Raw Story: Once 'in the tank for McCain,' journo now calls McCain 'a farce'

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Once 'in the tank for McCain,' journo now calls McCain 'a farce'

Ron Brynaert
Published: Tuesday September 16, 2008

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Once_in_tank_for_McCain_journo_0916.html



Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen admits that in the past he - along with other members of the press - sometimes metaphorically experienced goosebumps every time Senator John McCain opened his mouth.

Not any more.

In an op-ed entitled "The Ugly New McCain," Cohen complains that the Republican presidential candidate has now "become the sort of politician he once despised."

"I am one of the journalists accused over the years of being in the tank for McCain," Cohen writes. "Guilty. Those doing the accusing usually attributed my feelings to McCain being accessible. This is the journalist-as-puppy school of thought: Give us a treat, and we will leap into a politician's lap."

According to Cohen, McCain has "soiled" his integrity by capitulating to the right and for standing by his false political advertisements.

"His opportunistic and irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as his political heir -- the person in whose hands he would leave the country -- is a form of personal treason, a betrayal of all he once stood for," Cohen writes. "Palin, no matter what her other attributes, is shockingly unprepared to become president. McCain knows that. He means to win, which is all right; he means to win at all costs, which is not."

Not too long ago, Cohen refused to "plead guilty" for his perceived McCain idolization.

"In some recent magazine articles, I and certain of my colleagues have been accused of being soft on McCain, forgiving him his flips, his flops and his mostly conservative ideology," Cohen wrote in June. "I do not plead guilty to this charge, because, over the years, the man's imperfections have not escaped my keen eye."

Back then, Cohen felt McCain's onetime POW status gave him the edge over the Democratic presidential candidate.

[smartvoter]

1. k&r nt

[democracy1st]

2. K & R thanks Amerigo Vespucci

Cohen says
However, Cohen concludes in his Wednesday column on McCain, "Karl Marx got one thing right -- what he said about history repeating itself. Once is tragedy, a second time is farce. John McCain is both."


priceless:kick:

[Hepburn]

3. Excellent article....K&R! n/t

[Window]

4. Good on him. K/R.

:kick:

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Now the rest of the lunatic fringe-biased M$M shills should come out and admit their guilt.... n/t

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. McCain's meltdown is just beginning

I include his polls, temperament and his choice for VP.

I see critical mass being reached in the past two days.
The cooling towers will not be able to handle it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. It's like a burger commercial

You see a burger on TV..."The Western Bacon Cheese Whopper...1/4 pound of delicious flame-broiled beef, served up with onion rings, blah blah blah blah blah..."

So the average TV viewer races to their local fast food joint and orders one, only to find out that it's cold, it tastes primarily like SALT, the lettuce is starting to go bad, etc. etc. etc., and it cost them six bucks.

The post-9/11 America eagerly embraced the manufactured image of Bush as the "kick-ass cowboy." Instead of learning the lesson, they fell in love with the dynamic combo of Granddad POW and the Moose-Dressing Lipstick Pitbull Mom.

Awareness tends to spread in concentric circles. If journalists and people from the inner circles of politics are starting to have buyers' remorse, those feelings will eventually work their way out to Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Lunchpail. Sad to say, there are still a significant amount of voters who wait for someone else to tell them what to think and how to vote.

The "Average" American knows that the economy is in rough shape and that we're still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But look at that burger! Can't you just TASTE it? Don't you WANT one?

That kind of logic doesn't have legs. Eventually, the concept of four more years of George W. Bush will sink in.

:patriot:

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. I remember going into a Jack in the Box years ago

It was a really smoggy day, I had a cold and starting coughing a little in line,
it wasn't from the smog though.
I said 'smog alert' and pointed outside to the sky. Before I knew it
there were about 6-7 people coughing.

I like your analogy, after the food reviews are in and the health board says there
are cockroaches in the kitchen, people might stop going to those types of restaurants,
because of the cheap food and the advertising hype.

[Hope And Change]

7. K & R!

[Mme. Defarge]

10. K&R - n/t

[Neecy]

11. perfect phrasing

Choosing Palin WAS a form of 'personal treason'. To take the chance of turning the country over to someone so unqualified, and so batshit insane, IS treason.

[Supersedeas]

12. Richard Cohen is promoting his own "KEEN EYE" but at that same time a Johnny Come Lately

Keen intermittently??

[roguevalley]

13. he should plead guilty because he 'knew' this stuff and still was a

tool. he's still a tool.