The American Spectator : Charlie Foxtrot McCain

Text Size

Charlie Foxtrot McCain

By Jed Babbin on 6.20.11 @ 6:09AM

Why are Republicans allowing him to speak for them on Libya?

Liberals, by their nature, can’t be overtly hostile to anyone, nor can they admit their inner feelings of anger, hatred or warlike intent. They sublimate their hostility in legislation and court decrees which, too, are defined to exclude hostile intent. Which explains why President Obama has chosen to engage in a Clintonian parsing of terms. This time, it’s not a question of what the meaning of “is” is: it’s a question of how you can bomb and strafe people without engaging in “hostilities.”

When President Obama began “Operation Odyssey Dawn” in March, Republican reactions ranged from Newt Gingrich’s confusion to John McCain’s fevered desire to remove Gaddafi from power. Only a few muted voices opposed it on the grounds that we had no national interest at stake.

Since then, the swabbies have fired about 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets and various American fly-guys have flown hundreds of combat missions. The announced mission was to bomb and strafe Gaddafi’s forces to protect the Libyan rebels and civilians. The unofficial mission, stated by Obama, was to topple Gaddafi’s regime. Many missions have apparently been flown with the objective of killing the Libyan dictator.

Last week came word that our constitutional law professor turned president overruled two White House lawyers to reach his legal opinion that we are not engaged in “hostilities,” so the 1973 War Powers Resolution is inapplicable and Congress is entitled to no voice in the matter of U.S. intervention in Libya.

Under the War Powers Resolution, any president who commits U.S. forces to combat must obtain congressional permission to continue the action after sixty days have passed. The Resolution says it applies to “the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations.”

Last week, Obama told Congress to take its War Powers Resolution and shove it because the aforementioned Resolution applied only to “hostilities” and, in his legal opinion, we were not engaged in hostilities in Libya because there were no U.S. troops on the ground there.

I do claim some expertise in constitutional law, and I have a different opinion. Unless the 150-odd Tomahawk missiles we’ve fired into Libya were launched by accident, and all of our fly-guys mistook Libya for a new environmentally approved practice firing range, anyone on the receiving end of the ordnance would reasonably conclude that they had experienced a hostile act which, in fact, comprised an act of war. And those people would be correct.

Whether or not it is constitutional, of which there is considerable doubt, Obama’s parsing of the War Powers Resolution’s terms stands on Clinton’s foundation. I’m not saying that launching a Tomahawk missile is the wartime equivalent of oral sex, but I do insist that firing a missile or dropping a bomb is an act of war regardless of whether the people on either end of the act are wearing Kevlar or condoms.

From almost all congressional Democrats, reactions are strictly partisan. They agree, as did Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that no congressional authorization for Libya is necessary. Reid’s war expertise was established in April 2007 when he declared the war in Iraq already lost. Now, with Obama’s open-ended commitment to the Libya operation passing sixty days, Reid told Jim Lehrer last Friday that “we have no troops on the ground there, and this thing’s going to be over before you know it anyway,” so he believes no war powers resolution is necessary.

But “before you know it” translates into, “before Republican opposition focuses the media on it.” If only the reactions from congressional Republicans were more rational and honest.

House Speaker John Boehner, playing Oliver Twist, begged the president for more workhouse gruel two weeks ago, asking for answers to some semi-tough questions on Libya. But it fell to Sen. John McCain to take the most bizarre stance, attacking his fellow Republicans for questioning the Libya operation.

In last Monday’s Republican candidates’ debate, some few of the presidential wannabes managed to assert the right ideas on Libya and Afghanistan. Rep. Michele Bachmann — smarter and tougher than guys such as T-Paw — stated what should be obvious: that we have no national interest in Libya and for that reason we shouldn’t be engaged in military action there. (Even Mitt Romney got it right, more or less.)

In response, McCain took Bachmann and the others to task, accusing them in a Senate floor speech of being isolationists. He reiterated that charge on the Sunday talk shows yesterday, going further to say that those opposing the Libya operation may be calculating on the basis of politics rather than national interest.

And McCain upped the ante: despite the fact that the president has told Congress to butt out of Libya, McCain said that he and Vichy John Kerry were going to introduce a Senate resolution authorizing continued war — er, kinetic military action — in and over Libya.

This is classic McCain: arrogating to himself the leadership of the Republican Party which he led to disastrous defeat in 2008. He is wrong both politically and substantively. The more he projects himself in this role with this position, the harder it is for conservative candidates to make their mark.

Page: 1 2 >

About the Author

Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (160) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 6.20.11 @ 6:16AM

McCain is a living testament to all that is wrong with the Republican Party.

