05 April 2010

John McCain: Liar, Senile or Idiot of the Week?

If one word was identified with Sen. John McCain during the 2008 presidential campaign, it was "maverick." It was meant to define his principled independence from Republican orthodoxy and "special interest" donors as well as his supposed lone stand in favor of the 2007 troop surge in Iraq amid general pessimism. The Wild West flavor of the term (also used by Madonna's record label) signified that McCain was always his own man, unafraid to make his own decisions. Well, guess what? Never mind.

In a recent interview, McCain denies ever calling himself or considering himself a maverick. This report makes the paradoxical suggestion the senator, supposedly in the race of his life against a kind of maverick in the form of J.D. Hayworth, believes he must disavow his past maverickism in order to retain or regain the loyalty of the base of primary voters who demand ideological orthodoxy in their nominees. But this may be to overanalyze the case. Isn't it possible that he just forgot?...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can't he be all three?

hobbyfan said...

Considering his age, I'd say, as Meat Loaf would, that 2 out of 3 isn't bad.