McCainical Defects

[H2O Man]

In 2007, the Penguin Press published a book, "Journals 1952 - 2000," which is a fascinating selection from the journals of liberal historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The book, which was published after Schlesinger's death, was edited by his two oldest sons. It includes the memories of a man who worked for democrats such as Adlai Stevenson, President Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy. It also has a lot of gossip from Washington, DC.

There are two paragraphs, from his November 2, 1998 entry, that focuses on the character defects of Senator John McCain. I posted these in January, as part of a discussion regarding why I did not think that the democratic party had much to worry about if McCain was the republican nominee. Let's take another look at them:

"We also talked about the incident some years ago on the MacNeil-Lehrer show when John McCain harshly questioned McGovern's patriotism, saying something to the effect that he would still be in a Viet Cong prison camp if George had been elected in 1972. George started to reply that, if he had had his way, McCain would never have gone to Vietnam and was preparing to mention his own record as a decorated bomber pilot in the Second World War when Robin MacNeil interrupted and brought the interview to an end.

"McCain is a loose cannon. He has commendably defied his party on campaign finance, but he is also capable of bizarre behavior. Recently, speaking at a Republican dinner, he told the following so-called joke: why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? because she is the illegimate child of Hillary Clinton and Janey Reno. This plus his reputedly wayward sex life will surely destroy his evident presidential aspirations." (page 833)

There is much more to come on this story folks. McCain is damaged goods. I hope that he remains the republican front-runner for the nominee, but I think that it is likely that by March, he will decide he needs to step aside to spend more time with his family and friends.

[babylonsister]

1. Wow. Wayward sex life? I do hope some inquisitive journalists

are digging deep. I know, his sex life shouldn't be our concern, but if he's snaking around with lobbyists and favors are involved, that then makes it a story we should know about. The fact that he can be a 'loose canon' is fairly well-known. But how do we know when the canon will go off, and at who?

Also, I realize he's a decorated war vet, but he's got an awful lot of mileage over that. I'm kind of tired of everyone thinking he's entitled because of his past. It's what he's done or not done in the present that should matter.

Thanks, H20 Man!

[H2O Man]

4. While I am not

interested in the mating habits of the republican species, I think that this is a classic case of how a rabid animal will eventually attack itself. What we are witnessing is an entirely republican show.

[Mabus]

14. and it is a show that the press has played a huge part in

See my post to babylonsister (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4693688&mesg_id=4694259). The press knows a lot more about McCain then they have let on. They've known since 1999 but they just liked him too much to say anything.

[H2O Man]

15. Yep.

The media has, for a variety of reasons, protected the guy. That is why he was confident that this would not come out in the 2008 campaign.

[Mabus]

18. I think it is part of the Imus fallout

This is just my take. Imus was a big McCain supporter back in 2000.

(Larry King interviewing Imus in Dec. 2000 http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/22/lkl.00.html)

KING: You were a McCain supporter?

D. IMUS: Yes; I voted for McCain, I wrote his name in.

KING: You did?

D. IMUS: Yes; because I had to -- you know, I had to fill out a paper ballot and it was easy and I just wrote his name in, so.

McCain stayed at Imus' ranch and they were good buddies.

(another Larry King interview with Imus from Aug. 2000 wherein McCain joins in over the phone. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0008/11/lkl.00.html).

KING: We're back with Imus.

We have a little surprise for the I-man. With us on the phone from Seattle, Washington, is one of his stalwart friends through thick and thin. Despite the fact that this man is oft been criticized, oft praised, he remains a fan of the I-man, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: How you doing, I-man?

IMUS: Hi, Senator McCain, how are you?

***

IMUS: We rode up to Mesa. You know the thing I noticed, Senator McCain is that you didn't make your bed when you left.

MCCAIN: Oh, my God. That just shows a classless guest. That will probably guarantee I'm never brought back. And I'm glad you checked, though, you anal...

KING: Hey, John -- Senator, first, what did you think of the ranch?

MCCAIN: You know, it's truly magnificent. The thing is really magnificent. It isn't just there for Don and Deirdre and Fred and his wife...

Imus had a lot of pull with the Washington press corps. With Imus gone, there's not as many reasons for the press to protect McCain. Before, if they didn't play along, they didn't get on Imus' morning show.

[Mabus]

10. They know all about it, McCain told them in 2000 but they kept it off the record

They know, they've always known. The press liked McCain so much that they would go off the record to protect him.

From the Daily Howler

PART 3—PREPARE FOR NOVELIZATION: Our analysts derived one last mordant chuckle from Glenn Frankel’s (generally unobjectionable) profile of McCain. They came to us with the following passage—a description of the way things worked the last time McCain sought the White House:

FRANKEL (8/27/06): "We knew that John could carry on a conversation with any reporter for 24 hours a day," says Davis. "So we based our whole campaign model on 'earned media.' If a reporter wanted to fly with him or get an interview, we'd say: 'He's going to the West Coast. You can sit next to him on the plane; you can have the hotel room next to his; you can be in the car with him the entire time.'"

The same strategy produced the campaign bus, dubbed "Straight Talk Express," in which McCain, positioned in a red leather swivel chair like a prime minister, held a running all-day news conference for the media pack. All of it was on the record, much of it lively and self-lacerating.

“All of it was on the record!” Except for more McCain’s less impressive statements—things the press took off the record! Yes, we know—it’s hard to believe. But in December 1999, Nancy Gibbs and John Dickerson, writing in Time, described the way their cohort was covering—and covering up for—their champion:

GIBBS/DICKERSON (12/13/99): And then there are the stories he tells—to which, if there's a pattern, it's to exalt other people and deflate himself. A presidential candidate is not supposed to tell you about the rules he broke or the strippers he dated, or the time he arrived so drunk that fell through the screen door of the young lady he was wooing. The candor tells you more than the content, and reporters sometimes just decide to take McCain off the record because they don't want to see him flame out and burn up a great story.

Ah yes, life on the Straight Talk Express! Reporters were getting all sorts of free donuts, and McCain kept explaining how smart they all were. So they’d simply take him “off the record” when he said things which didn’t compute. Let’s make sure we understand what that means—when McCain would say squirrelly things, reporters agreed that they wouldn’t report them. For example, the scribes weren’t reporting the fact that McCain would call his North Vietnamese captors “gooks.” ...

more at: http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh090106.shtml

[PA Democrat]

2. Nice to see you H2O Man!

I think that the veneer of the maverick, campaign finance reforming, straight-talking John McCain is slowly chipping away.

[H2O Man]

5. It would seem

that these types of reports will make it difficult for McCain to win the hearts and minds of the self-righteous religious right-wing of his party. I suppose that the saddest thing was when the Senator was willing to humiliate himself to try to gain favor with them.

On MSNBC's morning show, as I type this, Tucker C is noting that the McCain campaign realizes that there is someone within their group who is engaged in sabotage.

[PA Democrat]

7. Yes. I thought it was curious that apparently two McCain staffers confirmed

the story of their suspicions that something improper was going on between McCain and the lobbyist. You have to wonder if McCain's famous temper played a role in their willingness to talk to the press. I keep thinking back to the Washingtonian magazine's ranking of McCain as the second hottest temper within the Senate and the House. The ranking was based upon the votes of congressional staffers. Ted Stevens beat him out for number 1.

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1666.html

[H2O Man]

8. I agree.

This raises important questions: Who is behind this? And why?

And that is interesting in and of itself. The McCain campaign has to know who it is. Will they call them on it? And, if not, why not?

[Binka]

31. Limbaugh & Dobson & Scaife is my guess

They DO NOT want John in the WH. YMMV.

