Bush & McCain: Not the Same
Hang on to your voter-registration card. What I'm about to say may come as a shock.
A vote for John McCain is not a vote for the Bush Administration.
Some of my Democrat friends and I had a long discussion about this topic recently, and I was depressed to hear just how little they know about McCain. They are, of course, riding the Barack Obama wave of "change," but when it comes to specifics, they're hard pressed to discuss anything literal. They speak in platitudes and seem to be out of touch with reality.
When they do discuss McCain, they speak of him as though he hasn't battled President George W. Bush on major issues over the years, as though he didn't draw a clear dellineation between himself and Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. They speak of McCain as though he never reached across the aisle to work with Democrats in an effort to side-step the impasses reached so often by stalwart politicians who were bi-partisan only in their unwillingness to work together.
It was only after I read this story at CNN.com that I was reminded once again of just how pervasive this accusation is about McCain and Bush being in lock-step. CNN's Wolf Blitzer points out that McCain differs with Bush by wanting to close the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and addressing global warming.
One of the most important areas where McCain differs from Bush, believe it or not, is on the war in Iraq. McCain has acknowledged his distaste for the war, and his belief that faulty intelligence got us into it. Now that we're there, however, McCain realizes there are no easy answers for extrication from that war-torn and ravaged part of the world. For whatever reason, we're there. The only path is to finish the job. Obama has no military experience, and neither does Hillary Clinton. I know McCain's 5 1/2-years as a prisoner-of-war is an old tune, but the reason it continues to be sung is because he is the only candidate who is familiar with the ravages of war, and subsequently, he is the only candidate who understands the minds of our military men and women. I certainly don't, but I don't pretend to, either. Americans -- and more importantly American troops -- want ... no...they need a commander-in-chief who understands combat and the constant stress of fighting a war.
There are dozens of other areas where McCain parts ways with the president. What strikes me as interesting is that just a month or two ago, the complaint from many conservatives was that McCain didn't do enough to further the Bush agenda. Now we have liberals complaining that Bush and McCain are too much alike.
The truth is, John McCain and George W. Bush are nothing alike -- and that should be a breath of fresh air for conservatives mourning the "Armies of Compassion" that were lost so long ago.
Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
Comments
Good article, but you made a mistake in calling John McCain a “soldier”. You are only considered a soldier in the Army. John McCain was an officer in the Navy.
McCain is senile and a liar. Is that that difference?
You are trying to push us to support John MCain like you manipulated us to support Bush. I think I am so tired of the GOP. Especially with the way Huckabee was treated. There is just no way I can support the GOP. Except there are drastic changes made. I am ready to stay out of the election of support Obama if he wins. I don’t agree with him regarding the stand on serious issues concerning abortion and other things. But the GOP has been very hypocritical and they think dangling the judges to us will me us support MCain. No way! I have come to realize there is no difference between the GOP and the DNC. The same kind of scandals happenning in the DNC are also prevalent in the GOP. Bush has truly been a big disaster and I remember how social conservatives were mobilized to vote for him. I think if the GOP looses, there will be the opportunity to sit out of the with house, be the minority in the Senate and Congress and there will go back to the strong fundamental principles that will give every part of the part respect and equal opportunity.
First, I never supported Bush for president in either 2000 or 2004. I knew it would be a disaster. Conservative friends of mine who backed him in 2000 came around to my way of thinking in 2004 (and these were people within the Bush White House, who saw the change of tone first-hand). I don’t vote a particular party line myself, I just happen to believe McCain will be better than Obama and certainly better than Hillary. People seem to forget that McCain was considered a GOP maverick up until last year — when he was considered out of the race. As for the treatment of Huckabee, McCain never asked him to step out of the race (as Obama has done to Hillary). In fact, he encouraged him to run as long as he wanted because “it was his right as an American.” Perhaps mainline GOPers wanted Huckabee out, but not McCain.
It is more important to understand what change means to Obamn-Clinton prevaricators. Socialized medicine since Medicare has changed the physician-patient contract to the largest industry that produces more money for the Central Government. This was aggrivated by the conversion of not-for-profit hospitals into profit centers for the “Healthcare Industry” which siphons off profit and taxes from premium dollars. The Socialist-Democratic Party may never achieve complete Socialst goals, but they sure suck-up the workers wages in the process of trying new ‘change’. Beware of your goals, you’ll probably get them and the Healthcare Industry is headed for collapse.
John McCain is a really good candidate. I wish he’d beaten Bush for the nomination in 2000, because I think that if we were looking back on 8 years of President McCain, our country would be in much better shape than it is today. I can’t think of any candidate, of either party, who would have been more prepared to confront 9/11 than McCain.
Justin: McCain’s age should not be a factor. If Hillary Clinton runs in 2016 (at which point she’ll be roughly the same age as McCain), Democrats who say stuff like “McCain is senile” today will have to eat their words.
Easier to do, I realize, when one is posting anonymously…
There is so much incredible misinformation in this article and in the respondents’ understanding of candidates and issues, it is difficult to know where to start.
Perhaps it is more important to just note the facts about at least the candidate of focus:
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”4
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.5
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be.
This article is basically untrue.
