Monday, August 09, 2004
John McCain: Hero Or Whore?
I don’t know what to make of John McCain these days. Most days he appears to be one of the only honest politicians in Washington. His willingness to cross party lines to take a stand for what he believes is right is nothing short of commendable. But these days I have to question McCain’s judgement.
This past week we saw the release of a scathing anti-Kerry commercial by a Republican-funded group calling themselves Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. A commercial in which veterans claiming to have served in Vietnam with John Kerry, although none of them actually served on his boat, state that he has lied about his military record and is unfit to serve as our President. John McCain has called the ad "dishonest and dishonorable" and has called on the White House to condemn the ad as well. (The White House has declined to do so, stating simply that they have never questioned Mr. Kerry’s military service.)
Now if anyone should know about "dishonest and dishonorable" politics it is John McCain. While running for the Presidency in 2000, McCain was himself the victim of a smear campaign. In South Carolina, for instance, the Bush team push-polled some very damaging rumors concerning McCain’s history. Rumors such as McCain’s wife, Cindy, was a drug addict. They insinuated that McCain was mentally unstable due to his time in a POW camp and that he had collaborated with his captors. They even claimed that he had fathered an illegitimate black child with a prostitute. So when Joh McCain calls something "dishonest and dishonorable," you pretty much have to figure he knows what he is talking about.
Later in that 2000 campaign a group calling itself Republicans for Clean Air launched another smear campaign criticizing John McCain’s environmental record. The group ran a series of false and misleading ads in New York and other states prior to their respective primaries. What’s significant about these ads is the involvement of a woman by the name of Merrie Spaeth. Merrie Spaeth is now the media contact person for the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. So when John McCain states that the Swiftboat Vet’s attack against Kerry is "the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," he’s pretty damn close to the truth.
What makes me question whether John McCain is a hero or a whore is that despite all of these tactics used against him, he continues to campaign for George Bush. Even though the White House will not condemn the Swiftboat Vet’s ad, he continues to promote Bush on the campaign trail. McCain is allowing himself and his popularity to be used by the Bush administration for their own gain while John Kerry, his friend and fellow Vietnam vet, is being smeared by the same people who smeared him. To me this is like professing your love for a woman who screws your friends when you’re not around.
Where is that commendable John McCain who is willing to cross party lines and stand up for what he believes in? Where is his integrity? Where’s that honesty? It’s disheartening to see him allowing himself to be used like this.
So I ask you, the reader:
Is John McCain a hero or a whore?
This past week we saw the release of a scathing anti-Kerry commercial by a Republican-funded group calling themselves Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. A commercial in which veterans claiming to have served in Vietnam with John Kerry, although none of them actually served on his boat, state that he has lied about his military record and is unfit to serve as our President. John McCain has called the ad "dishonest and dishonorable" and has called on the White House to condemn the ad as well. (The White House has declined to do so, stating simply that they have never questioned Mr. Kerry’s military service.)
Now if anyone should know about "dishonest and dishonorable" politics it is John McCain. While running for the Presidency in 2000, McCain was himself the victim of a smear campaign. In South Carolina, for instance, the Bush team push-polled some very damaging rumors concerning McCain’s history. Rumors such as McCain’s wife, Cindy, was a drug addict. They insinuated that McCain was mentally unstable due to his time in a POW camp and that he had collaborated with his captors. They even claimed that he had fathered an illegitimate black child with a prostitute. So when Joh McCain calls something "dishonest and dishonorable," you pretty much have to figure he knows what he is talking about.
Later in that 2000 campaign a group calling itself Republicans for Clean Air launched another smear campaign criticizing John McCain’s environmental record. The group ran a series of false and misleading ads in New York and other states prior to their respective primaries. What’s significant about these ads is the involvement of a woman by the name of Merrie Spaeth. Merrie Spaeth is now the media contact person for the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. So when John McCain states that the Swiftboat Vet’s attack against Kerry is "the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," he’s pretty damn close to the truth.
What makes me question whether John McCain is a hero or a whore is that despite all of these tactics used against him, he continues to campaign for George Bush. Even though the White House will not condemn the Swiftboat Vet’s ad, he continues to promote Bush on the campaign trail. McCain is allowing himself and his popularity to be used by the Bush administration for their own gain while John Kerry, his friend and fellow Vietnam vet, is being smeared by the same people who smeared him. To me this is like professing your love for a woman who screws your friends when you’re not around.
Where is that commendable John McCain who is willing to cross party lines and stand up for what he believes in? Where is his integrity? Where’s that honesty? It’s disheartening to see him allowing himself to be used like this.
So I ask you, the reader:
Is John McCain a hero or a whore?
