because he has an uncanny ability to cut through the bs to the heart of the matter, to see through the verbal prestidigitation designed to mislead us and say the unvarnished truth. He has done it yet again in this morning's column in the Washington Post, entitled McCain as Messiah. And let me set your mind at ease - he comes not to praise McCain, but to bury him. Look at his brief opening paragraph:
John McCain is no silver-tongued orator, as he proved in St. Paul, but it's hard not to be stirred when he speaks of wanting only to serve a cause greater than himself -- until you take a closer look and see that he's running one of the most egocentric presidential campaigns in memory.
one of the most egocentric presidential campaigns in memory - does not that make you want to keep reading? I hope so, because below the fold I will offer more, both from Robinson and of my own reactions.
Robinson examines McCain's campaign in general, with especial focus on his acceptance speech. Noting the Republican's stte desire to "clean up the intolerable, unforgivable mess" of the past 8 years, during which he reminds us of Republican control and McCain's sometimes significant leadership role as a Senate Committee chair, he points out that
It's amusing to listen to a man in his fourth term in the Senate (after two terms in the House) rail against evil "Washington," as if he weren't one of this modern-day Sodom's most prominent denizens.
Yes, Sen. McCain, you have been a part of creating that mess you now claim as the reason you are running for President, in order to clean up that which occurred on your watch. It is odd to attempt to do so as the standard bearer of the party which just nominated you, because as Robinson rightly notes:
He's a Republican who doesn't entirely believe in modern Republicanism.
McCain does not just reject the recent Republican record, but much of its philosophy.
Oh, to be sure, he now signs on to those tax cuts he previously called fiscally irresponsible, and once upon a time in contradiction of the party platform he was willing to argue for meaningful immigration reform. And certainly we cannot hold candidates responsible for all that is in their party platforms, although I would note that the problem of contradiction between candidate and platform seems to occur far more frequently with Republican standard bearers as the elephants attempt through platform statements to appease a base that is much further to the right than the American people whose support is needed for victory.
Robinson highlights the areas in which McCain still differs significantly from his party. For example, despite supporting the idea of "drill, baby, drill" McCain acknowledges much of what Democrats argue about global warming, which certainly will not endear him to the James Inhofs of the world - or even some of the Sarah Palins, did she not lust so much for power herself. McCain presents himself as pro-life, but note, as does Robinson:
On abortion, the platform is uncompromisingly pro-life and mentions no exceptions for rape or incest; McCain believes there should indeed be exceptions. On embryonic stem-cell research, the platform says no; McCain says yes.
There are selections from the speech, not worthy my exhausting my limited ability to quote the op ed without exceeding fair use. Robinson writes that he cannot argue with the sentiment expressed in the quoted remarks. But he goes further, boiling it down to what McCain is really saying:
Those sound like great reasons to throw the Republicans out of town and give Democrats a chance to lead. But John McCain is arguing that he should be elected in spite of his party's many failures because, well, he's John McCain. He's special.
Robinson notes that the three "ordinary" families that McCain mentioned by name in the speech just happen to be from Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, states which he hopes he can steal from the Democrats. He then concludes his op ed with this:
But he offered no specifics on how the federal government under a McCain administration would make these families' lives one bit better. He pledged only that he, personally, would "fight" for them.
McCain and his campaign aides are right when they insinuate that one candidate is acting as if he thinks voters should accept him, on faith, as their political messiah. They're just trying to make fun of the wrong one.
Yep, in an almost Rovian fashion Robinson takes the criticism the Republicans are aiming at Obama, whose ego is certainly not small, and aims right back at McCain. Or to put it as Robinson does earlier in the column,
But after ridiculing Obama as a preening celebrity, if not a self-proclaimed messiah, McCain is campaigning on a platform that can be summed up in three words: me, me, me.
We can talk all we want about the half- and un-truths in the campaign speeches - by Palin, in the introductory video on Thursday, by Fred Thompson and other former rivals. That probably does not matter, because McCain is willing to paint with broad strokes, to attempt to obliterate any doubt by reminding us again and again of his supposed heroic stature because of his military background, and oh by the way did you know he was a POW? James Carroll, in a piece about which I wrote last night, offers a cogent discussion of how the idea of dishonor fuels McCain, even as his use of is military record is a violation of the sense of honor most who have served maintain.
But we cannot attack McCain on that. He has been successful at painting this as evidence of his heroic and noble character, even if Fred Thompson, in remarks that being on the teleprompter had to be vetted by the campaign, lies in telling the American people that McCain didn't crack, when the candidate himself has written about it. People heard the "poetry" and saw the imagery that accompanied it on the intro biopic video.
Contradictions between words and actions while in the Senate during a time when the current administration was wreaking havoc upon our economy, weakening our military and destroying our reputation is another matter. And one cannot paper that over by describing oneself as a maverick, not if we can insist upon an honest examination of the true record.
In fact, McCain has little in his Congressional record of positive achievement. McCain-Feingold is after all as much about erasing the obvious blot of his participation in the Keating Five as it is about real reform, especially when the Senator from Arizona finds ways of skirting the clear intent of that legislation in his lust for the oval office.
There is a clear difference between the two campaigns, and it can be boiled down to a simple contrast. Obama has all along made his race as about us, our needs, giving us the ability to make the changes that are necessary, from the bottom up. And McCain? Let me again quote from Robinson, something I have already offered: McCain is campaigning on a platform that can be summed up in three words: me, me, me.
The Bible tells us to beware of false messiahs. A true messiah is not about himself, but about those he seeks to save, perhaps best expressed in the phrase that greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. I am still waiting for McCain to explain why he wants to be president in terms of what he will accomplish for us. So far, I hear why he wants to be in the Oval Office onloy in terms of what he want for himself. Eugene Robinson gets it right. He presents himself as if he were a messiah, but the real meaning of his campaign is that it is all about him, it is "me, me. me."
Beware of false messiahs.
Peace.