Senator John McCain, is no longer getting the ink he deserves as the MSM anoints Giuliani, Romney and Thompson the Repub top tier. This is probably a mistake. Maybe not as big a mistake as McCain’s decision to visit fundamentalist Bob Jones University, (see Chapter 9, Elements of Persuasion for details of why) but still short sighted. As McCain’s enforced stay in the Hanoi Hilton proves, he is at his heroic best when in a tight place. With only $2M in the bank (Romney has $12M, Giuliani $15M) and media buys fast approaching, McCain has come out swinging.
"One of the other Republican candidates made an extraordinary statement yesterday. Former Gov. Romney yesterday proclaimed himself the only real Republican in this race… In fact, when he ran against Ted Kennedy, he said he didn’t want to return to the days of Reagan-Bush. I always thought Ronald Reagan was a real Republican. When he refused to endorse the Contract With America, I don’t think he was speaking for Republicans. And when he was embracing the Democratic position on many major issues of the day, I don’t think he was speaking for Republicans…"
“You might not always agree with me on every issue, but I hope you know I’m not going to con you. The most important thing we have in this life is our self-respect. And I’m not going to trade mine for anyone’s vote or for any office."
Straight Talk is McCain’s signature style. He may just be getting his second wind.
“Straight Talk is McCain’s signature style.”
Whether or not it’s his style, it’s certainly his story. Plus, I think he might actually believe it.
I think Mc Cain is pretty forth right. That’s what I meant to say. You don’t? Enlighten me – I’m always interested in you thinking. At least Mc Cain is willing to take a position and live with the consequences. He went through a weasel period for awhile. I’m hoping he is done with that now. I wish he didn’t look so grumpy though. I guess you can’t have everything.
“At least McCain is willing to take a position and live with the consequences.”
The 2000 primaries were a real eye-opener for me regarding politics in general. I detested his positions on a host of issues (particularly CFR) that I concluded after much research and reflection were really tied to his fundamental misunderstanding about the nature and normative purpose of government.
The intellectual laziness that precedes this misunderstanding also causes inconsistencies in his positions, which make it impossible to reconcile them with a unified philosophy that transcends beyond his own personal “gut feeling.” “Gut feelings” rarely make for good legislation.
There are other issues regarding his courage to be forthright, such as the back in ’98 or ’99, when the Keating politician was given the opportunity on the Senate floor, while promoting campaign finance reform, to publicly name the politicians he said (also on the Senate floor) were corrupted by the influence of money in campaigns, and he demurred.
Again, I think he believes what he says, and I don’t think him wrong on that score, but if that’s the only mark of a “straight talker,” the bar is set pretty low.
A lie is when someone says something untrue when he knows it to be untrue at the time he says it. By that standard, McCain probably (although it would be tough to verify) says what he believes to be true.
However, one can be intellectually dishonest by refusing to confront the contradictions of the positions he takes. It is in this last way I believe McCain to be dishonest and unworthy of the accolades many want to give him for being a straight talker (which is in most contexts considered “being honest”).