Monday, January 28, 2008

McCain & Davos   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

In a piece on the dishonorable line of attack Senator McCain chose this weekend, I rewind to Davos, 2007:

Since McCain himself was talking about benchmarks in January 2007, I was reminded of Jay Nordlinger’s dispatch from Davos around the same time last year. McCain was over there at the world economic forum, and Jay, who had been looking forward to McCain’s remarks, reported back disappointed: Save for arguing that America wasn’t indiscriminately slaughtering Iraqis, McCain fed into the anti-Bush criticisms that constitute the air that they breathe over there. He had a lackluster (or no) defense of the initiation of the war in Iraq. When asked about Gitmo he said, “Try ’em or release ’em.” He said that “even Eichmann got a trial,” which Jay called “one of the cheapest things I have ever heard out of a politician’s mouth.” It’s a reminder — like the McCain campaign’s dishonest line of attack this weekend — that as admirable McCain is as both a hero and a politician, he is not irreproachable even on national-security issues.

I found myself increasingly disappointed in McCain — with whose candidacy I've flirted  — and it has to do with standards he himself set:

Back in March, during a blogger conference call, McCain criticized other senators who use their service in Vietnam as a political club to bludgeon those who didn’t serve. He said that his own foreign-policy views — unlike those of, say, Senators Chuck Hagel and Jim Webb — are based on a lifetime of experience, and are not framed by events that took place 30 years ago (Hagel and Webb being examples of bludgeoners). McCain said that his own positions on national security do not always hearken back to Vietnam.

And yet, this month, his campaign ran again a commercial it produced last fall featuring a great line from one of the debates this season. He was criticizing Hillary Clinton’s vote for federal funding for a Woodstock museum, at which point he reminded everyone that he did not attend Woodstock — he was “tied up at the time.” As a debate line, it was riveting; but my first impression upon viewing it as a campaign commercial — one of a few now citing McCain’s combat valor and bravery as a prisoner of war — was that it verged on crass. I immediately flashed back to that straight talk about how Vietnam service shouldn’t be used as a political credential — straight talk that I had frequently cited as one of my reasons for admiring McCain. His is a great American story of bravery and resilience. But I can’t help thinking that it’s the rest of us who should be saying that of him — as indeed we (even other candidates!) are.

And then we need to go further, and follow the advice he gave us on that blogger call — by focusing on his entire record of service, beyond the valor he showed in Vietnam. Agree or disagree with him on a whole host of issues — some of them fundamental — he has a record of service that has dealt with most of the key questions we should be asking all of the presidential candidates: Iraq, Guantanamo, interrogation, immigration, campaign-finance reform, embryonic-stem-cell research...

He may wind up being the nominee. But that's not a given. And while there is still a contest in the GOP, the interview process needs to continue. Because I don't think conservatives are in the mood to settle — I think they want a viable conservative, who doesn't mind if, say, Samuel Alito is one. And while I have no idea, I wouldn't be shocked if people stay home in November if the GOP nominee is someone who's more comfortable with Joe Lieberman's politics (God bless him) than Rush Limbaugh's.

01/28 11:51 AMShare