Iraq to IGMFU -- A McCain Meltdown?

Is John McCain in a meltdown? Can this campaign be saved? Can the dots remain unconnected? I don't know about the first two other than just observing from the sidelines. But the third one I can take a crack at. I'll try to be brief. After all, neither you nor I have all day.

It's becoming increasingly evident, at least to me, that the Iraq policies on which John McCain has hitched his wagon are not stars but anvils these days. In a classic "be careful what you wish for," McCain and friends tried to goad Barack Obama into going to Iraq -- the novice, they said, who might even benefit from traveling with the political greybeard, who could "sorta show the new kid around." On their terms, of course. Unfortunately, Barack didn't bite.

Obama finally did go to Iraq and Afghanistan to see for himself and it's the McCain camp left grinding its collective teeth. He's done rather well without the services of Mr. Hundred-Years-Over-There as a tour guide. Obama came, he saw, and he conquered. He not only looked cool in sunglasses and avoided an embarrassing Dukakis-style helmet howler, but he looked downright presidential. Significant meetings with General David Petraeus, exuberant rank-and-file soldiers, and Iraqi government officials including Prime Minister Maliki and his second-in-command made for some terrific photo-ops, flanked by the Bipartisan Brothers, Democrat Reed and Republican Hagel. Maliki further added insult to injury by echoing a preference for a U.S. departure very much like Obama's long-held 16-month withdrawal timeline. Hilariously, the White House then clambered aboard, babbling frantically about a neat new something called a "time horizon" for -- er -- um -- withdrawal. I guess they figured if they came up with something else to call it, it wouldn't count, and voters won't notice anyway.

The press spotted it, though -- so much that McCain is whining about Obama getting too much attention. As if the man long known as "Teflon John" has a right to complain -- for his many gaffes and embarrassments that the mainstream media has resolutely either soft-pedaled or flat-out ignored. Now, of course, he's been recast as Odd Man Out, as events slip through the side door while he's still desperately barricading the front gate. When in doubt, channel Rumplestilskin in hopes of spinning what's already turned into straw - into a kind of fool's gold. "...But, but, but, Obama was wrong about the surge!" Well, Mr. McCain, it can hardly be forgotten how YOU were wrong about the whole thing from the get-go. You REALLY want to get into which man has the best overall, long-range judgment? Besides, if the escalation, or surge, is such a success, then why can't we start leaving?

At any rate, Obama has thus officially bigfooted McCain on McCain's pet issue. That's gotta hurt. As Marc Abinder speculated in theatlantic.com -- "via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, "We're f- - - - -."

It would be bad enough if the McCain meltdown stopped with Obama's checkmating the national security debate. But there's also that other problem: the economy. My favorite incident in a veritable avalanche of them involves the hapless Scrooge-unmasked, the stone-hearted Phil Gramm. Until recently he was McCain's BFF and lobbyist/UBS financier/economic policy czar. Then, he became poison. Phil Gramm inadvertently exposed the most crass bedrock belief of the modern Republican Party -- blabbing the dirty little secret they don't want you to know. My late father had a term for it -- his favorite "greed-is-good" punchline: "IGMFU" -- pronounced "IGGUM-foo". It stands for "I Got Mine, (and, considering the last two letters, you can probably fill in the rest with both accuracy and -- um -- decorum. Consult Marc Ambinder's source above if you need help)." It's the John 3:16 of the GOP Bible.

Phil Gramm had the outrageously poor taste to blurt that the bad economy from which his own wealth and connections insulate him is merely a "mental recession" and that we're nothing but a bunch of whiners to dare complain about it. The story's faded by now, yet another McCain campaign oopsie that got a once-over-lightly from the media, but I think it's worth revisiting, especially as a further meltdown metaphor. Choice words from this modern Marie Antoinette who, during his own Senate career, pushed legislation that made the Enron and sub-prime mortgage messes possible, and allowed corporate tax cheats to dodge accountability in hush-hush offshore banking havens. Phil Gramm may have had to resign the campaign in disgrace, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's still exerting influence under the radar. I doubt whether John McCain would deep-six a friendship considered that strong, long-running, or key.

The Phil Gramm IGMFU fiasco should stick in our minds throughout the rest of the campaign -- and even beyond -- every bit as much as the now-empty McCain claim to exclusive ownership of the Iraq/national security issue. It's just one more thing about which McCain himself and his entire party are just plain wrong.