[rasputin1952]

3. While I don't like McCain for reasons othr than his alleged...

pecadillos, I find it interesting that he got caught up in a foolish scandal, one that well may signal his "fall" from grace as the the apparent GOP nominee.

In the eyes of the GOP, it is better to have murdered someone, taken bribes or aid and abet torture than get caught up in anything have to do w/sex. For the current GOP guidlines, death seems to be fine, but if you had an act of infidelity, you are sacrificed upon the Altar of Eros.

After what they've done in the past to D's over anything sexual, (even though far more R's have bene "caught" in interesting situations), they have destroyed any possibility of "defending" McCain, even against such a vacuous story.

Do I care if McCain goes down becasue of this? Not really, for an R to win the GE, it would border on the miraculous at this point anyway.

[H2O Man]

6. There is the old

children's story about the Indian boy who is walking on top of a mountain. It is the cold season, and the boy sees a rattle snake shivering on the ground. The snake asks the boy to put him in his pocket, and carry him down to the warm valley. The boy says that he can't, because the snake will bite him. The snake promises that he will not, and says that he will repay the boy for saving his life.

The boy carries the snake down to the warm valley, and asks for his reward. The snake bites him. As the boy lies dying, he asks the snake, "Why did you bite me? You promised not to."

The snakes replies, "It's my nature. You knew I was a rattle snake when you picked me up."

Senator McCain knew that he was dealing with snakes. They bit him in 2000, with ugly lies. Yet he thought he would be rewarded for cuddling with the Jerry Falwells of the republican right. And now they have bit him. He should have known that this is their nature when he tried to put them in his pocket.

[blondeatlast]

11. His wife is the power and ambitiion, I'm willing to bet.

The Hensleys are a politically powerful family in Arizona and very involved in the machinations. John didn't just accidentally meet Cindy. He was already known as a promising Republican and handsome and a war hero to boot. They wanted to go national, Cindy seemed charming and knew by nurture how to play the game (guaranteed the Hensleys introduced him to Keating--no doubt whatsoever).

As is by now well-known, he was still married when they started dating. She's got the money, ambition, and savvy--and I bet she's far, far more powerful behind his campaign than we will ever know.

[H2O Man]

13. I agree.

Well said.

[rasputin1952]

21. Seeing that woman behind McCain when he's on the stage...

is a startling revelation as to how cold and heartless some people appear to be. She appears to have been chiseled from granite...it is as if she has no soul, nothing but "scorn" for the "little people"...:scared:

[Arugula Latte]

25. She freaks me out...I think it's the bad plastic surgery, to some extent.

Jesus! Why do people think looking like a freakin' alien -- albeit an alien with a tightly pulled face -- is something desirable?

I don't get it.

[rasputin1952]

26. Yeah...like she's something other than human...

I saw her leading McCain up some stairs onto a stage, and it was VERY odd...she took each step one at a time, and held his hand like he was a child leading him to the dentist's office. Spooky stuff...:scared:

[Beausoir]

36. "They bit him in 2000, with ugly lies". And smears against the man's own daughter. Still, he

sucked up to them.

What kind of a man does that? What kind of a man would willingly allow his own small child to be smeared and then cozy up to the smearers?

[H2O Man]

9. The Press Conference

I wish that he had the decency to not bring his wife out with him.

[blondeatlast]

12. She knows what she's doing, believe me. See my post above. nt

[H2O Man]

16. Right.

I agree with you 100% about her. But I still think he should face this on his own. I think it is vulgar when the republicans caught in sex scandals parade their families out in front of the camera in this way.

[blondeatlast]

19. Good point. It's disgraceful for the families--and a sneaky way

to keep the press from asking what needs to be asked.

[grace0418]

17. What a fuckhead.

Of course, that's no surprise.

