McCain on Bolton: Brownie Points for Cheerleading
AP reports today that John McCain is calling for "quick confirmation" of John Bolton.
Senator McCain seems to be doing something that I regretfully admit that I have done on some occasions. With a tail between my legs, I will admit that I too have invited people to dinner knowing they couldn't make it -- but happy to get credits in place for doing so.
It's not smart to do this often, but Senator McCain knows that even if the White House pulled off a miracle Tuesday afternoon and coughed John Bolton's confirmation out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, there's no "quick confirmation" likely.
Senator McCain's support for Bolton has been steadfast, though not deep in the view of this blogger. I like the Senator, and in encounters I have had with him over the last year, he seems to respect my opposition to Bolton.
McCain seems to have just provided some off-the-cuff commentary that having Bolton at the UN to confront the nastiness of some world leaders who fly to the UN General Assembly would be a good thing.
McCain knows that a quick confirmation for Bolton is unlikely -- but calling for it gets him some credits. I understand how this works. (sorry to my friends out there who have declined invites)
-- Steve Clemons is Senior Fellow and Director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note
Yeah, well, I don't like the coward, two-faced hypocrite McCain one bit! OK, when he was a POW (not a choice) he reportedly acted bravely. How many soldiers also acted bravely and are now dead because of that war, and the unmitigated folly of this one?
McCain, who can CHOOSE every word he says and every action he makes now, wants to be president so bad that he will do and say absolutely ANYTHING. That is not brave; it is not principled, and I cannot respect him. He never ceases to amaze me, however, at how low he will go.
So what if you occasionally invite people whom you know will not be able to come for dinner? Who has died because of that? How many shitty, nut-case Supreme Court Justices are you responsible for getting appointed? If McCain is as unhealthy as he looks he will not make it to the 2008 elections, but it hardly matters. The republican machine will not accept his groveling and they'll anoint someone else anyway, so we'll have someone just as phoney as he is to deal with.
Remember, the big question for electing the president of (what used to be) the most powerful nation on earth: "Who would you rather have a beer with?" [Particularly ironic considering Dubya's "problem"]
Jan Knaus
September 24, 2006 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's the "independent" "maverick" shining through that Broder admires so much, isns't it?
What I want to know is did Falwell vet this decision for McCain?
September 25, 2006 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink