29/05: John McCain--The Only Republican Candidate Who Can Lead Us?
Category: General
Posted by: Tocqueville
Does Tom Coburn believe his own words when he says "John McCain, for all his faults, is the one Republican candidate who can lead us through our wilderness"? Of course, McCain is the only Republican candidate, so Coburn's words make little sense on their face, and Coburn does not say that McCain is the only Republican "who can lead us." To say that McCain is "the only Republican candidate who can..." is an embarrassing inanity.
Anyway, others, including Coburn, would lead better. In effect, Coburn is saying "our guy, with big and ugly warts and whom none of us prefer, is still somewhat better than their guy." An uninspiring announcement. Coburn is on the VP list for McCain (probably won't and shouldn't get the nod because of the small state and a state already in the red and because two senators is not a good idea). Maybe he is just dutifully pitching in and trying to remind McCain of a few things. But the word "remind" suggests that McCain once knew these things -- a dubious proposition. McCain is not a conservative, he is an opportunist. McCain does not perceive principles, he perceives moments.
Anyway, others, including Coburn, would lead better. In effect, Coburn is saying "our guy, with big and ugly warts and whom none of us prefer, is still somewhat better than their guy." An uninspiring announcement. Coburn is on the VP list for McCain (probably won't and shouldn't get the nod because of the small state and a state already in the red and because two senators is not a good idea). Maybe he is just dutifully pitching in and trying to remind McCain of a few things. But the word "remind" suggests that McCain once knew these things -- a dubious proposition. McCain is not a conservative, he is an opportunist. McCain does not perceive principles, he perceives moments.
A Waco Farmer wrote:
You and I disagree over whether McCain is an opportunist (your position) or a quirky principled contrarian, who admitted likes to be liked and who wants to be president (my position).
Maybe we will or maybe we won't revisit that disagreement, but the essential question of 2008 is this: who among the available possibilities makes the best president of the United States?
For me the answer is clear: John McCain.
For me, the most compelling reason is Iraq. On the other hand, and this is the most underreported point out there right now (and this I reserve the right to revisit for a longer post), there are many conservatives (and you may be one of them) who have lost faith in our mission in Iraq. I don't blame those conservatives. Reasonable people will disagree. But, for me, McCain and Iraq versus Barack and Iraq is night and day.
I still think we have a chance to come out okay in Iraq with someone who is invested in winning. I think Barack equals disaster for American foreign policy.