McCain’s one-track mind

December 27, 2007

Apparently within striking distance in New Hampshire, and being touted in some circles as having an indirect route to the GOP nomination, John McCain has quickly become the center of Mitt Romney’s attention. The two had an interesting exchange yesterday, and pay particular attention to the senator’s response.

Romney’s political quarry for the day was Arizona Sen. John McCain, seemingly staging a comeback in New Hampshire. Romney accused his rival of flip-flops on immigration and tax cuts.

“The point is that under his bill, that he fought for, everybody who came here illegally could stay forever. And does he still believe that or does he not believe that?” Romney said on a radio program from New Hampshire.

“And likewise on taxation. He said, well now he’s for making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Well, does he admit he was wrong in voting against them before?

McCain responded quickly. “I know something about tailspins, and it’s pretty clear Mitt Romney is in one,” said the former front-runner. “It’s disappointing that he would launch desperate, flailing and false attacks in an attempt to maintain relevance.” (emphasis added)

The “tailspin” reference was, of course, a reference to McCain’s Vietnam service. It seems to be part of a pattern.

When McCain laments earmark spending, he emphasizes his Vietnam service. When he talks about military challenges in the 21st century, he emphasizes his Vietnam service. When he delivers a Christmas message, he emphasizes his Vietnam service.

It’s a subtle theme, isn’t it?

Reiterating a point I raised the other day, by any reasonable measure, McCain’s experience in the military during the war in Vietnam was heroic and demands respect. If he wants to use this part of his biography in the presidential campaign, it makes perfect sense — like John Kerry, that’s what war heroes do.

But let’s not forget that, during the last presidential campaign, when Kerry reminded voters of his own heroic military service, McCain criticized him for it.

“I’m sick and tired of re-fighting the Vietnam War. And most importantly, I’m sick and tired of opening the wounds of the Vietnam War, which I’ve spent the last 30 years trying to heal,” the Arizona Republican said at a lunch with USA TODAY and Gannett News Service. “It’s offensive to me, and it’s angering to me that we’re doing this. It’s time to move on.” […]

McCain said Kerry may have opened himself to criticism by focusing on Vietnam. In his own primary campaign in 2000, McCain said, he didn’t have to because everyone knew he’d been there. For Kerry, “it’s clearly a tactical or strategic move” to shield him against “charges of being too liberal and soft on defense.”

Would it be unfair to question whether McCain’s near-constant references, which he intentionally avoided in 2000, are now part of a “tactical or strategic move”?

Of course they are. McCain wasn’t trying to win an election in 2004. He is now.

  • I honestly have no idea why McCain wants to continuously remind us of how what a failure he was as a pilot.

  • “It’s a subtle theme, isn’t it”

    It was a very subtle reference to his Vietnam service, if it was one… McCain’s ’08 campaign was also once in a tailspin. Why couldn’t he have been referencing that experience, CB??

  • 4.
    On December 27th, 2007 at 3:58 pm, doubtful said:

    I honestly have no idea why McCain wants to continuously remind us of how what a failure he was as a pilot.

    I don’t like McCain at all. For me, the piece de resitance is his necking with King George, after all the Bs Bush planted in South Carolina in 2000 about his wife breaking down, and him having a secret love child. I could never talk to a person who lied about me, but obviously it is part of the game that the “Straight Talk Express” don’t give a shit who he kisses!!

    Onwards, As much as I love STE, I have never heard this one. Please send references of him being a failure at being a pilot. I sure hope you aint equating his being shot down as him being a bad pilot

  • Yeah that’s the first thing I thought of too, that McCain was referencing his own political “Tailspin” earlier in the campaign. But on the other references, especially his Christmas time ad he brings up what he says he would like to forget and what he’s tired of hearing brought up.
    McCain is insane and he has crossed some line in rationality that he is too stubborn to admit to…he’s too old or he’s just passed it and his conversations and his verbalizations at the debates demonstrate that he lacks the ability for common discourse. He suppresses rage and his verbal responses are confused and disoriented. He’s too busy trying to look good rather than be substantial. His time in public office is spent. But he can still be useful. I would pay good money to watch him bitch-slap Diane Feinstein. Just saying…

  • Ugh – McCain – another one I am just tired of seeing and hearing. Maybe the answer for when he subtly – or not so subtly – references his Vietnam service, is a reminder that his Vietnam service was – 40 years ago. His military expertise has led him to be wrong about every aspect of the Iraq war. He’s 71 years old, and will be 72 by the time of the election. Se-ven-ty-Two. I get that being president was and is his dream, but that ship has sailed.

    I think he’s now drawing support from the other hawk – Giuliani, who may start to pick up a little at some point, but as soon as another Giuliani scandal hits – and it will – that will start the downward slide again.

