John McCain went to Kerry in 04.

[ray of light]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/14/13472/0978/20/535941 The diarist points out John McCain's habitual changes without explanation. (And lies about what he did before he didn't before he did (or not))

Wonder why John McCain switched? Somehow, I can't help feeling that Bushco had something on McCain that made him do an about-face on the VP position.

[beachmom]

1. Yep. From what I understand of it from what Kerry has said, he

needed McCain to switch parties. In the end, McCain wouldn't do it, and the talks broke down. I do not question Kerry's judgment in all of this: if it was a sure way to win, then it was a good idea. Everybody knew Kerry/McCain working on the POW issue together, and in 2002 they introduced the CAFE bill. THK voted for McCain in the 2000 primary in PA. Then, what I think happened next, was that the Bush people met with him, and promised that he would be the Republican nominee in 2008. Although I will credit McCain for calling the SBVT "dishonest and dishonorable", he consistently shifted right with every passing day. He appeared at a convention that defamed Kerry, and actively campaigned for Bush, knocking down Kerry. Then after Kerry's loss, McCain was pretty mean in the press, saying Kerry needed to get back to work in the Senate, when Kerry WAS working in the Senate. Then Jerry Falwell, flip flopping on torture, etc., etc.

I will never blame Kerry for considering McCain as VP. It was a good idea at the time. McCain was practically a Lieberman type, nearly bolting from the Republican party. But now everything has changed, and now Kerry can full throat go after McCain on the issues with his conscience clear.

[ray of light]

2. You give more credit to McBush than I do. Because

even though he said that the SBVT were dishonest and dishonorable, he still campaigned for the person who that group was a front for. In my book, if something is dishonest, you don't talk out of one side of your mouth and do another.

If McBush had been serious and had refused to campaign with/for Bush until the SBLiars were stopping their lies, then it's likely that their b.s. lies would have stopped immediately. McCain's actions allowed them to have their cake and eat it too.

[Inuca]

3. My feeling about McCain's character

is that
1. he lacks consistency. It's not the exact word, but I do not know how better to put it. Most people are of course complex, good and not so good features, etc. But typically there is I think something like a defining core, like a magnetic center, psychologically speaking, that tends to organize/define that person's character. Not everything would be consistent with this core, but most important aspects would, and the rest is either less relevant in defining the person, or the exception that confirms the rule. Does all this babble make any sense? This difficult to define core seems to be missing in McCain's case. In my view, even his "legendary" maverick-ism is an example of this, rather than an actual proof of character and independent thinking.
2. I think he is a user, a manipulator of people. To some extent I guess most of us are, even more so I guess in the case of people that achieve a position of power. But there is using and then there is using. This is even more elusive that what I was trying to say above (and possibly even more nonsensical :-), I am no psychologist). But whenever I see him with Graham and Lieberman at his side I cringe and I almost feel sorry for the two acolytes (poodles may be a better word).

All in all, I do not think he is a very nice person. He probably has a certain "I do not know what" that is much more obvious in a personal relationship, for people that actually know him (I remember Hagel mentioning at some point his "great degree of charm" or something like that, it I guess it must be truckloads of it for him being able to take in people like Kerry, or Hagel for that matter). But he is erratic, not very thoughtful, and untrustworthy (nothing to do with his positions).

I just had a quick look at what I wrote, and it's probably just a bunch of nonsense. But it's too long to discard, so I will throw it out there for my everlasting embarrassment :-).