When he's not flipping, he's flopping and vice- versa.

If only he would suspend his Senate career permanently with the same grace and lack of intelligence that he suspended his Presidential bid.

Intelligent Design| 6.20.11 @ 7:56AM

Exactly! And Romney is the same. In fact, Romney would make a good running mate for Obama.

oldfart| 6.20.11 @ 8:17AM

No kidding - another McCain who will most likely do what every it takes to throw the election.

Intelligent Design| 6.20.11 @ 8:38AM

About Romney-Obama Care: Per W. James Antle's piece in the March 2011 issue of TAS, "Jonathan Gruber, the MIT ...economist who advised both Romney and Obama, told the Wall Street Journal, 'If any one person in the world deserves credit for where we are now, it's Mitt Romney...He designed the structure of the federal bill.'" Obama would be very happy to see Romney as his opponent in 2012.

Cpm| 6.20.11 @ 9:17PM

Gee, you don't think Gruber is trying to paint Romney into a corner with Republican voters do you? Nah, he wouldn't do that.

Anthony| 6.20.11 @ 8:31AM

Bill, Spot on!!!

Vikki| 6.20.11 @ 11:12AM

McCain is exactly what is wrong with the Republican Party right now. Romney is even worse (if possible), I think is is a stretch to call them RINO's. They are not much different from the Demorats!
We need someone with the guts to stand up for the Constitution and Boehner is just another example of pandering, get rid of him as well!

Genial Gibber| 6.20.11 @ 11:00PM

Prescient point on McCain. But we're talking lesser of evils here thus far. Who is the "someone" to ensure Hussein Obama is one term terminated and not allowed two term turmoil?

W| 6.20.11 @ 11:39AM

We have put up with McCain, and excused his senatorial career, because of his war record. If it were not for his military record, he never would have won a race, and he would have been voted out years if he won his first race.
His entire career has been to criticize Republicans and work with Dems such as Kennedy and Feinberg, and to seriously consider running with Kerrey as his VP in 2004. During the 2008 campaign he actually bragged about opposing Reagan on various issues, as if this would endear him to us.
The only smart move he made, besides marrying a millionaire, was to select Sara as VP, but then he did not really support her. He was on the Letterman show after the election, and when asked about Sara, McCain rolled his eyes with his usual smirk, and said he supported her. But his demeanor said otherwise.
He should retire.He just is not that smart.

Quartermaster| 6.20.11 @ 3:57PM

His captivity mentally unbalanced him. He's never recovered, and never will. It's long past time for Juan McCain to go home and stay.

Warrior | 6.20.11 @ 4:09PM

McCain is an example of all that is wrong with the Republican party and todays politicians.

http://www.amconmag.com/article/2010/jul/01/00010/

Alan Brooks| 6.20.11 @ 4:19PM

I don't hide my hatred:
I hate the GOP: down with the GOP! create a party that CONSERVES something, anything
(but you have to hand it to Babbin; instead of going right after McPain, Babbin starts in on liberals to lengthily preface his attack on McPain. Babbin is so clever he ought to be a politician).
Most of all you have to hand it to Bush, the chief architect of this 2nd decade of the 21st century:
Carter 'only' wasted four years,
LBJ and Nixon each 'only' wasted five years;
while Bush wasted a full eight years! he beat the others out.

Alan Brooks| 6.20.11 @ 4:25PM

"McCain is a living testament to all that is wrong with the Republican Party."

and how many at AS voted for him? a show of hands, please. And btw I did NOT vote for Obama in '08, for the same reason I never voted for Clinton-- didn't know him well enough. But I WILL vote for Obama next year-- hopefully you will then start a third party, a party that conserves something- ANYTHING.

Warrior | 6.20.11 @ 5:14PM

Are you so self absorbed that you believe your vote alone is going to start a 3rd party. Your ranting and posts are maniacal. The only thing worse than a troll who attempts to triangulate a liberal position to sound conservative is the troll actually believing it is working.

Alan Brooks| 6.20.11 @ 5:19PM

But what are you conserving anymore??
and it is you good (I assume you personally are good) burghers who will have to start a third party-- if you ever do.

Alan Brooks | 6.20.11 @ 9:27PM

This is wherre it came from:

http://spectator.org/blog/2011.....ould-run-3

The Clintidote| 6.21.11 @ 11:17PM

This stupid old man is almost exactly the same as Oldbobdole - remember that loser? Both are big-government statists (Oldbobdole bragged that his biggest "accomplishments" were food stamps and the ADA) coasting on a war record.

