rose Mofford. In 1988, Mofford became the first female governor of Arizona when then Governor Evan Mecham was impeached.

Mofford had served as secretary of state, and far from being a hyper-partisan Katharine Harris, was a modest, conservative Democrat who would not look out of place at any church bake sale across America.

As Silverman points out, Mofford lacked any ambition to run for re-election and was hardly a partisan warrior. That didn't stop McCain from savagely ambushing her when she came to Washington on a meet and greet just days into her administration.

To cut a long story short, McCain gleefully fed questions on esoteric topics to a Republican on the committee that Mofford appeared before. The idea was to embarrass her. He was being a "gotcha Senator."

McCain happened to have lunch that day with Pat Murphy, publisher of the Arizona Republic and, until he witnessed McCain's duplicity first hand, a friend and admirer of the Senator's.

"During lunch, McCain said, almost with mischievous glee, that he had slipped some highly technical questions to [James McClure] to ask Mofford -- questions she wouldn't be prepared to answer or expected to answer.

"Flabbergasted, I asked McCain why would he want to sabotage Mofford's testimony, when in fact the CAP was the nonpartisan pet of Republicans and Democrats -- such as far-left Udall and far-right Goldwater -- since its inception.

"His reply, as near as I remember, was, 'I'll embarrass a Democrat any time I get the chance.'

"The lunch continued in strained chit-chat. We then walked back to McCain's office, where a few reporters, all of them from Arizona papers, as I recall, were waiting. One said there was a rumor McCain had tried to sabotage Mofford's testimony, to which he said something like, 'I'd never do anything like that.'"

Pat Murphy recalls hearing that McCain later called Mofford to apologize. The former governor says no. She got a different kind of call from McCain.

"He said, 'I didn't have anything to do with that.' And I said, 'John, don't ever call me again.'"

At the time, Mofford was one of only three female governors in America, ironic in light of John McCain's new found girl power today.

Nor was this the only example of McCain's duplicity. Silverman details a more minor incident in the same vein that demonstrates McCain's ability to pander to people's faces and mock them behind their backs. McCain was serving as guest host of a radio talk show. One call was from "'Rosemary,' an obviously elderly woman who wanted to express her concern about nuclear proliferation."

"You make some excellent points, Rosemary, and I wish that everybody were as concerned about the issue as you are. And I appreciate the call," the senator told her. Then he announced a station break, took off his headphones, and leaned over to me (his BFF for the day) with a Grinch-like grin on his face.

"I believe that Rosemary has a bumper sticker that says 'Visualize World Peace,'" he said.

Vintage McCain.

Knowing that McCain is an expert manipulator of public opinion who operates without moral guide wires, should we really be so naive as to be confused by his public proclamations of high mindedness and simultaneous gutter politics attacks on Barack Obama? Actions speak louder than words. It's time the media did its job.

Comments

[suhud]

Actually, Eddie was more likeable than McCain...at least he never held his breath and turned blue if he didn't get his way, like Johnny...

[demfriend]

The people I read about and listen to saying that the McCain today is not the McCain they have known I have to wonder how many times he played the best friend/knife in back games with them? I have seen his record and read much about McCain that has said the people who claim this to be someone they don't know are either in grand denial or liars. McCain has always been in it for McCain and anything he could do or say to further that mission in his life. Too many pople have believed the war hero stories without questioning what happened after the war John? If you read the Rolling STones article about him or the Silverman article you will find they are one and the same McCain who has always walked around the truth and used his "charm" to nail people in fun not caring about the individual at all. So all of you who sing the praises of the John McCain you once knew, think back and remember the real person not the one you have made up.

[trailblazer]

I have a question: what would happen if he had a heart attack before the election? Would Palin take his place at the top of the ticket?

[2bsure]

So it's NOT galloping paranoia that causes McCain & Co. to ascribe his and his Chatty Cathy Doll's woes to "gotcha journalism"! It's just his own, sordid history of doing the same to others that elicits that particular knee-jerk reaction. Very illuminating article -- thanks!

[obamadeus]

Eddie Haskell always lost at the end of the day. :)

Let's hope Barack is Wally.

[WHATEVER7]

John will never be what his daddy was...and that failing haunts him.

[johnie2xs]

You mean the "Daddy" who failed to protect The USS Liberty from attack by the Israeli Air Force in 1967? That Daddy? Quite the role model.

[SOFOROBAMA]

I don't understand. Palin told us just the other night that McCain isn't the type of person that would say one thing to your face and something else behind your back. Do you mean she wasn't being completely truthful? Say it ain't so.