A Moment That May Come to Define John McCain
In the long history of democracy, there have been countless examples of politicians who have mortgaged their integrity in order to win an election. Rarely, however, have we been able to witness the precise moment in which a once respected politician cashed in his last remaining shred of integrity. But today such a moment occurred, and it was captured on film.
Today, John McCain delivered what I'm fairly confident historians will someday refer to as his "Manchurian Candidate" speech. Following in the footsteps of his running mate--who over the weekend accused Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists"--John McCain gave a speech today in which he went out of its way to imply that Barack Obama was some sort of secret Islamist candidate. Here are some of the key points he made:
-"I didn’t just show up out of nowhere – America knows me. You know my strengths and my faults. You know my story and my convictions. . . . You need to know who you’re putting in the White House – where the candidate came from and what he or she believes."
-"Even at this late hour in the campaign, there are essential things we don’t know about Senator Obama or the record that he brings to this campaign."
-"Senator Obama has taken in over 200 million dollars from undisclosed sources. We have already seen the potential for fraud because of his refusal to disclose his donors. His campaign had to return $33,000 in illegal foreign funds from Palestinian donors, and this weekend, we found out about another $28,000 in illegal donations. Why has Senator Obama refused to disclose the people who are funding his campaign?"
-"My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama?"
While the implications of this speech couldn't have been clearer, it was written so as to provide McCain plausible deniability. McCain did not himself mention Obama's supposed "terrorist ties" (leaving that to his surrogates and running mate). And he phrased most of his accusations in the form of rhetorical questions. Unfortunately, in an unscripted moment, one of his supporters took it upon himself to answer McCain's rhetorical question, to take the argument McCain was making to its logical conclusion. When McCain asked "who is the real Barack Obama?", a man shouted out "a terrorist!" As you can see in the video below, McCain clearly heard what the man said. It startled him and caused him to pause momentarily and make a strange expression. Though you can never truly know what is going on in someone else's head, I wonder if McCain wasn't thinking to himself--for at least a moment--"what am I doing? How could I have stooped this low?"
But if those thoughts did occur to him, they were fleeting. McCain gathered himself and continued with his speech. Tellingly, he passed on the opportunity to clarify that his opponent, a fellow United States Senator and the nominee of the Democratic Party, is not in fact a terrorist. If John McCain goes on to lose this race, I suspect that moment will come to be seen as the moment when he cashed in his last remaining shred of integrity. Here's the clip, for those of you who haven't seen it:
There's another element of this line of attack that isn't being commented on enough. Not only is this Manchurian Candidate argument morally repugnant, but it's highly reckless as well. It's one thing to convince your supporters to hate your opponent. That's all but unavoidable in politics. But this particular argument does more than invite hate; it invites vigilantism. To the extent people internalize this message--that Barack Obama is some of sort of dangerous impostor, a terrorist in disguise--won't at least some of them conclude that it is their patriotic duty to protect American from that threat? Indeed, at Sarah Palin's rally in Florida this morning, a member of the audience shouted "kill him!" as Palin again mentioned Obama's "terrorist ties." There are plenty of nuts out there, and this kind of rhetoric is exactly the sort of thing that could incite some of them to violence. It's beyond reckless. I honestly don't know how McCain can look at himself in the mirror at night.
Today, John McCain delivered what I'm fairly confident historians will someday refer to as his "Manchurian Candidate" speech. Following in the footsteps of his running mate--who over the weekend accused Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists"--John McCain gave a speech today in which he went out of its way to imply that Barack Obama was some sort of secret Islamist candidate. Here are some of the key points he made:
-"I didn’t just show up out of nowhere – America knows me. You know my strengths and my faults. You know my story and my convictions. . . . You need to know who you’re putting in the White House – where the candidate came from and what he or she believes."
-"Even at this late hour in the campaign, there are essential things we don’t know about Senator Obama or the record that he brings to this campaign."
-"Senator Obama has taken in over 200 million dollars from undisclosed sources. We have already seen the potential for fraud because of his refusal to disclose his donors. His campaign had to return $33,000 in illegal foreign funds from Palestinian donors, and this weekend, we found out about another $28,000 in illegal donations. Why has Senator Obama refused to disclose the people who are funding his campaign?"
-"My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama?"
While the implications of this speech couldn't have been clearer, it was written so as to provide McCain plausible deniability. McCain did not himself mention Obama's supposed "terrorist ties" (leaving that to his surrogates and running mate). And he phrased most of his accusations in the form of rhetorical questions. Unfortunately, in an unscripted moment, one of his supporters took it upon himself to answer McCain's rhetorical question, to take the argument McCain was making to its logical conclusion. When McCain asked "who is the real Barack Obama?", a man shouted out "a terrorist!" As you can see in the video below, McCain clearly heard what the man said. It startled him and caused him to pause momentarily and make a strange expression. Though you can never truly know what is going on in someone else's head, I wonder if McCain wasn't thinking to himself--for at least a moment--"what am I doing? How could I have stooped this low?"
