Senator McSell-Out

Senator John McCain: the American of America's military Americanism for America's America -- Go America! Military! YARRR!

That's the McCain Brand for the general election. And it makes perfect sense. Reason the first: Senator McCain is an American, so there's that connection. Obviously. It doesn't matter that he's also a Muslim. He's still an American, regardless of his "religion." Reason the second: America has sold-out its sovereignty to foreign governments and corporate interests, just like Senator McCain has sold out to the Bush administration.

It's a perfect match. Senator McCain and America: sell-outs.

President Bush, during their famous doofus-dance White House summit last month, gave Senator McSell-out permission to distance himself from the White House: "Whatever he wants me to do, I want him to win." This would explain the senator's remarks from yesterday:

"The point is, I'm not running on the Bush presidency, I'm running on my own service to the country, my own record in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate and my vision for the future," McCain told ABC television.

"Now we'll have lots of time to portray that, and I'm doing that now."

He'll definitely have to "portray" this approach, since it's not even close to genuine.

The senator's remarks yesterday (not to mention all of his future "portraying") don't nearly erase his record of spineless genuflecting at the imperial altar of Bush. Being such an America's American, it's astonishing that he'd be so willing to repeatedly grovel at the feet of this regime -- especially on issues that represent his various breads and butters ("breads and butters," by the way, also happen to be the colors used by his make-up artist).

If Senator McCain were the growling, hardtack-eating, glass-pooping American he claims to be, he never would have made peace with the Bush administration after they, on the way to their coup, so brutally smeared him -- practically shaming him out of the campaign in 2000. A man of Senator McCain's media-and-BBQ-ribs-backed maverick swagger should have opposed the Bush White House every step of the way... simply on principle. Fuck you! I am McCain! YARRR!

Instead, we got this:

Cake from the president! Yummy!

What else?

The McCain Amendment back in 2005 was meant to codify the U.S. Army Field Manual for Human Intelligence Collector Operations as the legal bounds for the interrogation of prisoners. The vice president lobbied heavily against any such rules and Senator McCain obviously cut a deal with the White House on the thing.

First, Senator McCain agreed with Cheney that the amendment rules shouldn't be applied to CIA interrogators, leaving the Agency with all of the torture latitude it had previously enjoyed. Extraordinary renditions could continue. Yarrr! Maverick?

Second, the McCain Amendment stripped detainees from using habeas corpus -- another sell-out to Cheney's Sith choke hold.

And finally, Senator McCain agreed to stand there with President Bush when the appropriations bill (with the amendment attached) was signed -- knowing full well that the president had drafted and attached a signing statement that obliterated all of the rules; allowing the regime to torture at will.

Way to stand up to the administration on torture, Senator! Yarrr?

When Congress attempted to apply the U.S. Army Field Manual rules to the CIA in the Intelligence Authorization Act this year, Senator McCain -- again -- sided with the administration and voted against the bill, which passed along party lines but without a veto-proof majority. So the president vetoed the bill. Yar. Whatever.

Overall, Senator McCain has voted with the Bush administration 89 percent of the time. And then there are the public statements that sound like they're from the same Mad Libs book. Glenn Greenwald compiled the exhaustive list here. So the idea that Senator McCain would be the manifestation of a third Bush-Cheney term is very much accurate and well-worn. But the more important discussion is the how and the why.

If you happen to be a member of the very serious traditional media, you should ask him. Put down the goddamn barbeque and ask him.

How did he earn this Bush's Third Term reputation? Because he sold out his principles as a senator and as a man. Why? Because he wanted to run for president and he knew that for it to be a successful endeavor he would have to walk this ridiculous, wet-bread middle way between appearing in public as this crazy insane dwarf rebel -- the YARRR! -- while, behind the scenes, falling over himself to enable and appease the Bush White House.

The fact that his most slimy back alley capitulations had to do with torture (especially given his background) makes him all the more pathetic, weak and in desperate need of this overzealous America's Most Awesome American marketing scam.

Bob Cesca's Goddamn Awesome Blog! GO!

Comments

[NoSillyName]

Why have we already begun seeing McCainForPrez commercials? They started in March. Isn't that "election" supposed to be in November? Guess he's gotta start spending those piles of RepublicanMoney before BobBarr jumps in as the TrueConservativeCandidate.

[bavaria]

and he wants to find a running mate by using google
that is what he said on the news tonight
WOW

[NoSillyName]

Hey, he could do what DaddyBush did when he asked TheDickChaney to find a good VP for his lil'boy. Then TheDickChaney can find himself again for another go 'round. What a deal! FormerMaverickMcCain would have an experienced, heart&soulless warmonger for his 100 year war in Iraq & Iran and beyond. What fun!

[BoulderSue]

Could someone please explain to me why candidates are so willing to lick the boots of people who kicked the you-know-what out of them with such viciousness within the memory of us all? We know McCain is not the only one. Is this supposed teach us how to forgive and forget? If so, they should say so. But since they apparently aren't trying to illustrate virtues of forgive and forget, it only diminishes any respect a person with a half-way good memory could possibly have for them, particularly sinc the people who have done the kicking haven't exactly apologized for their very uncivil behaviour toward these candidates. (Well, I guess that guy in Pittsburgh from the "vast right wing conspiracy" sorta said that the lady and her husband he tried for so long and spent so much money trying to take down wasn't as awful as he had thought, but if I were her, that is one person I would not be caught in the same building with. He really deserves her ire.)

[john85msy]

Yeah McCain is not supposed to win. Too many reasons for his own party not to vote for him.

