John McCain has made a lot of news lately by staffing his campaign with bold faced names. Clearly he’s bringing in the talent. But while perusing the Des Moines Register for commentary on McCain, I came across this comment from mid October that speaks to John McCain’s political horse sense.
Asked what his response would be to the possibility of Republicans’ losing control, McCain joked: “I think I would just commit suicide.”
The Republican senator from Arizona quickly added: “I don’t want to face that eventuality because I don’t think it’s going to happen. … I think we will do OK. It’s going to be tough, but I think we’ll do OK.”
McCain is still alive and kicking (flip-flop!), but perhaps his hiring decisions should be looked at with greater skepticism. Being a celebrity politician doesn’t mean that you necessarily have the best sense of what dynamics are at play in the country nor what is the right thing to do at a given time.
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37 Responses to “McCain’s Political Horse Sense”
Yeah, the “suicide” remark indicates that the Democrats’ best weapon against Old Lord McCain will be his own smart mouth. If only we can ensure there’s media present who’ll relay these hot-headed misstatements to the rest of us — where is Old McCain’s Sidarth?
Time to track the OldOne fulltime, I say.
By all means, Senator McCain. Please commit suicide. Think of it as your mea culpa to the Armed Forces for selling them out by rubberstamping Emperor Bush’s torture bill.
We are waiting to find the suicide note.
Is it over here? over there?
McCain is toast.
and according to his unSwift Boatless So-Called Veterns friends, we MUST doubt his entire war record and even so-called alledged capture and POW status. The man is a lying flake and may be even moire dangerous than Bush.
Flip Flop as all republicans do.
Photo of said event may be viewed here:
I’ll send flowers.
Considering all the shit they gave Alex Baldwin and others about not following through maybe we should haunt him with this promise.
As in How can the nation trust the word of a man who makes a clear promise and then goes back on it?
How do we know his entire life isn’t built on lies?
His is after all a war criminal.
“…And McCain makes gains by thoughtfully shifting his position to indicate that he is ‘pro-life’ when it comes to his suicide solution for the loss of a Republican majority. The entire country is rejoicing that his 8% idea of more troops in Iraq will be an eventuality. If it fails, he can still make gains by saying, ‘they should have listened to me in the first place.’ Allowing McCain to gain political ground for a failed idea that he, himself, proposed.”
John McCain is a total douche. The campaigns will show the country his true colors (and their ever shiftin positions).
I will happily make a generous contribution in his memory–to the Democratic Party. It would be nice if he’d do it before the end of the year so I can deduct my donation from this year’s taxes.
Even though I have not made up my mind on who I’d vote for in the 2008 Presidential Election, If the election was today I would vote for Senator John McCain. Our military deserves a President who understands what war is all about. From “Worth The Fighting For” by John McCain…”The experience did not cause me to conclude the the war (Vietnam) was wrong, but it did help me understand how wrongly it had been fought and led. I was not an embittered veteran before I enterend the War College, not am I now. But I did resent how badly civilian leaders had mismanaged the war and how ineffectually our senior military commanders had resisted their mistakes”. McCain also understands sacrifice as he wrote ” No national endeavor requires as much unshakable resolve as war. Before we enter one, we ought to know that most Americans share the commitment and are prepared to make the personal sacrifices it entails”
Senator McCain understands this, to me it does not matter if your Republican or Democratic, what matters to me is Prior Military Service, you must truly understand what war is before you send us over there to fight for such a noble cause.
I hear a current refrain in Iraq is” Iraq is a zoo and Bush doesn’t have a clue…one, two…three four…no more!”
McCain is going to be over 71 when he runs…just in time for another Conservative president lost in a cloud of dementia aka
Alzheimers.
I find it very interesting that our so-called “liberal media” didn’t pick up on this and make more of it. Just imagine if John Kerry or another Democrat had made a similar remark such as: “If the Democrats don’t take the House in 2006, I’m committing suicide” or “leaving the country,” etc.
John McCain is the politician who says what he does not mean, and mean what he does not say. How can we trust a presidential aspirant like that?
hrotea, Los Angeles, CA
You liberals have got it so wrong. The president is right, that’s why he’s the president. And he has surrounded himself with intelligunt people who, with their vast years of experience in the military and high office, he relies on for the most accurate assessment of the reality of Commie/Facist/Islamo plans to take over the world and take away our guns, just like you chickens want. That’s why he’s the decider, a do-gooder, and the MSM which is owned by liberal cut-and-runners like GE, Times/Warner, and Rupurt Mirdock are all in bed with the do-badders. He has a secret plan for total victory, so shut up, or else it won’t be a secret and the traitors win! Do you want to lose? All this talk about saving lives and money and you never thought about what’s good for America – Do you want to lose! I say we back him in whatever he wants to do because it’s good for America. Pinheads for Bush say: Re-elect Bush in 2008!
I CAN LOAN HIM THE GUN ANY TIME HE’S READY.CANT BE TOO SOON.
This is just one more in a long list of lies from the BS Express. If you want my vote John, I’m afraid you’ll just have to follow through on this one. Otherwise, how can I trust you?
As for McCain, his support for Bush, after giving McCain the finger on the “torture” bill (not to mention the 2000 South Carolina primary), trashed McCain’s principled statemanship qualitys. He has, sadly, become an excellent example of how low a politician will stoop to in order to become president.
