Oh, Lord, we have another reckless GOP macho running for President:
"Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) may be the presumptive GOP nominee for president, but, by his own wishes, he is not being protected by the Secret Service." The Hill reports.
"He has not requested protection," Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a congressional subcommittee this morning. "We have no involvement at this point."
His reason for this irresponsible position?
Last November, McCain told reporters he felt such protection was an "inconvenience" and too expensive for tax payers:
"It's my intention, if we win this nomination, to reject Secret Service," he said during one of his many conversations with reporters on his Straight Talk Express this weekend. "Why do I need it?"
He adds: "The day that the Secret Service can assure me that if we're driving in the motorcade and there's a guy in a rooftop with a rifle, that they can stop that guy, then I'll say fine. But the day they tell me, 'well, we can't guarantee it,' then fine, I'll take my chances."
Interesting that McCain raises an implicit comparison between what could happen to him and how President Jack Kennedy was assassinated.
The tactical illogic of the so-called national security expert John McCain is astounding. Apparently, if the Secret Service cannot protect him from being shot by a sniper, then it's irrelevant if the Secret Service could protect him from:
- Being kidnapped and held hostage subjecting the US to the nightmare of the kidnappers extorting and advertising his capture
- Being shot by a pistol at close range
- Identify persons in a crowd engaging in suspicious activity and possibly preventing them from attacking him or potentially hundreds of innocent Americans at one of McCain's campaign events
There are distinct qualities of "I dare ya to try to harm me" and "I'm invulnerable from harm" about McCain's position. Those qualities along with the short-sightedness of his tactical illogic arguably tell us something about the temperament he would bring to Presidency as Commander & Chief:
- He could engage and dangerous and reckless behavior militarily on the world stage
- His seeming sense of invulnerability could translate into failing to take necessary precautions to protect the US homeland and leaving it at risk
While the heroism John McCain showed as a POW in Viet Nam is without question, I wonder if he labors under the assumption that nothing worse could possibly happen to him than what he experienced in Viet Nam.
If so, John McCain is wrong. Death is worse.
At the very least, John McCain should accept Secret Service protection for the sake of his family and the American people. Should something terrible happen to John McCain, the distress it would bring to the American people would last for several years.
His position is utterly irresponsible.
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UPDATE:
I'm heartened to read that McCain might be rethinking his position on Secret Service protection. I suspect, however, he did so only because of the embarrassment its transparent recklessness brought him. Moreover, even if he changes his position, it provides slim comfort on what it tells us about his dangerous macho instincts and how they might manifest themselves should he become Commander and Chief.