And, exactly as is the case with Oldbobdole, if the enemy had had better aim in their respective conflicts our country would have been much better off. Without these two senile old losers.

Stuart Koehl| 6.20.11 @ 6:21AM

Perhaps if, instead of diddling around, the Obama Administration had grabbed the bull by the horns, the intervention in Libya would have been over in a week instead of dragging on for months. The German military had an aphorism: "Klockern, nicht kleckern"--loosely translated as "Stunning, not stinting": when you attack, go in strength and crush the enemy. We seem to have forgotten that one.

Occam's Tool| 6.20.11 @ 12:10PM

I believe it is "boot, don't spatter." Indeed, Stuart. If the Obama administration had stated that it wanted to remove Daffy, and had given due warning to the rebels that acts of anti-Americanism would be crushed mercilessly, then it would have done well.

But Obama is profoundly conflicted by the evil Americans, the source of all the world's problems, having power.

Heinz Guderian| 6.20.11 @ 1:22PM

Stuart,
If you are going to paraphrase my words, please translate correctly.

Vielen Dank
HG

Quartermaster| 6.20.11 @ 4:00PM

Sorry Herr General, but it wasn't your's originally. :-)

It's more along the lines of "don't feel them with your fingers, hit them with your fist." The translation will always be as much paraphrase as translation as their is no "word for word" translation that will convey the thought.

oldfart| 6.20.11 @ 6:28AM

I can't wait for this to be over and Barry wants money to rebuild 'democracy' in Libya. LOL

Zilla | 6.20.11 @ 6:36AM

I think perhaps McCain has lost his damned mind. Someone needs to get him to the doctor and have him checked for dementia.

oldfart| 6.20.11 @ 6:38AM

Not sure if it is dementia or 'there is no fool like and old fool.'

Kristal| 6.20.11 @ 8:39AM

Everyone knows a fool when they see one, but never when they are one.

It takes one to know one.

What's the truth? How can one KNOWINGLY reconcile those two bromides?

Who knows?

Shermans riding again!| 6.20.11 @ 11:31AM

Zilla, you have put a smile on my face. Thank you.

SpiralArchitect| 6.20.11 @ 1:17PM

Demacratia is a sad blight on humanity.

Melvin| 6.20.11 @ 6:43AM

I guess it all stems from his military service that the Republican Party Leadership thought McCain would have the, "Gravitas," to comment on the Libyan situation.
That is like asking the Crones on, "The View," to host bible study.
I applaud John McCain's service to his Country. But that doesn't make him the all knowing authority on Libya, or to put it a different way, John McCain doesn't speak for Conservative America.
By Barrack Obama being a Constitutional Scholar, he has deftly changed a Country that is governed by the rule of law, into tin pot African Nation worth of Robert Mugabe. My last statement oozes sarcasm, but there are those in this Administration who admire that murdering African tyrant.
Senator John McCain is that doddering old fool, of whom the Republican Country Club Blue Bloods trot out, dust him off and let him blather like the Democrats do with Jimmy Carter.
Look at it this way people. The touchy feely golfing that John Boehner is having with Barrack Obama. Looks like John Boehner is doing exactly what Barrack tells him to do. Joe Biden must have given the Speaker of the House some coupons for free tanning sessions.

oldfart| 6.20.11 @ 7:18AM

The United States of America is a melting pot of people. And just like anyone who has ever melted anything you have to keep stiring the pot to avoid the scum floating to the top.
p.s. 'stiring' at the ballot box for all you idiots out there who are thinking something else.

Vikki| 6.20.11 @ 11:14AM

AMEN!!

Darin| 6.20.11 @ 6:45AM

Simple test. Are any of the US military personnel involved getting hostile fire or imminent danger pay? It sounds like the president is saying they should not, so military pay should immediately end any such payments and demand reimbursement if such payments had been made. This also means insurance companies cannot deny claims for any civilians killed on the basis that they are in a "war zone" and the insurance says it is not applicable in a war zone.

It either is or is not a hostile environment. Whether the US "has the lead" or not is irrelevant. Educated people understand this. But since Obama has never released his transcripts, we don't really know how educated he is.

Stuart Koehl| 6.20.11 @ 6:54PM

I actually consider it more of a live fire exercise than a real war. Of course, as a former Commandant of the Marine Corps said, "If they're shooting at me, it's high intensity".

JimP| 6.20.11 @ 6:47AM

I agree with Mr. Babbin on all points. I do think though that people pay less and less attention to McCain. After the debacle of his 2008 campaign people see how obviously incompetent he is and view him more and more as a crackpot. He's rather like a Tamany Hall or Chicago pol. He may get some things done for the locals, but take him out of that environment and he's a clueless eccentric. My sense is people don't view him as representative of the GOP but an off the reservation maverick contrarian.