If he did that does that mean the Democratic governor would appoint his replacement?
If you still think chimpco is doing a good job with the not so excellent Iraq adventure, by all means take yourself and your adult children to the middle east and support your preznit’s war.
you are few watts short of of 15 watt bulb, aren’t you Carl Gordon?
“to me it does not matter if you’re Republican or Democratic, what matters to me is Prior Military Service, you must truly understand what war is ”
Agree, which is why I lean toward Wes Clark or Chuck Hagel. We’ve had fourteen years of draftdodgers and slackers. That’s enough.
Isn’t McCain still crazy from when he was a POW?
I am not of opinion that McCain will win the the republican primary.
He will make noise and effect the primary contenders issues.
McCain proved he could not be trusted with upholding the Constitution and rights as Habeas Corpus. For example.
Chuck Hegal is a much better choice for Republicans.
Doesn’t seem logical that any Republican contender for ‘08 will have a huge negative over their prospective presidential hopes if they come from the ranks of the Senate and Congress especially. Let alone any White House flackies. Repub Gov’s have the best chance and thaat isn’t saying much. The establishment ‘08 repub hopefuls will be harshly dealt with.
Strategically, “winning”, in Iraq, is a poor goal to be contemplating. It will drain almost everything we have just to secure Baghdad, and our hold on that victory would be tenuous at best. In terms of weaponry and battle-hardened, professional soldiers, we have the finest military in the world. We know what our men and equipment can do.
We must redeploy, train and retrain those people and vigorously recruit the best, brightest, and toughest. Instead of falling off Mt. Everest, or Mt. Hood, they could find real adventure. The motivation is in the challenge.
We need to fight the war on terror like Bill Belichick runs the Patriots—look for our weak points and train to overcome them. Focus on the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. Training! Training!! Training!!! And more Training!!!!!
We redeploy—organize those courageous, capable men and women into specialized fighting and intelligence units that can go any where in the world on a moments notice to engage the terrorist enemy.
We must work to defeat that enemy without defeating ourselves in the process.
The War on terror will go on for many, many years. We must organize our Military into divisions and Units that can meet any threat at any time. Essentially the defensive posture of a coiled snake—ready to strike with deadly speed, accuracy and authority, anywhere, in the world, at any time.
Although individual fighters will sometimes be motivated by hate, a military force, cannot afford to be motivated by it, because hate ultimately blinds one to objective thinking, planning and execution. Those at the top must be clear thinking—and not confuse issues, or wars, or forget for a moment who the enemy is—not what he represents, but who he is.
Belichick despises penalties. He knows that they kill a
As far as McCain goes, the suicide remark is part of the craziness in the man we all should be wary of. A good man, a hero, no question, but he spent too much time in that hell hole. He is wounded mentally, and would be a danger if he held the highest office.
Oh if only…
As a longtime resident of Arizona I would help him any way I could.
There are some fine spots here at Grand Canyon, John…
A “think piece” and 25 responses to an insignificant quip, a throw-away line? What’s McCain’s sin here, that for 2 seconds he departed from robot political speak and spoke colloquially, saying something in the style one of my friends might use?
It’s just this kind of hyperbolic phrase-parsing that robs the humanity and sense of humor from politicians.
But people seem to like it when it’s against the other team. I’m against it when the Republicans were mocking the “Dean scream,” and when the Democrats do it to McCain, as in this story.
This “news” story is the perfect epitome of why politicians learn to speak like robots. It damages and lowers our political discourse.
Since the “straight talker” made us believe that he truly thought that Sen. Kerry meant to put down the troops with his botched joke, I say let’s give it right back to McCain. How would he like it if people kept asking him over and over if he thinks suicide is the answer, or if he thinks suicide is funny? And if he reponded that it was just a joke in bad taste, how would he like if people STILL didn’t take him at his word, just like they did to Kerry? Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, as Democrats are always held to a tougher standard.
Senator, do not follow Hitler and take with you Cindy. She looks in good shape and hardly used.
I’m an Arizonan and lifelong Republican, until last April. I still live in Arizona.
Watching the GOP’s descent into Protestant evangelism, crony capitalism, and expedient fascism was maddening and frightening.
But ultimately the Republican Party lost me with its willingness to trade rights for a false security. It is focused on grabbing power, not securing liberty. Luckily democracy still works here from time to time, and we took it away from them in November.
I voted for John McCain only once, in the 2000 presidential primary. I’ll never vote for the man again after he, Graham and Warner rolled over for the White House on the torture issue. Barry Goldwater is surely spinning in his grave.
McCain has decided he’d rather be president than right. He’s hiring Bush’s people, and selling himself to Bush’s base. Did he not notice that the nation is sick of Bush?
He will fade. Good riddance.
Thanks for letting me rant, and one last thing to the previous commenters: lose the “I wish he’d follow through on his promise” crap. It’s mean and stupid and unproductive. Instead, let’s get to work cleaning up the damage these power-mad fools have done to our nation in the past 5 years.
“Senator McCain understands this, to me it does not matter if your Republican or Democratic, what matters to me is Prior Military Service”
Senator McCain may understand it, but that’s not saying he didn’t sell it out for political gain. McCain has been 100 percent wrong when it comes to prognosticating about the future of this war. I see no reason to believe him.
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December 22, 2006 at 11:31am