Comment & Debate
Ralph Peters. “John McCain’s Integrity Problem”. Real Clear Politics. July 23, 2007 – Niche-issue voters terrorize the primaries where candidates speak with all the integrity of a teenage boy pawing his girlfriend in the backseat. The race for the presidential nomination emulates American Idol and, especially during the primary season, it’s a race to the bottom.
Last week, Senate Democrats staged a goofy political stunt, a legislative pajama party. Here are two brief excerpts from the statement John McCain delivered in the Senate in the early morning hours:
“…No battle will have been won or lost, no enemy will have been captured or killed, no ground will have been taken or surrendered, no soldier will have survived or been wounded, died or come home because we spent an entire night delivering our poll-tested message points, spinning our sound-bites, arguing with each other, and substituting amateur theatrics for statesmanship.
“…The public’s judgment of me I will know soon enough. I will accept it, as I must. But whether it is favorable or unforgiving, I will stand where I stand, and take comfort from my confidence that I took my responsibilities to my country seriously, and despite the mistakes I have made as a public servant and the flaws I have as an advocate, I tried as best I could to help the country we all love remain as safe as she could be in an hour of serious peril.”
Can you imagine any other would-be candidate speaking those words? Convincingly?
“The Examiner endorses McCain-Palin”. SF Examiner. 24 Sept. 2008 – McCain’s adult life has been devoted to this nation’s service, including five excruciatingly painful years in a North Vietnamese prison cell in which he provided his countrymen a stirring example of honor lived. He came home, completed his Navy career with distinction, and was elected to Congress – where, as he delicately puts it, he has “never been elected Miss Congeniality.” He has since been an unwavering voice for strong national defense – from support of President Ronald Reagan’s bold leadership in winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union to his courageous, early advocacy of the successful U.S. military surge in Iraq.