[blackmouth]

I used to like McCain until he folded and capitulated to Bush on torture. Now I think that he is just a groveling do anything to get elected hypocrite.

[MJ20]

I used to think that I could tolerate McCain as president, but this selling out to Bush and going against EVERY one of your principals says something about his character that rubs me the wrong way. Also, notice how the neo-cons have slithered into bed with him? We are simply looking at more of the same if we elect this guy. He will drive this country the rest of the way over the cliff.

[liberalfdr]

John McInsane is going to get his head handed to him as soon as his buddy jihad George asks for more money to 'stay the course'! The senate has acquired a lot of ammunition and the Bushies will be on the receiving end! I purposely used 'Bushies' as afew Republicans are about to come foward and break ranks with Dumbya and McNutt!

[solarfared]

Can we count on your solemn pledge to leave the country for Canada with Alec Baldwin after McCain wins in November? Trust me, the two clowns the Democrats are pushing at us couldn't win Dogcatcher in Duluth. But by all means, flame away Bob, it's obvious you can't understand what "party unity" means. Obama and Hillary dissect and eat others liver on a daily basis and thats how you expect a major political party to act, so we forgive you.

[rshrink]

Can we count on you to leave the country if Obama wins? You can just go by yourself. Too bad, you only know how to act like an asshole instead of being interested in talking about actual facts. Do you actually think that Repubs have unity? Unfortunately, Repubs are all arrogant enough to think they have it right based on direct info from God. McCain doesn't even know for sure what his religion is. He has gone to Bob Jones, Hagee and other wingnuts to try to find out and also to get their support, even if he doesn't support them.

[GoreyFantod]

When Republicans use phrases like "party unity" they mean lockstep, obsequious adherence to authoritarian pricks like Dear Leader and Cheney. Thanks, but no thanks.

Luckily for the rest of us, you and your bootlicking pals are in a tiny minority. What are Bush & Cheney's approval ratings again? Oh, that's right, more than 75% of the country disagrees with your narrow-minded, conformist party.

[kirksong]

The Maverick lets others ride him when he benefits. He should have trampled the Bush Corporate Theocracy from the start - but knew he could'n't be president someday if he bucked the neo-cons. He is a sell out and does whatever is necessary to win, facts are facts. His independent and ethical image is a sham. Does 23 bombing runs over Vietnam make one a hero? Surviving prison for 5 years may be heroic - but what about all the innocent people killed? Our 'right to life' leaders have little regard for life once out of the womb - and McCain is no different. Pure unsullied hypocrisy. He doesn't deserve the presidency, in my opinion.

[Dansden]

Don't get mad at McBush- it's his turn:

His turn to 'kiss-butt' of the BUSH regime!
His turn to lie about a mistress!
His turn to 'keep the war going'!
His turn to 'enrich the corporate fascist republican machine'!
His turn to lie to American people about Iraq!
His turn to allow coporate fascist Republicans to dictate financial and foreign policy!
His turn.........

[RamonBackwards]

Senator McSell-out is a good start, but it's just a start. We need far more simplistic attack lines to chip away at McCain. If it's longer than 3 sentences, only anti-McCain folks will even read out. But things like "Senator McSell-out" can be plastered on headlines everywhere, slowly eroding McCain's completely fabricated persona and reputation.

I'll start:
Senator McSell-out (John McCain) Has No Clue What He's Talking About.
....Iran training al Qaeda... bomb Iran... no torture no torture... okay torture... is it dementia? I don't know but we certainly don't need to invade the wrong country AGAIN.

[GoreyFantod]

How about John McWarmonger? The Democratic candidates & their surrogates might be too cowed to say it, but the rest of us don't have to be.

I think it's obvious to most of us that McWarmonger, like his pals Bush & Cheney, believes that we would have "won" Vietnam if only we'd thrown more American lives at it, so he's determined not to do the same in Iraq. I think the Democrats have done us all a great disservice by avoiding this issue - they keep allowing the GOP to re-write history. I say it's time to give as good as we get & hammer McCain on the Vietnam/Iraq quagmire comparison because he's wrong & a majority of Americans know it.

Remember his Woodstock ad? How about the way he uses his POW experience as an answer to EVERYTHING? Democrats have to go on offense on this crap, because it's not going away. Besides, given a clear choice between "sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll" and dying (or sending your kids/grandkids to die), in an illegal war hatched and botched by a bunch of rich old white guys, I think most Americans will choose the former.

[elkabong]

Republicans are asking us to elect their reject from 2000.

If there is evidence a Republican's judgment has improved in the last seven and a half years, I haven't seen it.

[michiganfan]

Nope. McCain 2000 is dead and buried. This thing that goes by the name McCain is something else entirely.

[rmreddicks]

McInsane's vision for the future? Decrepitude. Violent decrepitude. Deepening hypocrisy. Not only for him but for the country.

[nyboomer]

How dare you accuse McCain of having principles?

[jpshotwheels]

One thought that I have on McCain is this. How many times has he run for President, Once, Twice, Three Times, I am not sure. First of all look at who McCain ran against to get the Nomination, that is not a compliment. Gulliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee.

Second, it took the Repulican Party at its worst possible approval ratings in History, President NumbNuts with the worst approval ratings since 2001, all the scandels in the Republican Party, it is so bad for the Republicans, even the Republicans don't like the Republicans. This is what it took for McCain to get the nomination, that is not a compliment.

The one I love is this, he was disgraced by Bush in 2000, McCain wins the nomination in 2008, the Presdient invites him to lunch with his wife, to congratulate him and serves STEAMED HOT DOGS.
That is such in insult by Bush to McCain, I laughed my butt off when I heard that.