Judging McCain by His Enemies

The unhinged right’s attack on John McCain tells us more about the sad state of the right than it does about John McCain. The Anchoress has a great analysis:

There has been some really shameful demagoguery against McCain from people who ordinarily would show some respect for a man who spent 6 years in a VietCong POW camp, too, which to my way of thinking says many more negative things about the sign-holders and aspersion-casters than it does about McCain.

UPDATE: Here is an except from ... the statement of a fellow POW of McCain’s who does not support him politically:

A friend, whom I know to be reliable, was across the hall and one door down, from McCain’s cell when McCain was first captured. He has told me that he saw Communist officers enter the cell where the wounded John McCain lay, incapacitated. He heard them offer McCain early release and heard John answer that he would go home when we all go home. He heard the voices of the officers rising until they were shouting angrily at McCain and threatening him. This was followed by screams of agony from John McCain, and a stream of obscenities from him. He could not see what they did to him and I never heard from John McCain what it was. This does not sound like a collaborator.

The man has a son in Iraq and one at Annapolis - he is undoubtedly a Patriot. To call him a “Benedict Arnold” as these people do is disgusting and out-of-line. It is, more than anything, what I find disturbing about the excesses of the far-right. - End Update

Want to make yourself sick to your stomach? Google the following - John McCain Benedict Arnold - and follow some of the links. All the way from the fringe to a mainstream figure as respected as Thomas Sowell, we are told not to credit McCain’s war record because - as the latter put it - “Benedict Arnold was a war hero but that did not exempt him from condemnation for his later betrayal.” Why not just call McCain a traitor and have done with it? Of course, if you descend into the nutroots of the right far enough, that’s precisely what you’ll find. (And, no, I’m not going to dignify them with a link. Google it for yourself, if you want.)

Ed Morrissey tracks one set of the scuillous attacks on McCain to some idiot named Jack Wheeler, whose insane rantings are being spun to claim that “McCain had been brainwashed and turned by the Communists as a POW and was now a Manchurian Candidate.” Morrissey calls out these people for what they are: “Pathetic. Disgusting. Rancid. Gutless.”

It’s not just the trolls, however. Sowell, Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, most of the Cornerites, Ann Coulter, et al. have done the man, the country, and the movement a real disservice by whipping up the fever swamp’s denizens to such a pitch.

I’m no McCain supporter. But if I hadn’t already thrown away my vote on Fred Thompson, I’d be tempted to vote for McCain just to flip his more noxious opponents the bird.

Posted on Tuesday, February 05 2008 | Permalink

"It’s not just the trolls, however. Sowell, Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, most of the Cornerites, Ann Coulter, et al. have done the man, the country, and the movement a real disservice by whipping up the fever swamp’s denizens to such a pitch.”

How dare they make substantive criticisms? Hewitt has said he will work as hard as he can for McCain to win the general, he just doesn’t see it happening. Coulter? Really she belongs in that group?

The demagoguery against those who challenge McCain’s ascendancy is a real negative:

1. Vetting him in the primaries will HELP conservatives support him - it gives them time to get over the visceral reaction to his insults and slanders (accusing those against amnesty of heading toward Jim Crow laws comes to mind) and his other under handed political actions. Then they can think about it rationally and pick the lesser of two evils in Nov. Do you really want this stuff breaking at Halloween?

2. By the by - most of the people you list have substantive criticisms of McCain not “demagoguery”. Some jerk clown insults McCain’s war record so everyone who doesn’t want him to win the nomination gets lumped in? This is like the European hate speech laws “you guys caused it by saying something unacceptable”.

3. It’s not like the major attacks on Romney have been better. We have normally respectable pundits, like yourself launching ad hominems at him, Huckabees on again, off again, on for the press attack ad, McCain lying about his record on the surge a day or two before the FL primary, and a variety of other insults. And while I’ll challenge the arguments made, I don’t fear them or try to silence them. Judge those making arguments by the arguments they make.

Cross posted on my blog

Posted by Brendan  on  02/05  at  11:26 AM

The right has every reason to become “unhinged” at the blatant disrespect and disdain John McCain has shown for the very principles he claims to embrace. Principles his record obviates.

What Dr. Sowell and others are trying to convey is that what John McCain withstood and what John McCain stands for are not the same thing.

War Hero? Absolutely - he showed leadership and a will to survive. That was 30 years ago and reflects nothing on the policy stances he has evolved to after 25 years in politics.

You have to be able to separate those who are attacking John McCain simply because they can from those attacking John McCain because he has shown an innate willingness to spit on the face of those he wants to support him. An ability to say anything to get elected.

His character today is what matters - not his character 30 years ago. They appear to be VASTLY different.

Posted by Joel (No Pundit Intended)  on  02/05  at  01:30 PM

Prof. Bainbridge wrote:  “I’d be tempted to vote for McCain just to flip his more noxious opponents the bird.”

Now you understand why this lifelong independent voted straight Democrat in 2006, and will do so again in 2008.

Posted by  on  02/05  at  02:00 PM

If conservatives should be angry at anyone it is George Bush (I’m with Peggy Noonan, he has wrecked the GOP). His wild spending, lying and crazed war will hurt the country for a long time.

A friend of mine flew A-4s off a carrier in Nam, and says it was an act of bravery just to strap in, let alone fly missions (one commentator today noted that McCain set a carrier on fire, implying McCain created danger where there was none,a rather stupid comment).

Romney made some snide remarks about Bob Dole, you know the Bob Dole who has a chest full of medals from WWII, and then had to do some furious backpedaling.

Limbaugh used to consider himself an entertainer, now that he takes himself seriously none of us should take him seriously.

The GOP right is in serious meltdown, and a lot of us will not vote GOP this fall under any circumstances. We may not vote at all inthe presidential race.

Posted by  on  02/05  at  09:36 PM

thanks for the link, Prof.

Question: what do you think of this woman for veep?

http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/02/06/heather-wilson-for-veep/

Posted by  on  02/06  at  02:48 AM
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Next entry: The Prospects for a Brokered Democratic Convention: Bumped

Previous entry: Bill Belichick: Film maker

Introduction


Recent Punditry Entries


Hot Topics on Food & Wine

Hot Topics on Law & Business


Punditry RSS Feed

Flickr

Archives

My Books



Blogroll