WASHINGTON -- I read four newspapers a day, occasionally more. I
watch television news and listen to radio news. The media fascinate
me. Many times the media suffer a collective mood swing that is
more important than the facts they report. Supposedly news stories
are based on facts, but often more significant than the facts --
pocked as they are with error and biased selection -- is the mood.
Now the mood coloring the coverage of Senator John McCain's
presidential candidacy is bleak. For weeks the news stories about
him have been few and fraught with pessimism. The mood set in when
his fundraising problems began.
This week the old combat pilot made it into the news with
slightly increased frequency, but still the stories had a charnel
quality. First, there were the stories about his age. He turned 71
this week and if elected would be the oldest elected American
president. Then there were the ironic stories about how his
impoverished campaign has sought authority to receive matching
federal funds. That might give him the sustenance to keep battling
for the Republican nomination, but it would put him at a
disadvantage against the candidates who are flush with money and
will not have to settle for federal funds, for instance Rudy
Giuliani and Mitt Romney.
Still the old combat pilot battles on, and frankly I am in his
corner. I have known him since the late 1980s and never seen in him
anything but a gentleman, a cheerful gentleman at that. There have
been rumors of his dreadful temper. I have not seen it. I have seen
reports of Hillary Rodham Clinton's dreadful temper. In fact, I
have reported in columns and in my current book on her husband's
life in "retirement," The Clinton Crack-Up, first-hand
accounts from security personnel and innocent bystanders of her
ragesâ€"throwing objects at her husband and staff,
cussing like a lowdown scamp, and causing unnecessary rows; for
instance, for years she has demanded that Secret Service agents
carry her bags despite regulations barring them from doing so. Yet
never has Senator Clinton's volatile temper become a public issue.
Maybe it will, as her nomination to head the Democratic ticket puts
her closer to control of the military and the Justice
Department.
By comparison with Senator Clinton, Senator McCain is wise and
serene. As for his age, he is going strong despite the daily
demands of the campaign trail, his war wounds, and five and a half
years in a North Vietnamese prison cell. In 1999 he released 1,500
pages of medical and psychiatric reports gathered since his release
from that cell. No presidential candidate has ever allowed such
scrutiny of his health record and few would appear healthier. His
mother is now 95 years old, vigorous and sharp as a tack. I have
visited with her and like her. She could probably hit the campaign
trail with him today. On the age issue, her son is right to boast
of his DNA. When it comes to patriotism, public service, and good
citizenship, McCain is an exemplar hard to match.
I write all this because the media's mood of pessimism and
dismissal is ignorant. The foul mood could deny voters what should
be a stimulating presidential match-up, McCain against his
Republican rivals and then maybe against the Democratic nominee. I
have parted company with him on his campaign finance positions. I
worry that when it comes to the salutary economic benefits of tax
cuts he needs constant reminders. But otherwise he is a solid
conservative. When he speaks from principle, he is as unflinching
as Ronald Reagan. On Iraq, he has shown the wisdom of a seasoned
military mind. He deserves our trust that he can get through this
war successfully with American national interests secured.
Call me a contrarian if you will, but the gloomy media mood
shrouding the McCain candidacy is a reflection of the unseriousness
inherent in the presidential campaign at this point in the news
cycle. By historic standards McCain is perfectly acceptable as a
presidential candidate. His presence in the Oval Office would be no
surprise to Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan.
The Democratic front runners' would. Being once a first lady in the
most scandal-plagued presidency of recent memory or being a United
States senator with only three years of service in the Senate are
not sufficient qualifications for the Oval Office. In fact, they
are the most meager qualifications of any frontrunners in modern
American history.
topics:
John McCain, Television, Military, Iraq, NATO
