April 06, 2008
McCain: Straight talk my eye
John McCain is on Fox News Sunday being interviewed by Chris Wallace. The host sets up a question by quoting McCain's statement from last month, when the GOP candidate said this about one of his rival's qualifications:
"In all due respect, [Obama] does not understand the elemental, fundamental elements of national security and warfare ... [American voters will] understand, if they don't now, that he has no experience or background on these issues."
Wallace then asks, if, in light of that opinion, Obama is qualified to be the Commander in Chief.
McCain responds that it's not for him to say whether a candidate is qualified; the voters will decide that. If they elect someone, then he's been deemed qualified for the position.
Wallace tries again, because McCain had dodged the question. The host reminds his guest (for the second time in as many minutes) that he has previously said that Obama has no experience in foreign policy, in military affairs, and the natural inference is that Obama is, in fact, not qualified to be president.
So, Wallace asks, in your opinion is Obama unqualified to be the command in chief?
McCain shucks and jives, punting again to the electorate, saying it's not his place to say whether his potential opponent is qualified or not; that's up to the electorate. McCain will only say that in his opinion, he's more qualified than his opponents.
He then adds a line about people being able to say that Jack Kennedy wasn't qualified to be president -- an interesting comment for him to make, notwithstanding the fact that JFK was a decorated war veteran who was also a student of international affairs.
And domestic affairs.
Ahem.
Anyhow, McCain won't cowboy up and reiterate his end-of-March criticism of Obama, but neither will he repudiate it.
The best he'll do is weasel, wiggle, obfuscate and filibuster, just like any other Washington windbag or Congressional crapweasel.
So much for the vaunted McCain straight talk.
For crying out loud, the man's ostensibly fighting for the most important elective office in the Western world, and he can't bring himself to knock the qualifications of a man who's manifestly unqualified to be president.
John McCain has seemed happiest beating up on Republicans and conservatives for much of the last decade; rare is the day when I can recall him laying into a Democrat with the savage glee he reserves for his perceived enemies on his own side, in his own party.
This is just more of the same, being given an opportunity to deliver an uppercut to a liberal Democrat with a huge vulnerability, and choosing instead to not just pull the punch, but taking a pass on swinging at all.
The man is infuriating.
Posted by Mike Lief at April 6, 2008 03:08 PM
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Comments
Yes, infuriating.
He reminds me of someone who repeatedly has had the opportunity to take advantage of his unique record, but who hasn't gone beyond the posturing.
Do you know anybody like that?
Posted by: The Little Coach at April 6, 2008 05:18 PM
Sounds like the question was a 'gotcha.' As soon as McCain admitted that lacking foreign and military policy experience was a disqualification for the Oval Office, Wallace could draw an equivalency to McCain's self-admitted weakness on economics.
Posted by: Dan at April 6, 2008 06:38 PM
Dan, maybe so, but to put it in military parlance, McCain's being a chickenshit here. Either stand by what he said or take it back, but don't give me -- don't give us! -- any of this equivocal, "Who am I to judge?" crap.
If he doesn't think Obama's qualified to be president -- much less homecoming king -- then don't get coy with the electorate. Answer the damn question.
As to the "Gotcha!" that Wallace may have had waiting, McCain has to know that the Democrats are ready to kill him with his self-professed ignorance of economics. If he doesn't have a ready answer for someone like Wallace, then he's toast come the general election.
Posted by: Mike Lief at April 6, 2008 07:00 PM
Hey, I'm not defending the guy. I think he's a schmuck.
Posted by: Dan at April 6, 2008 10:28 PM