Cpm| 6.20.11 @ 9:32PM

Right. After clubbing him like a baby seal during the 2008 campaign, the media has gone back to McCain whenever they need to get a Republican leader they can bait to criticise and mischaracterize fellow Republicans for the edification of their democrat viewers.

Kenny| 6.20.11 @ 6:54AM

McCain was not content to lose the 2008 election he now wants to do the same in 2012 on behalf of his betters.

McCain and all the other neo-cons (Bill Kristol, etc) can shove their nation building follies.

Carol| 6.20.11 @ 7:05AM

McShame is a disgrace to the nation.

He used to be considered a hero.

Now he is a zero because he has aligned himself with Obama. (I swear Obama must has some kind of drug he slips to the idiots that agree to be around - like John Bonehead).

He and Linda Grahamnesty must share a room.

Mimi| 6.20.11 @ 7:15AM

The President sees lies as truth .... and TRUTH as lies! He thinks this character flaw of his is gonna FLY...America stands by helpless and wondering...Is Michele the "REAL-DEAL" the only one not sucked in by this DELUSION?
Out here MOST of America knows we have a EMPEROR, smiling,...bare and naked..just prancing around.

WickedDickie--Virginia| 6.20.11 @ 7:27AM

McCain should have been retired by the voters as he has become a disgrace to his party almost as bad as Idiot Jimmy Cahtuh is to the communistcrats. Reid, of course, is a typical unprincipled liberal elite who won't even stop at treason to get what he wants. Looks more and more to me as though the only members of the Stupid Party with intestinal fortitude are the women. So be it. It may be time for a female president.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 7:49AM

It is nice to see Mr. Babbin has moved to the non intervention side after all these years. He and other establishment commentators refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Ron Paul was right and the establishment was wrong on both foreign policy and economic policy. He is the intellectual giant pulling the whole country in his direction. I read a lot of articles in this vein now. Most forget to mention Ron Paul.

Mike Hawk| 6.20.11 @ 8:34AM

Rube Paul is a fringe candidate and his supporters are kooks.

Nick| 6.20.11 @ 11:13AM

"I read a lot of articles in this vein now."

Yes, Jack, yes.

Especially, the articles that say Israel knew about the attacks of September 11th beforehand, and, didn't tell us, right? Or, do you read the articles that accuse the Jooooozzzzzzzzz of actually attacking us?

Help, Jack, help! The Joooooozzzzz are in my driveway! What should I do? Maybe they're here to finish the job!
Yutz.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 11:20AM

You seem to be the usual crackpot troll. Ron Paul and what he has advocated fro the 30 years is the future of the Republican party. He has been for non intervention small goverment, and a sound curency, for decades. The neocons have been proved wrong and Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, Bob Novak, Joe Sobran and Me have been proved right. Even Mr. Babbin in this article agrees with alot of the non intervention argument. It is great to see how he has grown intellectually.

Nick| 6.20.11 @ 11:29AM

Notice that Jack doesn't deny the accusations, folks.

This is all we need to know about him.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 1:07PM

Why would I respond to such nonsense? That would be to give it credulaty. Most sites that discuss foreign affairs have trolls like you around, who name call and lie to harasss, honest, thoughtful people. The fact is, as anyone who watched last Monday's debate knows, is that all the people on the panel were tripping over each other to sound the most like Ron Paul.

Nunya| 6.20.11 @ 2:12PM

I think you mean "credibility". Credulity (note it's an "i" not an "a") is the willingness to believe without evidence--it implies gullibility.

Die Fledermaus| 6.20.11 @ 5:47PM

Oh, so YOU are that guy that votes for Ron Paulyp?

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 7:30PM

Hahaha, "thoughtful people."

Ya mean like calling us "Warmongers", Neo-cons" et al?

Occam's Tool| 6.20.11 @ 12:13PM

I like to use Kiwipolish on my Jackboots, Mr. Wisconsin. What do you use on yours?

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 12:58PM

The Neo-cons are coming to take us away, they're coming to take us away... heehee haha hoho!!

Heh, ntice how good old jack capitalized the m in "Me".
Must be somebody reaaaal important.

Nick| 6.20.11 @ 3:52PM

Margie,

Kinda' makes one long for the likes of Toddard, doesn't it?

On second thought, maybe not!
Never mind.

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 7:28PM

Nick,

Poor Toddard. He gave up. But I have always wondered if he is good old Clint/Tim*. Ever wonder that?

Uh oh... wait for it. I know I've unleashed it... here it comes...