    Somewhere between now and Florida, I think, Huckabee is going to be on the trash pile, having said so many stupid things that his support dies in its tracks.

    When it starts to look like McCain or Romney, I think the support goes to Romney because he will be deemed to stand better than half a chance of not needing Depends before the 2012 election – so I see Romney as the eventual nominee.

  • John McCain and his Viet Nam experience? Let’s unfold this one a bit….

    John McCain—Isn’t he the only presidential candidate in the history of the whole universe to have rear-ended an aircraft carrier with an airplane? I mean, how addle-brained did he have to be to not see this big hulking metal thing, the size of an up-ended skyscraper, in front of him?

    Is he trying to make Bu$h look good?

    Because he’s sure not doing his campaign any favors….

  • Anne I disagree. I believe McCain ultimately gets the GOP nod because he polls very well vs. Clinton (+5 pct points on average) and Obama (virtual tie). Romney polls poorly vs. the two Dem leaders and Rudy’s ship has sailed. If the GOP wants a shot, McCain is its guy.

  • Lance, what does “dispectable” mean? It looks like a cross despicable and inspectable and if it isn’t a word, it should be. It should be the Democratic congress’s word of the week for Bush administration actions.

    72 is too old to be president. Pure and simple. The job is enormously stressful, even when you only half do it like Bush. Electing McCain would really be electing his VP.

    If I were a Republican, I would put all the names into a hat, close my eyes and pull out a name. They are all so uniformly awful that the difference is squat.

  • JRS Jr – if it’s up to the GOP, that may well be the case, but we both know that the media may decide someone else would be more interesting. Maybe that person will be McCain, but I don’t think so.

    He’s old. He talks like his batteries are about to die, or like he might start crying. He makes me feel like I just took a sedative…zzzzz…plus, I think he’s got plenty of baggage.

    And if there are whispers about Lieberman on the ticket, he can kiss it all goodbye.

  • I wish he’d stressed his Vietnam credentials a little more forcefully against the Coward from Crawford during the 2000 primaries. Back then while he was still relevant, he may have beaten Bu$h for the nod. He certainly could not have done a more horrific job as president than the deciderator.

  • “They are all so uniformly awful that the difference is squat…”

    Yet one of those candidates now consistently leads/matches the Dem field in national polling. What does that then say about those candidates, Jen???

  • JRS Jr.,

    I believe McCain ultimately gets the GOP nod because he polls very well vs. Clinton (+5 pct points on average) and Obama (virtual tie). Romney polls poorly vs. the two Dem leaders and Rudy’s ship has sailed. If the GOP wants a shot, McCain is its guy.

    Firstly, what is the source of your polling data?

    Secondly, what makes you think that McCain’s advantage over Romney in the hypothetical matchups is due to anything other than name recognition this early in the primary season?

    Thirdly, do you really think the theocratic wing, the anti-immigration wing and the anti-campaign finance reform wing of the GOP are really going to forgive McCain is apostasy? If so, what makes you think that?

    If Huckabee implodes, and that’s a big if, Romney will win in a big ugly way.

  • If Huckabee implodes, and that’s a big if, Romney will win in a big ugly way.

    Romney will win the GOP nomination, that is. Just to be clear.

  • Junior, I don’t pay much attention to the polls at this point in the game for the elections in November. They are mostly for hand wringing and gnashing of teeth and – most importantly – something to write or talk about incessantly. Polls basically pay the bills for the pundits. They are the cosmetic surgery of news.

    All of the Republican candidates are lame in different ways. One will hobble to the nomination. It’s a horse race, after all.

  • It will be McCain or Romney. They are the only GOP candidates that stand a chance in the general election and deep down the Reps know it. This is why McCain is seeing a turn-around. Of course, Romney has very presidential hair 😉

    On the Dem side of things, I still prefer Obama to Clinton. Heck, I prefer Edwards to Clinton…or Biden to Clinton or Kusinich to Clinton…but if it comes down to Clinton for the Dems, then I will hold my nose and vote for her. ANY Dem is better than the pathetic batch of Reps we have this time around.

    Perhaps the time is coming soon when we voters will no longer buy into the idea that only the Dems and Reps are viable candidates. I would love to see a viable third party candidate shake things up.

  • “The “tailspin” reference was, of course, a reference to McCain’s Vietnam service. It seems to be part of a pattern.

    When McCain laments earmark spending, he emphasizes his Vietnam service. When he talks about military challenges in the 21st century, he emphasizes his Vietnam service. When he delivers a Christmas message, he emphasizes his Vietnam service.”

    I also missed the reference to his military service. I’m so used to hearing the word used in other situations, like sports (Detroit Lions, anyone?) that I don’t think immediately of airplanes. I have to give him a pass on this one.

    Having said that, it’s true that McCain has referenced his service plenty of other times this year, and he did say earlier that he was sick of it.

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