Senator John McCain values his honor above all else. It is his guiding principle, and he staunchly defends it when questioned. His allies defend his honor too. They lavish praise upon his military record, his POW experience, and the character of his honor.
As a veteran myself, I hold dear the principles of Honor, Country, and Duty. It saddens me deeply in my heart to see a man claim to value those same principles yet so readily throw them away. But, Senator John McCain in his pursuit for the Presidency, whether it be a devotion to a family legacy or an overwhelming urge for personal glory, laid his honor upon an altar of ambition and sacrificed his soul to the Gods of Phear (political hate and fear) - Rove & Bush, et al.
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In their TIME article titled "John McCain's Code of Honor", James Carney and Michael Grunwald succinctly described John McCain. "To John McCain, honor means telling the truth, doing the right thing rather than the easy thing." I believe their article provides a sound basis for understanding McCain's morality.
Others have reviewed McCain's morale quandary and written more eloquently than I could hope. Respected columnists and journalists are beginning to sound the call for truth and expose the new John McCain for what he is: a man without honor who assails with phear.
There are many articles, essays, and quotes to support this meme, and I trust kossacks are familiar with many. I feel compelled, however, to highlight a very personal belief that McCain sacrified in his quest for glory.
John McCain shared his thoughts on suffering Rovian assaults of phear during the 2000 Presidential primary.
"There were some pretty vile and hurtful things said during the South Carolina primary. It's a really nasty side of politics...I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
McCain's noble judgement that such reckless and wanton use of phear deserves no less than eternal suffering revealed the deep and personal hurt he suffered by Rove. I believe McCain truly believed that sentiment. I believe he was once a man of honor who believed it still possible to win the Presidency running an honorable campaign in 2008.
"We're not going to do anything dishonorable." – Mark Salter; speech writer, advisor, and closest friend to McCain.
"It is critical...that we all follow John's lead and run a respectful campaign focused on the issues and values...Throughout the primary election we saw John McCain reject the type of politics that degrade our civics." - Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager
"What you're going to see is a great debate. Which is what the American public deserves. None of this negative stuff, though. You won't see it come out of our side at all." - Cindy McCain
Alas, when hope trumped honor and inspiration bested ideals, McCain turned away from his honor and embraced phear. He sacrificed his morality for legacy. A sampling of articles exposes the divisive dishonor of McCain's new ideology.
Wanting the White House in the Worst Way
Whether Schmidt or Rove executes those same old appeals to the worst in us hardly matters. What matters is that McCain has adopted an approach that was once thought beneath him. And that choice dates back to his decision to ally himself with George W. Bush and indeed with Rove, despite the vicious tactics that defeated him in the Republican primaries of 2000 -- for which he held them responsible...he has once more sold himself to those same forces, hoping that they will at last usher him into the White House.
Joe Conason - Salon
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Tiptoeing Through the Mud
The media bear a heavy responsibility because "balance" does not require giving equal time to truth and lies. So does McCain, who is running a disgraceful, dishonorable campaign of distraction and diversion...McCain has shown he wants the presidency so badly that he's willing to say anything, true or false, to win power.
E. J. Dionne Jr. - WaPo
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Why Do Lies Prevail?
The routine acceptance of obvious lies now corrodes our politics as much as the money that was the subject of McCain’s famous act of Republican apostasy: McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform. McCain has described his motive for McCain-Feingold as a giant mea culpa for his involvement in the Keating Five scandal. Maybe when this is over, one way or another, McCain will swear off corrupt lying the way he has sworn off corrupt money.
Michael Kinsley - WaPo
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Lies, Damned Lies And Sarah Palin
I don't believe the McCain campaign is serious about anything any more, except bullying the press and running out the clock. This is the most shambolic campaign I have ever witnessed in a general election. If he runs his campaign this badly, how would he run the country?
Andrew Sullivan - The Atlantic
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Blizzard of Lies
I can’t think of any precedent, at least in America, for the blizzard of lies since the Republican convention. The Bush campaign’s lies in 2000 were artful — you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize that you were being conned. This year, however, the McCain campaign keeps making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute, and repeating these assertions over and over again.
Paul Krugman - NYT
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
CHUTZPAH WATCH
It's obvious she's lying. She knows she's lying. She knows that we know she's lying. But she just doesn't give a damn. At this point, it's bordering on pathological...it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to keep telling a lie after it's been exposed as an obvious distortion...Whatever the motivation, the McCain campaign simply has a problem telling the truth.
Steve Benen - WaMo
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Palin lies could lead to Bridge to Oblivion
With the full backing and support of the McCain campaign — [Palin] is doing herself longterm political damage with this ploy. The American people are watching her repeatedly lie to them, day after day, and watching her do so with no apparent compunction. This is her introduction to the national scene; this is when her image is being cemented into the public mind...And her image is increasingly that of a guiltless liar.
Jay Bookman - AJC
"I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
If McCain will sell his soul to win an election, then how can we trust him with the hearts and minds of America? We must hear Barack Obama's call to action and set forth to win back America, win back her dignity, win back her honor.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
There have been many calls to action, and I know many are answering the call. georgia10 wrote a very nice piece trumpeting the charge titled "53 Days To Go: Action Edition." It and all others chorusing alike are highly recommended.
Let history be our guide as well. Past presidents have spoken on the value of honor and truth. May their voices resonate the sanctity of the office for which these two men seak, and may their echoes not fall upon deaf ears.
"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man." - President George Washington
"An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory." - President Millard Fillmore
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true." - President Abraham Lincoln
"Above all, tell the truth." - President Grover Cleveland
"Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike." - President Theodore Roosevelt
"When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned." - Presdient Herbert Hoover
"Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt
"We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right." - President Ronald Reagan