Clint| 6.20.11 @ 11:39PM

Victor-Margie-Sandy-Sybil Knows All About Leashes.
She's A Joisey Dog.

RCV| 6.21.11 @ 12:45AM

See what power you have, Margie!

Margie| 6.21.11 @ 3:42PM

The insane Paulbots have NOTHING, but personal attacks. Their filth is powerless and so are they, and they know it.
The only people they are able to "convince" is themselves, and those who think the same filth that they do.
For example that the "terrorists are terrorists because of U.S.!"
Hah, these "dogs" are going to the place where where God says dogs will go to, unless they repent.

Zbigniew Mazurak | 6.21.11 @ 1:06AM

Ron Paul and what he advocates represents the past, not the future. He is an advocate of unilateral disarmament, appeasement, isolationist, and BIG GOVERNMENT AT HOME, including BIG ENTITLEMENTS. The fact that he does get a few things right from time to time proves correct the old adage that "even a blind pig manages to find some corn one in a while."

Occam's Tool| 6.20.11 @ 12:12PM

No, Jack. It is simply this: the rebels are, if anything, more anti-American than Quaddafi. There is NO POINT in this intervention, no American interest.

The ruler of Iraq, in contrast, tried to assassinate the US President. That is sufficient casus belli.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 1:12PM

The usual suspects are lined up in a row to name call and spread nonsense in a effort to stop the great debate which is swirling around them. Mr. Babbin has joined the Debate and I am surprised to see he is more on my side than yours. No pro-war Republican can win the next election. It hasn't worked and the country is broke. The days of Bush and the neo-cons is over. Let's hope the leaders of the rebuilt Party will be a lot smarter and saner than the old ones.

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 2:44PM

The only way an anti-war, anti-Israel, anti-Military, anti-American candidate can win this election if they run in the Democrat party.

Even your pal, Ru Paul is trying to wiggle his little Libertarian butt in through the Republican party, but that's why he is laughed at by most. It just ain't gonna ever work.

Lotsa luck. The majority of Americans can still tell the difference between right and wrong.

Quartermaster| 6.20.11 @ 4:09PM

Really nice to see such great reasoning and civil argument among people that claim to have a brain, as opposed to the left.

You may not like Jack in Wi, but you bring discredit on yourself by resorting to ridicule in place of argument.

In the end, ridicule just paints you black while leaving the other's arguments on the table unanswered. That's what Obama and his minions do. Are you no better? If so, what proof have you placed on the table in this thread that you are?

All I see are a bunch of putz's that have no argument.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 5:28PM

What arguments? I haven't seen any. Calling Ron Paul ru Paul.?Calling everyone who wants a sane foreign policy an anti-semite. That is kind of argument that comes from the warmongers on this site. Most Republicans are catching on to the BS. If the party nominates another neocon warmonger, it will be it's own obituary. Ron Paul has been right on the FEd, The endless, stupid, and unconstutional wars, the big government Republicans and how they sold us out to the banksters. People are fed up with you guys. You have had the tiller of state for decades and run the ship onto the reef. It is up to us to drag it off and get it home to port.

Genial Gibber| 6.20.11 @ 11:36PM

Great maritime prose there jack. Score another one for some intelligent dialogue. You're spot on. The U.S. is adrift and once the shipwreck happens much else doesn't matter.

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 7:24PM

Sorry there QM~ you don't like what I have to say? Too bad. I don't cater to intellectual vermin.

And what matters to me is not how I am seen in your eyes.

What I said is the truth. Ru Paul will never get elected President.

Thank God.

Genial Gibber| 6.20.11 @ 11:45PM

How precisely does anti-war correlate to anti-Israel? To invert: Pro-war is pro-Israel? And by the way, in case you had not noticed, irreparable harm has been done to the security of Israel by the invasion of Iraq. Saddam was a useful tyrant, keeping Iran in check. What have we now? Please Margie, dispense with the gargantuan leaps of postulation.

Margie| 6.21.11 @ 3:46PM

It correalates because it so happens that this is what they happen to be. Show me a rabid Paulbot and I'll show you an anti-war, anti-Israel and anti-Military human being.

And conservative are not "pro-war". We just believe in defending ourselves and our allies.

Margie| 6.21.11 @ 9:11PM

Oh yoohoo, Gibber, where'd ya go?
Oh nevermind. I knew you didn't REALLY want an answer.

Clint| 6.20.11 @ 11:46PM

“Ron Paul cannot get elected” President, declared Donald Trump at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. Trump, who has never run for office, let alone won an election, may want to reconsider his parroting of this common refrain: A new CNN poll finds that, of all the Republicans being discussed as potential presidential candidates, the longtime Texas congressman has the greatest chance of beating Barack Obama, while The Donald comes in dead last.

