They say that you will know your true friends when you are in trouble. I think that it's broader than this though. Trouble reveals one's true nature; how one conducts themselves under fire.
The conservative commentator George Will, one of the few modern conservatives I respect, said:
"I suppose the McCain campaign's hope is that when there's a big crisis, people will go for age and experience," said Will. "The question is, who in this crisis looked more presidential, calm and un-flustered? It wasn't John McCain who, as usual, substituting vehemence for coherence, said 'let's fire somebody.' And picked one of the most experienced and conservative people in the administration, Chris Cox, and for no apparent reason... It was un-presidential behavior by a presidential candidate."
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"John McCain showed his personality this week," said [George Will], "and made some of us fearful."
Jim Henley makes an excellent point, too:
What we have here is a soul test of several tendencies in American politics - progressivism, libertarianism, limited-government conservatism, principled defenders of managerial liberalism generally.
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If libertarians fail to oppose this bailout, they stand revealed as the hypocritical apologists for corporate power their detractors have always accused them of being. If Democratic leaders fail to oppose this bailout, they will prove to be the phonies and weaklings of stereotype. If managerialists go along with it, then every argument against the State as guardian of the general welfare will bear out. Right now a corrupt and spent corporate class is on the brink of getting a corrupt and spent governing class to perpetuate its privilege by almost dumbfoundingly transparent means.
This is a true crisis... and it separates thieves and liars from honest people, cowboys from statesmen, and ideologues from patriots.
America has a chance to peek behind the curtain, here. Look carefully, people. Such is a rare opportunity. The veil of lies has been pulled back, and you can see the raw essence of the players in the game.
I am proud of Obama's conduct in this crisis. How many republicans can say the same about McCain?