But if those thoughts did occur to him, they were fleeting. McCain gathered himself and continued with his speech. Tellingly, he passed on the opportunity to clarify that his opponent, a fellow United States Senator and the nominee of the Democratic Party, is not in fact a terrorist. If John McCain goes on to lose this race, I suspect that moment will come to be seen as the moment when he cashed in his last remaining shred of integrity. Here's the clip, for those of you who haven't seen it:
There's another element of this line of attack that isn't being commented on enough. Not only is this Manchurian Candidate argument morally repugnant, but it's highly reckless as well. It's one thing to convince your supporters to hate your opponent. That's all but unavoidable in politics. But this particular argument does more than invite hate; it invites vigilantism. To the extent people internalize this message--that Barack Obama is some of sort of dangerous impostor, a terrorist in disguise--won't at least some of them conclude that it is their patriotic duty to protect American from that threat? Indeed, at Sarah Palin's rally in Florida this morning, a member of the audience shouted "kill him!" as Palin again mentioned Obama's "terrorist ties." There are plenty of nuts out there, and this kind of rhetoric is exactly the sort of thing that could incite some of them to violence. It's beyond reckless. I honestly don't know how McCain can look at himself in the mirror at night.
posted by A.L. at 8:14 PM
15 Comments:
There's no disgrace in losing a campaign for the Presidency. But to jettison any sense of decency and honor that one might have in a vain effort to win is just pathetic.
Senator McCain is disgracing himself, his office, and his party. We can only be thankful that he promised to run a "respectful" campaign on the issues, or things might start getting ugly.
Great post.
"Terrorist!" "Kill him!"
If either McCain or Palin had any decency they'd distance themselves from such vile sentiments. They do not, and instead their vile campaign is the Petri dish in which these fungi are thriving.
Sickening.
If we as a nation have any decency we'll only have to endure these two for one more month instead of four or eight years. McCain can continue to decompose and die in shame and Sarah can reflect on her failed career that was ruined by this hideous campaign.
At this point, how can Obama shake McCain's hand at the debate?
Obama MUST shake McCain's hand, musn't he? Leaving McCain hanging would backfire politically, would it not?
But in a certain way, a handshake seems to be a validation of McCain and his tactics. McCain doesn't deserve/merit having his handshake returned, that is certain.
Just trying to figure out the psychology of how that would play among "undecideds" -- it would be a profound "statement" (immediately followed by a concise and cutting explanation of course), but I'm sure I can't anticipate the majority reaction among undecideds.
Too risky while holding a lead I suppose. It's the kind of stunt McCain is more likely to pull (and might!). Can't say how that would play either.
I just know that either of these guys shaking the other's hand right now is the height of hypocrisy. That's understandable from McCain, but harder to accept from Obama -- thus my lingering over the idea.
oh get over yourselves.
Mccain was not calling Barack a terrorist -- there is NO evidence that he agrees with the heckler, and PLENTY of evidence that he does not.
instead, he is asking a bunch of legitimate questions that all undecided voters could be asking.
and how legitimate is it of you to condemn his use of a rhetorical device (repeated questions) to make his point --- when Obama continually uses rhetorical devices to make his points (i.e. "I get it", or "red and blue make purple" etc.) That's what good speeches are made of.
The American people are about to HIRE a president -- they have a right to ask a lot of hard interview questions... John McCain is just putting those questions out there. He is NOT inciting riot -- you have obviously held a WAY sheltered existence if you think this is incitement to riot or violence! It is incitement to THINK and to QUESTION.
this blog is a bunch of emotionalist crap, without an ounce of maturity or logic. And you are the one making illegitimate personal attacks, claiming the speech is "dangerous" -- not John McCain.
Oh, how dare he attack our BLESSED MESSIAH!
get over yourselves.
Here's hoping Obama holds true to form and laughs right in McCain's face. This sort of pitiful horse shit is worthy of only one response: RIDICULE
Candidates do not as a rule attack each other's integrity. Even George W. Bush had the apparent decency to distance himself from the Swiftboat attacks on John Kerry. He never directly spoke the lie about Al Gore "claimed to have invented the Internet".
