McCain Plays the Martyr Card
I believe I have revealed my general feelings about the presidential candidates pretty thoroughly over the last year, for those paying attention. I am not an unquestioning Obama-zealot nor did I find Hilary unacceptable. But I did and do prefer Barack to Hilary.
However. We've got some serious 'splainin' to do. I must be brief here and now. But both the apparent willingness of Obama to vote for the appalling FISA bill with telecommunications immunity and his repudiation of Wesley Clark's perfectly apt statement to the effect that McCain's military service was not a Carte Blanche in terms of qualifications for the Presidency are very disappointing to me. What General Clark actually said, as compared to the typically distorted and sensationalized version trotted out in print and video, has been long overdue. In fact, a similar sentiment was expressed on this little blog not all that long ago.
This post at Daily Kos seems to me to capture the absurd martyrdom/victim posture that McCain keeps trying to work. It should be totally embarrassing. I know I am ashamed that apparently his degree of debilitation is so bad that he doesn't understand what a completely abject spectacle he is. That picture of him desperately and childishly clutching at mephistopheles, after the sliming he had been subjected to, says it all. He has become a truly pathetic spectacle for anyone actually paying attention. He will say damn near anything. I'm not sure I can think of a stand he has not flip-flopped on (aside from the idea that the occupation of Iraq was a grand idea and should continue more or less indefintely).
Sadly, the major tv network newsfolks and many of the print "journalists" have grown so fat on the BBQ'd hogs McSame and the mega-conglomerate/K-Street lobbyists serve them that they just keep sucking down the swill. The Beatles captured this media behavior well:
Everywhere there's lot of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives
To eat their bacon
I probably don't need to name names, do I? We know who they are.
Why is McCain such a delicate flower that any time he's in an election, he starts whining about being disrespected? Is he not capable of having an honest, vigorous policy debate without going into full martyr gear and accusing everyone of being mean to him?
Sack up, Mr. McCain. This is a Presidential election, and you've striven to be the nominee of your party for years. You've just spent eight years working side-by-side with the worst administration in our country's history, acting as their toady at every turn. Believe it or not, most people lost respect for you for THAT. I'm one of them.
You endured a horrible imprisonment for our country years ago, and we thank and honor you for it. But let's have some actual straight talk here: you've been thanked and honored for this exact thing for decades. Lionized, feted, canonized even. Maybe the problem is that you feel entitled to nothing BUT that at this point, but... if so, you shouldn't be running for President. It's not appropriate for a democracy to give anyone that office as a gift, without the proper debate.
What you want, Mr. McCain, is to be spared scrutiny. You want the office to be given to you by acclaim, and for ANY criticism of your record to be called an act of disrespect for your military service. It's a cowardly way to approach this election -- morally bankrupt and un-American.
*****
...Now look at that paragraph directly above. I have NO doubt that if you and your campaign were ever to read it, Mr. McCain you'd go into the very predictable, sustained high-pitched whine about about how this clown on a librul blog was denigrating your military service.
It's pure bullshit, Mr. McCain. And it's a tired, shopworn line of bullshit at that. I think you actually know very well that neither Obama or Clark were denigrating your service or your sacrifice. For God's sake, both of them went out their way to kiss your behind (yet again! on that score.
...But a little asskissing is never enough for John McCain. The alleged "straight talker" needs nothing but flattery and prolonged smooching of his own backside, 24/7, or he starts crying and stamping his feet.
John McCain, you don't have the moral standing to be President. Your military record is excellent -- though not, as Clark said, a sole qualification to be President. If it were, than ALL Republicans would have voted for John Kerry in 2004... instead of mocking his Purple Hearts and accusing him of lying about events that were very well-documented.
The reason you're not qualified to be President, John McCain, is that you're a profoundly dishonest man who lies routinely just for political convenience. And when you don't seem to be getting away with that, you lash out and hope to kill the debate by whining about you're not getting your ass kissed ENOUGH.
We don't need such a dishonest, thin-skinned President who thinks that country should be serving him, rather than the reverse. We already had that with your political boss George W. Bush. This country has already rejected him, and you will pay the political price for aiding and abetting him over the last few years.