In a hypothetical match-up between Paul and Obama, Obama beats Paul by only seven percentage points (52 to 45 percent). Meanwhile, Obama bests former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee by eight points, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by 11 points, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich by 17 points, former Alaska Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin by 19 points, and Trump by a whopping 22 points. (The poll, by the way, was taken April 29 – May 1 and completed before Obama’s announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.)"

Genial Gibber| 6.20.11 @ 11:31PM

Touche' Jack in Wi. Don't know if you really, really sport any jackboots but I do know your post here is kick ass. Meaning, indeed, "no pro-war Republican can win the next election. It hasn't worked. . . " And, even if they could win, there's this one trifle problem; the country is, indeed, BROKE! Great post. I guess your detractors here just don't know jack.

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 7:33PM

Occam, it's you, Louis Farrahkan, Ron Paul and Dennis Kuccinich on one side. Doesn't that tell you something?

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 10:42PM

And Jackboot and Pat Buchannan are in with you, too.

What do all these folks have in common, Occam?

RCV| 6.21.11 @ 3:22AM

And, Occam, you might want to ask yourself why Netanyahu has praised NATO's action againt Libya.

Michael L. Hauschild| 6.20.11 @ 8:29AM

Why? He was the Presidential candidate in 2008, he is the best they have to offer. He has only done two things of merit as a polititian; inject Palin into the areana and almost singlehanded bring into being the Tea Party. The only two thing that could even come close to those achievements would be to shut up and to quit.

Pecos Pete| 6.20.11 @ 9:06AM

Good points, especially about the Tea Party. Hadn't thought of McCain in those terms.

WJ| 6.20.11 @ 8:30AM

McCain is the shame of Arizona just as Graham is the shame of South Carolina. Great states with good conservative populations that keep sending these clowns back to Washington.

Mike Hawk| 6.20.11 @ 8:41AM

Capt McQueeg ran a savage primary campaign against JD Hayworth and morphed back into the conservative to win. Had he been half as aggressive against the Oborg collective, he might have won. He has now morphed back into RINO 'moderate' mode. The Good Senor is the RINO establishment.

Nick| 6.20.11 @ 11:25AM

WJ,

Amen!

Shame on every Arizonan who voted for McLame instead of Hayworth. And, shame on every Arizonan who voted for McShame for senator, too.

I would rather put up with a democrat from Arizona for six years than this pompous loud-mouth.

Besides fixing the GOP primary rules, which enabled McLame's nomination in the first place, we must get rid of all members of Congress who have been there longer than 12 years. No more career politicians.

Also, shame on every South Carolinian who voted for Lindsey Grahmnesty in '08. If you re-elect him in '14, please secede again.

Mutch Moore| 6.21.11 @ 9:50PM

WJ: Your post illuminates a major flaw in our electoral process. Conservatives, not unlike Taxacheusett's career Kennedy and NY's Weiner and even conservative's Arizona Amnesty McLame and "Going South" Carolina's Graham, why, oh why are America defeating clowns sent back to legislate? No more welfare voters!!! That means: anyone on the public dole (other than social security) should be precluded from voting.

Michael L. Hauschild| 6.20.11 @ 8:33AM

By the way, this will only take a moment of your time away from McCain.
http://www.americanthinker.com.....cared.html

Matthew Quigley| 6.20.11 @ 8:42AM

McCain needs to shut up and disappear. He's shown that in everything from amnesty to illegal aliens, to taxes, to just plain lying to get re-elected, that he's a Democrat with a Republican label. His stance on Libya shows that we'd be in the same sinking ship if he'd won in '08 as with Obama. McCain is a bad joke, but he's a bad joke with influence...and the voters in Arizona need to recall him before he can do any more damage than he already has.

Quartermaster| 6.20.11 @ 4:21PM

Alas, there is no mechanism to recall any of our congressvarmints.

David W| 6.20.11 @ 8:51AM

McCain is pathetic. He appeared afraid to take on Obama in 2008. It appears that he is afraid to take him on over Libya (good grief - he's going to work with the anti-war, American soldiers are murderers, John Kerry to give Obama free rein in Libya???). When with the conservatives of Arizona wise up - McCain is nothing but a RINO.

Mike Hawk| 6.20.11 @ 11:21AM

Remember, Lurch was considering Capt. McQueeg for his Veep before he settled on the Breck Girl.

Kristal| 6.20.11 @ 8:51AM

“Republicans are always haunted by the fear that the public WILL NOT understand and are, therefore, reluctant to state their views bluntly.