Well, what are legitimate questions about McCain-Palin. Senator, is your campaign director peddling influence with the banking sector? What was your association with Charles Keating? Was the censure you received justified? Is it true you have major ties to the gambling industry? Did your wife pay off a major gambling debt for you in the late 1990s? What is your connection with the convicted felon G. Gordon Liddy? What are your views on your deceased father-in-law's connections to organized crime? Were you aware he was a convicted felon when you left the navy to work for him?
And, Governor Palin, have you ever discussed with your husband the circumstances under which Alaska might secede from the Union? Would such a discussion be treasonous for a Governor of a State? Did you ever feel that secession talk was treason? And why are you stalling in the Troopergate investigaion that you invited 6 months ago?
And so on ... if you think these questions are "guilt by association", or "legitimate questions a voter might ask", then that is up to you.
John McCain needs to remove the mote from his eye. It's big and crusty. And then maybe he could stop trashing Obama and stop marketing his image long enough to talk about his platform.
~wiley
OAWFL, you calling anyone "emotionalist" is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, quite aside from the fact that it's a little rich of you to call anyone sheltered if you fail to notice that there is genuine danger of Obama being assassinated by some fascist whackjob, and that McCain failing to repudiate the remarks made by some of his supporters could potentially add fuel to the fire.
AL, great post - and I agree with you that McCain's campaign is engaging in a despicable, dirty campaign at this point. But let's not kid ourselves that this is some type of watershed moment in John McCain's career in which he is trading in a career of integrity.
McCain's career is littered with events that call into question his integrity: Keating Five, covering up the story of American POWs left behind in Vietnam, and the Confederate flag incident in SC during the 2000 campaign are just a few.
And on his two supposed big issues (torture and campaign finance), McCain has proven himself to be a complete fraud. He rolled over for the Bush administration on the torture bill (but took the credit from the media). And earlier this year he rejecting public financing of his election after using the prospect of matching funds as collateral for a loan to obtain ballot access in the primaries.
McCain has been preoccupied by looking out for number one for quite some time. Though deeply regrettable, his recent behavior is really nothing new for him.
I agree w/ PL. I enjoy your writing, AI, but this post is premised on McCain once having some integrity. Have you read the Rolling Stone piece yet? I showed it to my Dad, who said "He always had a bad reputation in the Navy." My dad? A fellow A-4 pilot from the same era (but different carrier). McCain is a coddled, daddy's boy, with a mediocre mind, who benefited from nepotism much in the way of Bush Jr. He is a petulant, whiny, cry-baby; a philanderer and misogynist. He's a man without a moral compass, a win-at-all-costs war-monger; self-described as one with a "Napoleonic-complex." He has been loathed by "friends" and foes alike, at school, in the service, and in the Senate, even by fellow Republicans. He is undeserving of his (former) reputation as a maverick, reformer, moderate, or man of integrity.
The McCain/Palin stump speeches today were both appalling. Each speech spoke not of substance but to further divide the country, promote hate, racism and violence. They have lost all credibility and integrity. I trust that most voters will see through their rhetoric and will be as ashamed and revolted as I am that these two “mavericks” who seek the highest political offices would stoop to the lowest depths. Furthermore, although the comparison is a cliché by now, Hitler also promoted hatred in his stump speeches and then sought to expand his powers. Palin agrees with Cheney and wants to expand the powers of the vice presidency! Both McCain and Palin show utter disregard for the constitution and the values of our democracy. YUCK!
Tom Dickinson's excellent article, "Make-Believe Maverick," in Rolling Stone provides precisely the right background to understand McCain's current erratic behavior:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain
It's ironic that McCain's current meme of "who is the real Barack Obama?" leads one to look into who is the real John McCain. He wants voters to sense only the most superficial expression of "maverick," but in fact he is a profoundly flawed person who has palled around with extremely unsavory characters.
"Oh, how dare he attack our BLESSED MESSIAH"
who started this meme? I can't see that anyone on my side ever said he was going to save us.
It must some sort of fundie attack or sumtin.
(also nice fake name old goper hack)
Whenever I see people compare Mr. Obama to the "Manchurian candidate," it seems sadly ironic. I mean, which of the candidates spent a significant amount of time in a Vietnam POW camp? And keeps bringing said experience up? If I was going to brainwash a guy, I'd want him to seem as stereotypically American as possible. Certainly the guy with the most exposure as an adult to radical anti-American forces would be the best candidate for such brainwashing...
It's sad to say but with the recent comments of Sen. McCain he is still fighting the war in Vietnam within himself. Phrases like; "we have them just where we want them," fight, fight, stand up and fight," "My fellow prisoners! Huh! John McCain in not mentally stable enough to hold the office of the President and everyone should begin to say that and understand that McCain is very sick in more ways than one.
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