If you want to debate that, well, let's go. Please, we're happy to engage that. Let's have at it. That's what elections are for.
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However. We've got some serious 'splainin' to do. I must be brief here and now. But both the apparent willingness of Obama to vote for the appalling FISA bill with telecommunications immunity and his repudiation of Wesley Clark's perfectly apt statement to the effect that McCain's military service was not a Carte Blanche in terms of qualifications for the Presidency are very disappointing to me. What General Clark actually said, as compared to the typically distorted and sensationalized version trotted out in print and video, has been long overdue. In fact, a similar sentiment was expressed on this little blog not all that long ago.
This post at Daily Kos seems to me to capture the absurd martyrdom/victim posture that McCain keeps trying to work. It should be totally embarrassing. I know I am ashamed that apparently his degree of debilitation is so bad that he doesn't understand what a completely abject spectacle he is. That picture of him desperately and childishly clutching at mephistopheles, after the sliming he had been subjected to, says it all. He has become a truly pathetic spectacle for anyone actually paying attention. He will say damn near anything. I'm not sure I can think of a stand he has not flip-flopped on (aside from the idea that the occupation of Iraq was a grand idea and should continue more or less indefintely).
Sadly, the major tv network newsfolks and many of the print "journalists" have grown so fat on the BBQ'd hogs McSame and the mega-conglomerate/K-Street lobbyists serve them that they just keep sucking down the swill. The Beatles captured this media behavior well:
Everywhere there's lot of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives
To eat their bacon
I probably don't need to name names, do I? We know who they are.
Why is McCain such a delicate flower that any time he's in an election, he starts whining about being disrespected? Is he not capable of having an honest, vigorous policy debate without going into full martyr gear and accusing everyone of being mean to him?
Sack up, Mr. McCain. This is a Presidential election, and you've striven to be the nominee of your party for years. You've just spent eight years working side-by-side with the worst administration in our country's history, acting as their toady at every turn. Believe it or not, most people lost respect for you for THAT. I'm one of them.
You endured a horrible imprisonment for our country years ago, and we thank and honor you for it. But let's have some actual straight talk here: you've been thanked and honored for this exact thing for decades. Lionized, feted, canonized even. Maybe the problem is that you feel entitled to nothing BUT that at this point, but... if so, you shouldn't be running for President. It's not appropriate for a democracy to give anyone that office as a gift, without the proper debate.
What you want, Mr. McCain, is to be spared scrutiny. You want the office to be given to you by acclaim, and for ANY criticism of your record to be called an act of disrespect for your military service. It's a cowardly way to approach this election -- morally bankrupt and un-American.
*****
...Now look at that paragraph directly above. I have NO doubt that if you and your campaign were ever to read it, Mr. McCain you'd go into the very predictable, sustained high-pitched whine about about how this clown on a librul blog was denigrating your military service.
It's pure bullshit, Mr. McCain. And it's a tired, shopworn line of bullshit at that. I think you actually know very well that neither Obama or Clark were denigrating your service or your sacrifice. For God's sake, both of them went out their way to kiss your behind (yet again! on that score.
...But a little asskissing is never enough for John McCain. The alleged "straight talker" needs nothing but flattery and prolonged smooching of his own backside, 24/7, or he starts crying and stamping his feet.
John McCain, you don't have the moral standing to be President. Your military record is excellent -- though not, as Clark said, a sole qualification to be President. If it were, than ALL Republicans would have voted for John Kerry in 2004... instead of mocking his Purple Hearts and accusing him of lying about events that were very well-documented.
The reason you're not qualified to be President, John McCain, is that you're a profoundly dishonest man who lies routinely just for political convenience. And when you don't seem to be getting away with that, you lash out and hope to kill the debate by whining about you're not getting your ass kissed ENOUGH.
We don't need such a dishonest, thin-skinned President who thinks that country should be serving him, rather than the reverse. We already had that with your political boss George W. Bush. This country has already rejected him, and you will pay the political price for aiding and abetting him over the last few years.
If you want to debate that, well, let's go. Please, we're happy to engage that. Let's have at it. That's what elections are for.
-clip-
posted by Sir Gumbo at 11:20 PM
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