Democrats, on the other hand, are always afraid the public WILL understand, and so they distort information early and often”

From “The Freedom Agenda”, by Dick Armey

Dixie Pixie| 6.20.11 @ 8:55AM

Let me get this straight.
A internationally recognized legitimate government suddenly has a revolt biased on economic conditions created by that government.
Obama then supports that rebellion using US military force without authorization from Congress.
Obama refuses to explain to the American public or Congress who or why the US should support in the rebellion giving only the lamest of excuses.

In short Obama has committed the US in a illegal open-ended war in support of a people who we still know nothing in which we have refused any control at all!
And John McCain has no problem with any of this and calls for the Republican Party to reflexively support the President?
Pray tell why?

Blind obedience to Presidential authority is a desirable quality in the military but in a self-appointed leader of the opposition party it is out-right madness.

Nunya| 6.20.11 @ 2:20PM

Agreed, DP. McLame obviously has lost his mind. Frankly, I think it started when he ran against W in 2000, I think he started believing the "Maverick" BS and it has warped his mind. He seems to think that by "reaching across the aisle" and putting forth crappy (and treasonous) legislation with his name shared by a Democrap it makes him some kind of hero to the world (McLame/Feingold, McLame/Kennedy, etc., et al). He's a fool. Old or otherwise, he's a disgrace to conservatism and needs to STFU and resign.

Genial Gibber| 6.21.11 @ 1:38AM

You tell it like it is Nunya. And you did so with plain Texas talk, without pedantry. Love you post!

Genial Gibber| 6.21.11 @ 1:45AM

You nailed it Dixie Pixie. Maye we can somehow, someday see Hussein Obama in a prison jump suit for high crimes of international turpitude. ... and he can be cell mates with Bush2 for Iraq and maybe even Clinton for Kosovo. The 3 stooges of war crimes. Abusing Pentagon resources for no tangible benefit to the vital interests of America.

abercrombie en france | 6.20.11 @ 9:07AM

nice job!

Louis Tully| 6.20.11 @ 9:10AM

Just McCain being McCain. The GOP has never attempted to distance itself from him and never will. Heck, not long ago they rewarded his years long attack on conservatives by nominating him for President.
My Q is, why do Cons keep going back to the GOP over and over and over again?

Nunya| 6.20.11 @ 2:24PM

We have no real choice but to try and remake the R party into what it once was: conservative at its core. What exists now is Democrap lite--some sort of "We're-not-as-Marxist-as-they-are" mentality that has headed us in the same direction, just at a slower pace.

A third party is not a winning strategy at this time, although if the R's in charge don't see the forest for the trees, a third party WILL come to the forefront and will gain traction. I just keep hoping those leading the party will see and react positiviely to what people are trying to do with the Tea Party movement. I'm not holding my breath, as I've seen very little positive movement yet.

John Dietrich| 6.20.11 @ 9:12AM

Congress must pass a Kinetic Military Action Powers Act. We need a definitive definition of "is." McCain and Graham were eager to provide Gaddafi with military aid a year ago and were fine with the release of the Lockerbie bomber. Now they want Gaddafi dead. There is something going on that the public does not know about. The stated reasons for removing Gaddafi are obvious BS. When Reagan bombed Libya and was accused of killing Gaddafi's fictitious daughter, Jimmy Carter came out and said that if that had happened to him he would not rest until he got revenge. Obama's bombing apparently killed some of Gaddafi's relatives. Where is the outrage?

Bill| 6.20.11 @ 9:17AM

To determine if we are engaged in "hostilities" or not, just ask yourself what the loudest people would be saying if the U.S. was firing drones and cruise missiles into Pakistan or Mexico, trying to kill the leadership in that country.

Bill| 6.20.11 @ 9:19AM

I wonder how many civilians that U.S. munitions have killed in Libya, and why the numbers aren't being pumped up by the left and paraded around as an atrocity.

JP| 6.20.11 @ 9:21AM

The President is testing the American resolve to put US troops under NATO command without regard to constitutional perogatives. The President never really gave a reason with compelling evidence as to why we should be involved in this civil war. According to him, there is no need to convince Congress for 2 reasons:

a)NATO treaty obligations supercede congressional jurisdiction.

b)NATO is in charge of the operation, and the US is only providing a secondary support role.

cicero| 6.20.11 @ 9:30AM

McCain is the natural result of the Republican National Party continuing its policy of always protecting the incumbent in its primaries. Rather than backing the best or most conservative candidate, they blindly support, with all of their resourses, the incumbent over better challengers. The result is the McCains and the Specters who stay on long after they have worn out their purposefulness.