Read the PNAC’s document “Rebuilding America’s Defenses.” http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf. Notice it was written before 9/11 or the 2000 election. Note the authors: Kagan, Schmitt, Donnelly. Kagan and Schmitt are current McCain advisors. Donnelly is still active in plotting the war: He was one of the main surge planners, and of course McCain was one of its biggest supporters. [http://www.examiner.com/a-844077~Arm_chair_generals_help_shape_surge_in_Iraq.html]
The ties between McCain and PNAC are too numerous to list. You can look at McCain’s list of advisors — how many have close PNAC connections? Dan McKivergan the deputy director of PNAC used to be the legislative director for McCain. PNAC founders Bill Kristol and Randy Scheunemann, James Woolsey. Take a look at this article on the PNAC site, dated 1/30/1998, signed by Kristol and Kagan, keeping in mind that these are close advisors to McCain. http://newamericancentury.org/iraq-01309…
Here are McCain’s exact words in Meet the Press, broadcast January 6, 2008: Russert first said: President Bush has said, “Even if I knew he did not have biological, chemical, or a nuclear program, I still would go into Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.” Would you have? McCain: “Yes.” MR. RUSSERT: So, bottom line, the war was not a mistake. SEN. McCAIN: The war, “the invasion” was not a mistake. You can watch the entire interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-1ewpNwFgI
How do you rationalize that quote?
If you approve of Bush’s invasion of Iraq, then you should have no problem voting for McCain, but if you think the strategy was a mistake, then you really do need to understand that McCain honestly and truly was one of the people who helped create the strategy.
McCain’s Real Comments at YouTube. About 4:15-4:34 minutes into it.
“The problem in Iraq, my friend, was not whether we went in or not; it was the way it was mishandled after the initial invasion. If we had done it right, you and I wouldn’t even be discussing it now. What we knew at the time, every single intelligence agency in the world thought he had weapons of mass destruction. The invasion was not a mistake. The handling of the war was a terrible mistake.”
Let’s make sure the whole story is told and not just McCain’s parsed, out-of-context quotes.
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”
Um, are you saying this is a negative thing? I salute him for that.
oh! yes, I finally get! You are right, What you are simply trying to say is that Mccain is in total disagreement 10% of the time. Thank you for clearing up my misunderstanding of Mccain.
John McCain was arrogant and dismissive in the debates last evening. He was also arrogant. His body language said it all. Even if you don’t like your opponent, don’t you at least show respect?
This same arrogance is perpetuated in the current administration and has helped lead to the state of America today. An they (the Republicans) still don’t get it.
Barack got it right. He states that you can not have the most powerful nation in the world and have a broken economy! No on is listening.
Whose failed policies have broken our economy and left us vunerable?
Whose friends and cronies benefited and gotten filthy rich most from these acts? These acts which have left people destitute?
Look long and hard at the other failed business dealing of our current leaders.
Is there not a pattern of misuing religon and God to fool the innocent voters while at the same time robbing them blind in the name of God?
Pharisees and Saducees. Jesus didn’t have many nice things to say about them. How can you continue to have your ears tickled by the people? Has your life improved in any way economically or religiously under the current administration? Have they restored prayer in school? Have they made the school system better? Have they been prudent wards over the monies (tax payers dollars) we, the public, have trusted them with?
Why did Dick Cheney move his personal money overseas a couple of months ago? Did he know something in advance about the coming financial crisis made by this administration that we didn’t?
Of course he did. All the haves and the have mores have secured the monies they robbed from taxpayers and have left us high and dry.
And you want 4 more years of this? An old coot and a backwoods soccor mom to represent the US?
John McCain, by his very body language, did everyhting but call Mr.Obama “boy” last night. This was arrogance at it’s worst. A lot of the leaders of other countries that he would have to deal with will be people of color as well. Is that the way he intends to treat them, too?
He and his arrogant ilk better wake up and understand that other countries are becoming and plotting against us. They know our current financial situation. The Republicans have sold us out a long time ago and you people still want more.
Unbelievable!
It would be extremely wise in reconsidering your and the mainstream media and the general public view on this election. I’m giving you this advance warning a head of the election date. Warning! Obama IS A dangerous man, and IS playin with your mindset of judgement.
I recommend you research his true agenda for our country, to control OUR MILITARY, on humanevents check out Barack Obama Exposed report, the truth of him is there.
I urge you to read this. You may not like John McCain, but Obama is alot worse. HE (OBAMA) IS GOING TO MAKE OUR WAY OF LIFE A REAL NIGHTMARE! - He also wants to ban our civil right from owning guns - not a joke - our right to bare arms is our counstitunal right.
Please Reconsider your vote. Do your research on him. obtain the knowledge - Don’t be stupid enough to take the speeches he broadcasts on the radio, tv, internet - It’s all a lie. He is going to kill us all not joking.
Please reconsider your decision of the upcoming elections.
I’m giving you this advanced warning - Sen. Obama is a dangerous man. Obama will make our way of life a real nightmare,
(worse then most of what you currently think of President Bush.) Go to about.com and check out the report of Barack Obama Exposed! He is going to make our lives a realistic NIGHTMARE! Please do yourselves the favor and reconsider. By reading Barack Obama Exposed you’ll know his true agenda for our country. You may not like John McCain, but Obama is worse - not joking. I’m urging you all get the facts before you vote. Some things he wants to do is most americans who has a gun, he wants to ban them, taking away our civil constitutional right to bare arms, Obama is playin with your minds - Don’t let him. Get your facts straight before you get to the polls to vote. One more time please reconsider.