[Mabus]

20. I missed it the first time you posted this

probably because we moved and I was offline for the better part of a month. Thanks for reposting.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

22. kick. nt

[Shine]

23. I'm sure there's more to the story, but I frankly wonder about his health

he hasn't looked well to me lately and I wonder how much of his health challenges with the cancer are being kept out of the public domain....yet are, nonetheless, clearly influencing him.

[puebloknot]

24. In such an instance..."he needs to step aside to spend more time...

with his family and friends" ... I heartily approve of Republican family values.

But if he steps aside, I shudder to think who they'll put up next! Those who would sign a sexual loyalty oath scare me more than someone with a wayward sex life because at the core of their platform is something of a "Handmaid's Tale" scenario where sex/procreation (they are one) are one's duty to the state, and a fun time will not be had by all. Just ask the smiling Mr. Huckabee about all this.

Ron Paul may have his moment in the sun, after all.

[Me.]

27. I Hope He Stays The Nominee

A sure win for us. Of course his bizarreness will have to be fully on display. If he gets the nom I hope the dems are ready. And, if he does drop out, who will replace him?

[Coexist]

28. "but he is also capable of bizarre behavior"

In the words of Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mr. McCain "is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120310968910072193.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Tatiana]

29. He is the worst sort of individual. Actually he reminds me a lot of Cheney

the way he drops the "f" bomb, even with so-called allies. Why do you think the Republicans are so up in arms about him? They hate him because he's an even bigger snake than they are and oftentimes beats them at their own game.

He is a loose canon and the right-wing knows they can't control him. I genuinely believe McCain is mentally unstable.

[senseandsensibility]

30. I've started two threads about McCain's despicable "joke"

about Chelsea, which is worse than even Limpball's comments about her. Most DUers poo-oohed it, and said it doesn't matter. :shrug: That's why we lose elections. Our side will deem everything about McCain to be off limits no matter how nasty the other side gets. I will never understand our willingness to roll over. Even the "far left" continues to do it.

[Me.]

32. Know What You Mean

I had a thread about McCain that someone called drivel. I am beginning to suspect there are some underground McCain supporters here.

[robertpaulsen]

33. Damaged indeed. I think he will self-destruct before November.

With all the brouhaha over the NY Times article, I find it interesting that he neglected to get enough signatures to get on the Indiana primary ballot. Talk about a self-destructive Freudian slip:

Whoops! McCain fails to collect enough signatures for Indiana primary ballot
Michael Roston
Published: Thursday February 21, 2008

Over the last month, Sen. John McCain has been steamrolling his way towards the Republican presidential nomination. But the Straight Talk Express appears to have hit a speed bump in Indiana after the senator's campaign failed to collect enough signatures to get on the state's ballot for a May 4 primary. And as the state's Republican Party and government officials fight off a challenge to McCain's placement on the ballot, the Democratic Party is accusing them of corruption.

"Despite the fact that the McCain campaign clearly failed to qualify for the ballot, Republican Attorney General Steve Carter and Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita (who recently endorsed McCain) rubberstamped it anyway, trying to sneak McCain onto the ballot. Clearly, the Republican Culture of Corruption is alive and well within the McCain campaign," said a statement released by the DNC.

In order for a candidate to be placed on the ballot in the May 6 contest, his or her campaign must supply 500 signatures in each of Indiana's congressional districts. A blogger and Democratic activist, Thomas Cook of Blue Indiana, discovered that McCain was a number of signatures short in the state's 4th District.

"This is one of the most Republican-friendly districts in one of the most Republican-friendly presidential states," Cook wrote in a Feb. 20 blog post. "And despite all of this high-level help, these guys managed to screw up one of the most basic steps that any candidate can take in the state."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Whoops_McCain_fails_to_collect_enough_0221.html

[zulchzulu]

34. Excellent! I may borrow your "McCainical"... you can borrow McCain't n/t

[angie_love]

35. Omg, he said Chelsea was ugly to an audience? What an ASS!

What a crude bastard. Who the hell is HE to talk about ugly?