When exactly did the last of John McCain’s self-respect leave him behind? Hugging George W. Bush was an early moment we started watching it seep away. Choosing Sarah Palin to be one heartbeat from the presidency was another acceleration point … and virtually every dealing he’s had with her since has made it worse. But McCain’s response to Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump may be the final blow to the image of him as a person with self-respect.
“I respect her view,” McCain (R-Ariz.) told reporters in the Senate on Wednesday, a day after Palin endorsed the man with whom he has had a bitter feud.
“I have great affection and appreciation for her,” he said. “I respect what she does.”
Let’s recap. Last July, McCain said that Trump had “fired up the crazies.” This was not a positive statement from McCain. Trump's response was to say of McCain that “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” That was supposed to be the end of Trump’s candidacy, according to the media, but instead, Trump's poll numbers kept rising. Not long after that, Sarah Palin was out there praising Trump lavishly. Never mind the insults and the firing up the crazies, McCain hasn't had the nerve to criticize Trump as strongly since then.
And now McCain is watching the woman he elevated to national prominence enthusiastically endorse a man whose campaign he clearly hated even before the personal insults flew, and he’s got nothing to say but “I respect her view” and “I have great affection and appreciation for her.” Mm-hmm. Diagnosis: Political cravenness, lack of shame or self-respect. Although who knows. Maybe he thinks he’s preserving his image by not admitting what a giant mistake he made back in 2008 by choosing Palin to begin with. If that’s the case, John, let me let you in on a secret: We don’t need you to admit that. Everyone knows already.