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I Miss the Old, Honorable John McCain

By Andrew Lachman
California Member
Democratic National Committee

I’ve been a Democrat for over 20 years now, but however much I disagreed with him, I have to admit I miss John McCain. There were many issues I disagreed with him on, but he always came across as a guy who understood honor, honesty and could be counted on to take a reasonable position when the interests of the country were at stake.

Not anymore.

The “new” John McCain we have seen in the 2008 election would make the old John McCain recoil:

• McCain used to stand on his principles, opposing the use of torture in interrogation and financially reckless tax cuts for the rich by neoconservative Republicans. Now he supports torture and wants to make the deficit-inducing cuts permanent.

• McCain authored legislation to reduce the influence of lobbyists and corporate money. Now lobbyists run his campaign and have shown their influence on his policies ranging from his support of unfettered oil drilling (while voting against alternative energy funding) to his opposition to sanctions against Iran (top McCain campaign aides Charlie Black and Rick Davis both lobby on behalf of Russian and Chinese manufacturers that do business with Iran’s oil industry) while advocating military action at the same time. In comparison, Obama refused to take any money from lobbyists, supports limited oil drilling and has sponsored the very Iran sanctions legislation that McCain has opposed.

• The McCain I admired worked across the aisle to find common ground and stood up to the intolerant wing and uncharitable wing of the evangelical movement that put opposition to abortion above caring for the children already here. The new McCain seems to have sold out to those interests in appointing underqualified western governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, solely because she satisfied these same forces more than Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) or Joe Lieberman did.

• McCain used to be accessible. When McCain was entangled in the Keating 5 Savings & Loan scandal in the 1980s, he answered reporter’s questions for hours, now he won’t even hold press conferences on his own plane and his Vice Presidential nominee is even more protected from any inquiry or questions. Any dissent or question, regardless of merit, is attacked as being “sexist” or part of a “liberal media conspiracy.” The McCain I knew didn’t believe in victims.

Most disappointingly, the McCain I once looked up to stood for honest campaigning.

Sure all candidates have to stretch the truth and push their point, not to the point of making statements that are outright false.

When GOP strategist Karl Rove says that McCain’s claims that Obama supports sex education for kindergarteners and that Obama wants to “lose” wars is taking things too far, that says something. I would like to believe that McCain I admired would have fired staff that failed to demonstrate minimal ethical standards. Now the more incredulous the claim, the more he stands by them. Tucker Bounds’ claim that Sarah Palin knows foreign policy because she lives near Russia and exercises minimal control over the Alaska National Guard is a prime example of this. What next? Does Palin know missile defense too because there are ICBM radar detection facilities in Alaska?

Remember when Bush campaign operatives in South Carolina falsely accused McCain of fathering an African-American child out of wedlock in order to appeal to racist voters in during a close and contentious primary? I now believe that the new John McCain, desperate to be President at any cost, would now condone the same tactics, encouraging his own operatives and allied organizations to use any statement out of context or passing acquaintance in any way possible to gain an advantage.

McCain’s condoning of such tactics also begs the question how McCain intends to build bipartisan cooperation when his tactics of fear-mongering and “win at any cost” threatens to leave permanent scars on the partisan landscape and his policies echo only the tired policies of the far right that led us to the crises we face today.

Gone from McCain is the consistency of principle he was once famous for. He pushes Mitt Romney, born into privilege, to attack Obama, who grew up in a lower-middle class broken family, as an elitist. He offers New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who is a paid lobbyist for the Saudi government to attack Obama and Biden on Israel when their record of support is far more stronger than Giulianis or McCain’s (Palin’s record on Israel is non-existent).

It makes me wonder if the old John McCain met the new John McCain, would he support him or for that matter even talk to him? I think John McCain would walk away in disgust.

Andrew Lachman is a member of the Democratic National Committee and President of Democrats for Israel Los Angeles.

Posted on September 22, 2008

Comments

"President of Democrats for Israel Los Angeles."

Isn't Barak Obama the one that wants to sit down and "talk" with Mahmoud Amadinejad of Iran? You know, the guy who is defying th eUN on letting nuclear inspectors into Iran to check out there weapons program?

And who also says he will "blow the Zionist state off the map"? Probably using said nuclear weapons?

Just WHAT is Obama's "record" on Israel that you give fleeting reference to at the end of your article? I think I mentioned it all here myself...He is only a first time Senator so must have REAMS in the Congressional Record and legislation proposed supporting Israel and specifically against the Iranian spoken threats...right?

Posted by: Jay Gould at September 22, 2008 09:13 PM

Obama said he supports direct, LOW LEVEL discussions with Iran (so does Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former CIA Director James Woosley), he sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act and has a long history of working with Chicago's Jewish community.

McCain voted against Iran sanctions twice. proposed direct talks with Hamas and proposed sending James Baker as a Middle East envoy and has not been the primary sponsor of any Israel-specific legislation.

Posted by: Andrew at September 22, 2008 10:30 PM

Andrew,

Obama DID say, "No preconditions" in "sitting down" with nations such as Iran. I saw/heard it myself.

So, he has "changed" his viewpoint then?

Lets get real: UN high level discussions with Iran led by Al Baredi (sp?) have FAILED in getting Iran to open up it's nuclear program. They are full speed ahead in developing their nuclear capability.

Iran saw how Saddam played the UN game for YEARS, including the violation of 17 UN resolutions...

So just WHAT makes Obama's "approach" to Iran that you state here any better than what has proven worthless in the past? Just WHAT could he do any different than hasn't already been tried before and failed?

Saddam ran out of time in developing his WMD's...

Iran still has it's clock ticking towards development of nuclear weapons...

Even Hillary was more decisive on Iran and it's possible attck on Israel than Obama has been thus far.

The wishful thinking vaccum of the left will be filled by real Iranian nuclear capability.

Posted by: Jay Gould at September 23, 2008 08:57 AM

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