28 February 2008
George Will on McCain
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: Presidential Election 2008 .
It is a relief to read this column and see others feel about Senator McCain the way I do. His self-righteousness is disturbing. When someone sincerely believes their own twists with the truth, they become dangerous, especially when they are in a powerful position. After reading the portions of George Will’s article that I’m sharing, ask yourself if this is the person we want dealing with foreign entities.
McCain in a glass house
By George WillDemocrats, whose attachment to campaign reforms is as episodic as McCain’s, argue that having made such uses of promised matching funds, McCain is committed to taking them and abiding by spending limits — which would virtually silence his campaign until the September convention. This would be condign punishment for his argument that restricting spending does not restrict speech. But Bradley Smith offers him some support…
When Smith chaired the Federal Election Commission, he voiced skepticism about the wisdom and constitutionality of aspects of McCain-Feingold’s campaign regulations. McCain responded characteristically, impugning Smith’s character. When, at a 2004 Senate hearing, Smith nevertheless extended his hand to McCain, McCain refused to shake it.
In 2001, McCain, a situational ethicist regarding “big money” in politics, founded the Reform Institute to lobby for his agenda of campaign restrictions. It accepted large contributions, some of six figures, from corporations with business before the Commerce Committee (e.g., Echosphere, DISH Network, Cablevision Systems Corp., a charity funded by the head of Univision). The Reform Institute’s leadership included Potter and two others who are senior advisers in McCain’s campaign, Rick Davis and Carla Eudy.
Although his campaign is run by lobbyists; and although his dealings with lobbyists have generated what he, when judging the behavior of others, calls corrupt appearances; and although he has profited from his manipulation of the taxpayer-funding system that is celebrated by reformers — still, he probably is innocent of insincerity. Such is his towering moral vanity, he seems sincerely to consider it theoretically impossible for him to commit the offenses of appearances that he incessantly ascribes to others.
Such certitude is, however, not merely an unattractive trait. It is disturbing righteousness in someone grasping for presidential powers.
4 Comments so far...
Cameron Says:
28 February 2008 at 1:37 pm.
I was just reading the conservation about using the term ethicist for people with obviously no ethics. Reading how McCain is a situational ethicist really hits home.
Chuck C Says:
28 February 2008 at 1:43 pm.
Compare McCain’s actions to Jefferson’s personal creed: “Never to engage, while in public office, in any kind of enterprise for the improvement of my fortune.”
And Henry Clay, upon his resigning from the Senate said, “I have been actuated by no personal motives… no promotion from the advocacy of those various measures on which I have been called on to act — that I had an eye, a single eye, a heart, a single heart, ever devoted to what appeared to be the best interests of the country.”
Cameron Says:
28 February 2008 at 2:03 pm.
When I compare McCain with people like Jefferson and Clay, I feel a little concerned. Okay understatement.
Cavetrollhead Says:
28 February 2008 at 7:58 pm.
Don’t you guys remember that Romney’s campaign was being run by lobbyists?
Remember how much air time that got. The MSM didn’t lie though. They just said “so and so said . . .” That is how they do it. But McCain got a complete pass by the press.- until now.
The MSM will pick up on the lobbyists running McCain’s campaign now, unless they want him to win the general.
Chuck you have repeated yourself on that point. You must being aching to say something on that. Are you hinting that McCain has engaged in self serving enterprise other than political power? Or is it just political power that you are referring to?
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