On the war, their dearly-held My-Way-or-the-Highway arrogance and American-brand democracy forced on other sovereign nations at gunpoint by rich old white men nursing John Wayne complexes all are now exposed as little more than castles built on sand. On the economy, it's We've-Got-Ours and the rest of you can just shut up and stop complaining, and try to work out your own fabulous golden parachute crony deals like we did. If you can't, well, tough luck, Chuck. Be sure to write when you find work. And don't forget -- Free Market!!! Free Market!!! That, and a dime, will get you a few minutes at a parking meter anymore.

Thankfully, I think, America seems to be waking up and catching on. Neither the lust for empire because "our oil is under their sand" nor robber-baron economics work for the vast majority of us any longer. Never mind that we've been preached this gospel ever since the Reagan era -- that cutting back government is good, that taxes are a nuisance instead of a shared civic obligation for the betterment of the common good, and that big business should be liberated from all those pesky regulations that keep them fairly honest and prevent their running amok. Furthermore, we've been told for years that public money is far better spent buying and building more destruction delivery systems than any adversary (or even we ourselves) could afford. Our people may be sick, homeless and starving, but by Jove we'll still be able to blow you to smithereens!

It doesn't work anymore. The World According to John McCain doesn't work anymore. The World According to the GOP doesn't work anymore. No wonder so many millions of Americans have warmed to the idea of a change from years of that. It's a meltdown that may lead ultimately to defeat for the McCain campaign. But it's a welcome thaw from a very long, harsh, and heartless deep freeze for the rest of us.

Comments

[blaqntelligence]

Brilliant article. Nothing needs adding.Thank you.

[londongal]

Brilliant article. I couldn't have articulated my feelings any better about McCain and his campaign. But, as Customgreen said, you are preaching to the "flock". And I, too, am extremely frustrated at the polls and what they seem to suggest (although anything can happen).

And as for this line in your article: "My-Way-or-the-Highway arrogance and American-brand democracy forced on other sovereign nations at gunpoint by rich old white men nursing John Wayne complexes..." It pretty much sums up the last 8 years of McBush/McSame's war policies and attitudes toward the world. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

Go Obama!!!

[customgreen]

Well it is a great article, but you are preaching to the flock. The rest of the country doesn't quite see how bad McCain is. They are sarting to get it, but by now you would think this election would be a laugher. It stymies me how McCain can be as close as he is in the polls.

[threegoal]

Great article! Maybe one of the 893 that finished above him in his Academy class would have been better.

[athenasword]

Wonderful post!

[wheresthebeef]

"...it's the McCain camp left grinding its collective tooth." There...fixed it for you. Bill to follow.

[hopeless277]

And now with the news that Obama will not persue investigations or prosecution of crimes committed by anyone in government during the last 8 years, McCain is sunk. The only reason Republicans back McCain is to get their get-out-of -jail-free card. Now that Obama will provide cover for war crimes and other democracy-ending actions by the Republicans, well, they may as well vote for him. I know I won't.

[egal]

That's not remotely what's happening, as Obama still supports his previous claims that the law and the Constitution will be respected by immediately delving into the potential crimes of the previous administration.

But nice try, there; that's almost as good a fearmongering, fact-contradicted smear as what the Republicans consistently peddle.

Not too surprising, though, from somebody who presumes that not voting for the man who intends to see justice done is a worthwhile tack to take when the alternative is the man who insists that the crimes committed by this administration were, in fact, not merely NOT illegal and unconstitutional and violating human rights, but were actually HEROIC and WORTHY OF CONTINUATION ad infinitum.

[belmontdevil]

LOL...Hopeless77...I can't tell if you're a GOP-bot ! !

Most Dems have already figured out the plan behind the FISA votes.....and no Dem that I know, would never even consider voting for McSame.

I just can't tell what your motives are....maybe after my morning coffee..

Just remember...Sen. Obama was a professor of Constitutional Law for years....if anyone's going to protect your rights it's him.

[Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger]

Mary Lyon you are a literary Lioness, I loved this post! Yeah, despite the Couric switcheroo on McCain's Surge timeline, or the MSM failure to mention it when they air him cutting the cheese on that explanatory brain fart, or as Keith O put it, his "Secret Surge", McCain's ownership of the Warrior protector badge is doomed.

How can a man who finished 894th out of 899 at the Naval Academy get to crash 5 jets? OK, I cede him the honor as a POW he deserves, but Wes Clark was right about that not being a qualification for POTUS. The MSM is giving Obama coverage this week and despite that McCain is melting down before them. They can't prop him up forever or they will be exposed as the right wing lapdogs most of them are anyway. Obama 08, Change we can believe in!!!!

[SeriousBlack]

Ms. Lyon: SUPERB column. Absolutely superb.

[IRepTheKing]

This article pretty much sums it up.