Mr. Vague Generalities strikes again

February 15, 2008

I mentioned on Wednesday that, when explaining his position on Iraqi reconciliation, John McCain told an audience last year, “One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, ‘Stop the bullshit.'”

As Brendan Nyhan noted, McCain’s approach to the debate over surveillance laws is awfully similar, though less vulgar.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential hopeful, weighed in on the debate. When Mr. McCain learned that the House had voted down a 21-day extension and that the powers were likely to lapse at midnight Friday, he said: “That’s too bad. That’s very unfortunate. It’s symptomatic of the gridlock of partisanship here in the Congress.”

To break the gridlock, Mr. McCain said, “people that are patriotic Americans need to sit down together and work this out.”

Oh, is that all. Why didn’t anyone else think of that?

Remember, when McCain went after Barack Obama earlier this week, he told reporters, “I respect him and the campaign that he has run, but there’s going to come a time when we have to get into specifics.”

The irony is rich.

It is incredible that there will be at least 50 million+ Americans who will vote for this air/hot-head.

  • McCain is awefully naive about things, especially Iraq. Unless and until he admits that invading Iraq was a mistake, he will keep sounding hollow on his “Victory in Iraq” plans.

  • What I don’t understand is why nobody called him on Obama’s alleged lack of specifics. How is it possible for someone to say “I haven’t heard all of his speeches, but he seems to lack specifics” and not get a response like “well, what specifically has Obama been too general about.” I mean, how much more overtly hypocritical can you be than attacking someone for being to general without using any specifics to back up your point?

    I used to think that McCain was the most dangerous of Republican candidates. However, I have come to see that even Romney would have been more of a threat. This guy is going to get annihilated in any debate because he relies on a sense of conviction and honor, but is so transparently craven that anyone not in the “my party right or wrong” camp will be horrified.

  • In this case, the generality has an ominous hidden meaning, because as we all know, in GOP-speak, “people that are patriotic Americans” is code for “people who cave in to President Bush and give him everything he demands, no matter how it bastardizes the Constitution or taints the American people’s faith in its government.”

    “sit down together and work this out” is code for “if you ain’t with us, bend over and brace yourself for the ****ing of your life unless you become a ‘patriotic American’ (see above)”

    Ah, the spirit of compromise.

  • Let’s also be clear that people did want to “sit down together and work this out.” They’re called Democrats, and they tried to appoint conferees with the house to sit down together and work this out.

  • Let’s not forget that Bush promised to lower gas prices by “telling” OPEC to “open the spigots.” Gas was 1.47/gal at the station nearest my home on election day 2000. He also said he would “tell” Kim Jong II to stop his nucular weapons programs. So let’t not accuse McCain of being innovative.

  • “It is incredible that there will be at least 50 million+ Americans who will vote for this air/hot-head.”

    “YES WE CAN!”

  • “One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, ‘Stop the bullshit.’”

    That is classic.

    He should take the straight talk express straight to Baghdad and march all over town with a megaphone shouting ‘Stop the bullshit.’

    What is Arabic for ‘bullshit’ anyway?

  • I can’t wait until the American public gives McCain a piece of straight talk in November: “John, we’re tired of your crap and we’re not going to stand for it.” How about them apples Mr. McCain?

  • Republican bipartisanship = date rape. That’s been their idea of bipartisanship all along. Either you agree with them or they will obstruct the legislation to the point of just walking out. Their way or the hiway. Obama, like McCain, may not like it, may not want it, but it’s there. The entire republican party votes in lockstep with whatever their leaders demand like individual republicans cannot think differently. What they want is an elite ruling class and dems are the only thing standing in their way. McCain thinks that dems must learn to agree and accept republican rule then everything will be alright. Barack has never explained how he expects conservative neocons to agree to bipartisanship without making the progressive agenda more conservative.
    I’m certain that at least for the next 4 yrs while we clean up this republican disaster that democratic partisanship is the only answer. Republicans cannot accept the word ‘no’ or even understand that ‘no’ is a complete sentence. The Bohener Babies prove their inability to govern in a bipartisan manner by walking out when they don’t get their way. This is just a pure example of a childish temper tantrum which is an embarrassment to our democratic process. Frankly by their own actions they demonstrate they should all be sent to their rooms without supper and not allowed to talk to each other for a month. Some one call the babysitter…er…I mean the Srgnt. at Arms.

  • Hey, who needs specifics when you’re a MAVERICK?

    Mavericks don’t futz around making decisions based on logic and reasoning, they just shoot from the hip and let the cards fall where they may.

    KAPOW!… KAPOW!

    And if people can’t respect that kind of straight talkin’ patriotic approach, I just tell them to fuck off.

    I’m John Wayne McCain, and I approved this message because if we don’t bomb bomb bomb Iran I’m never going to get to nuke anybody. And how sad would that be?

  • It’s symptomatic of the gridlock of partisanship here in the Congress. — McCain

    Takes two to tango. Takes two to dance that Bipartisan Waltz. Yet, all the Repubs can do is to Conga out of the floor of the House onto the Capitol steps, to pout for the camera…

  • Oh no – by the posting of Arabic script – this blog site will fully face the wrathful focus of Mr. Bush!!!!! Run for the hills… save the cache files…

  • In addition to the many millions of people who have already made up their minds to vote for McCain in November, there are many more who are coming out now in favor of democrats who will actually vote Republican in the fall. The true strategy for Republicans is fear, and the fear campaign should commence at the end of Summer.

    The democratic party is split in 2, and may not be healed in time.. God help us, I hope we have a candidate soon.

  • Greg,

    I know you won’t answer with any facts or evidence, but I gotta ask, where’s the proof?

    Sigh.

  • Doubtful, do you need proof that the Republicans are going to use fear as a tactic?
    Maybe you need proof that people actually vote in open primaries & caucuses for the other party.. I think that no matter what I have to say, you disagree because you know I don’t believe Obama is the best candidate to rival McCain.

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