The American Spectator

Reader Mail

The Unforgiven

8.31.07 @ 12:01AM

COUNTED OUT
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s John McCain Battles On:

Oh, dear. Another dreary article from the Spectator telling us about the wonderful John McCain. Let me list a few of his negatives from where I sit: He is dreadfully wrong on the First Amendment (campaign finance reform); he was dreadfully unkind to Christian Conservatives when it suited him -- now he loves us; he is more than eager to invoke class envy ("tax cuts for the rich"); he has ethical lapses (Frank Keating and the Keating Five); and on more than one occasion did his best to sink our current President over the last six and a half years. Does anyone remember his toying with the idea of running as John Kerry's VP?

Tell me again why he will be a great president? I think we have many good Republican candidates who are not burdened with John's baggage. PLUS, he is too old! I remember too many lapses on his part. He frequently forgets the Eleventh Commandment and at the same time loves Ted Kennedy of whom I have never heard John say an unkind word.

Mr. Tyrrell, did you forget all this?
-- Judy Beumler
Phoenix, Arizona

And one more thing! With John McCain as President, we will welcome another 20 million illegal aliens. He is wrong, wrong, wrong on immigration. He doesn't want to close the borders plus, in spite of what he says, he wants to give amnesty to all 20,000,000 illegals. Do we really want a John McCain presidency???
-- Judy Beumler
Phoenix, Arizona

"...when it comes to the salutary economic benefits of tax cuts he needs constant reminders. But otherwise he is a solid conservative."

Really -- a solid conservative? I'll have what Emmett's having, thank you very much. Or maybe not.

Does a solid conservative vote against the very tax cuts that have proven beneficial to all taxpayers and the economy as a whole? Does a solid conservative repress First Amendment guarantees? Does a solid conservative, while talking about "supporting the troops" out of one side of the mouth, prevent proven intelligence techniques on the battlefield during wartime resulting in lives saved? Does a solid conservative play to the liberal drive-by media for an extended period, at the expense of peers and party during serious policy discussions, simply to burnish centrist credentials? Are these the things that mark a solid conservative?

A Maverick? Yes. A solid conservative, or even just a plain ol' conservative? Don't bet your life on it; and after 2008, your life is the most precious thing you'll own.
-- Owen H. Carneal, Jr.
Yorktown, Virginia

The big thing against any Presidency by McCain, and Hillary, and Obama is that they are Senators. Only two Senators were elected directly from the Senate to the Presidency in the 20th Century--Harding and Kennedy. From Harding we got Tea Pot Dome. From Kennedy we got the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the US assassination of allied political leaders. I expect McCain, Hillary, and Obama, or any other sitting Senator would provide no more and no less in their presidential achievements.
-- John Gridley

McCain should get lost. He's gone out of his way to dump all over conservatives with his campaign finance, amnesty, and global warming bills. Add to that his age, prickly disposition, and poor political instincts and you have a candidate that only leftist presstitutes could support.
-- Pat Callum

Mr. Tyrrell's appreciation of Sen. McCain's good qualities are apparent. But there are many of us with military connections who cannot forget, nor forgive, what he and Sen. John Kerry did to the families of Vietnam POWs.
That one act bars him from consideration.
-- Mary McLemore
Pike Road, Alabama

OH great, just what we need is ANOTHER open border, amnesty President. I think not. His stand on ILLEGAL immigration is what has sunk his boat.
-- Elaine Kyle

RIGHT STUFF
Re: Mark Moyar's Getting Vietnam Right:
Moyer got that right!
-- LTC Fred Mayer, US Army, Infantry retired
(1966-67 B company commander 1/12, 1st Cav div)

A few observations about "Getting Vietnam Right."

Letter to the Editor

topics:
John McCain, Economics, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Law, Military, Iraq, Israel, NATO, Socialism, Immigration