Margie| 6.21.11 @ 9:16PM

Indeed this is why he got the nomination, along with the fact that Democrats got to vote in our primaries, AND Fred Thompson had to go and drop out of the race.
Imagine if he would have become our President instead... sigh.
But there is yet hope! People are waking up, getting involved and voting for conservatives, and we do have plenty of good candidates in our camp this time, and hopefully more will throw their hats in. I hope Alan West does, and I wouldn't mind if Paul Ryan did either.

LarryK| 6.20.11 @ 9:31AM

Why doesn't McCain take a lesson from Gen. MacArthur and "just fade away...."

PattyMor| 6.20.11 @ 9:33AM

Hey, McLame, just where is that danged fence? What legislation have you proposed (since your reelection) to get the fence built from sea to the gulf? Or was that just another election year lie in order to win relection?

You are a Progressive in RINO clothing. Get off the stage you old washed up fart. A guy who lost an election to a guy with no visible accomplishments and a radical background.

Doctor Right| 6.20.11 @ 9:37AM

...And when this doddering old fossil finally calls it quits, we can look forward to the ascendant political career of his ditzy daughter!

C Smith| 6.20.11 @ 9:41AM

Monday, March 28, 2011
The Gadhafi Precedent

“No,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bluntly stated when asked on “Face the Nation” if the U.S. would intervene in Syrian unrest as in Libya. She defended her position by saying that the situations in Syria and Libya are respectively "unique." Yes, each are unique, but not for reasons mentioned:

Syria's human rights record is among the worst according to Human Rights Watch. Syrian secret police detain, torture, and are suspect in the disappearance of an estimated 17,000 political prisoners. Libya, by comparison, is not even in the ball park.

Syria, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), supports the following terrorist organizations: Hezbollah, the Iraqi insurgency, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Libya of course is culpable for Lockerbie, but even here Gaddafi personal sanction on the matter is debatable.

Iran and Syria maintain a mutual defense agreement, while Iran and Libya are enemies with the former encouraging the West to arm their anarchist allies.

Syria possesses weapons of mass destruction (chemical and biological) and the capability to deliver them according to U.S.defense and intelligence reports. However, a September 2007 Israeli air strike is generally credited with putting Syria's nuclear program on hold. Libya, in stark contrast, has complied with the "world community," and what was her reward, "decimation":

"On December 19, 2003, Libya announced it would dismantle its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs. Since then, U.S., British, and international officials have inspected and removed or destroyed key components of those programs, and Libya has provided valuable information, particularly about foreign suppliers. Libya’s WMD disarmament is a critical step towards reintegration into the world community.... " (Sharon A. Squassoni and Andrew Feickert (Specialists in National Defense Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division), CRS Report for Congress, Disarming Libya: Weapons of Mass Destruction, September 22, 2006).

Clinton's unsubstantiated preference of Syria over Libya is not an error in judgment, but rather something more sinister:

Frank Gaffney, a columnist for the Washington Times, recently made the obvious connection in an analysis titled “The Gadhafi Precedent.” Gaffney indicates that the hostilities initiated against Libya might soon be used to “justify and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally: Israel.” Actually, Gaffney was too restrained in his analysis. The coalition's assault on Libya was a test run or perhaps a dress rehearsal of the "Expedient for Jerusalem":

Palestinian preparations for the opportune moment to initiate anarchy in Israel are complete, pending Secretary Clinton's affirmation of the "Gadhafi Precedent." However, the situations in Libya and Israel are respectively "unique". Secretary Clinton and her coalition are unaware "the LORD hath chosen" Israel (cf. Deuteronomy 14:2), has "chosen Jerusalem" (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:6) and unto Abraham promised: "... all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Genesis 13:15).

Secretary Clinton and her coalition are also unaware the LORD doesn't settles His accounts on Friday, but has chosen one DAY in all eternity to judge the earth. Yet as that DAY draws ever nearer "the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" (Psalms 2:2-3). And as Secretary Clinton and her coalition covertly prepare ambush for Israel, the LORD bates the pit: "... I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people... and in that day will... make Jerusalem a burdensome stone... And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:2-9).

http://theisraelofgod.blogspot.....salem.html

C Smith| 6.20.11 @ 9:42AM

Monday, March 28, 2011
The Gadhafi Precedent

Iran and Syria maintain a mutual defense agreement, while Iran and Libya are enemies with the former encouraging the West to arm their anarchist allies.

Clinton's unsubstantiated preference of Syria over Libya is not an error in judgment, but rather something more sinister:

http://theisraelofgod.blogspot.....salem.html

Petronius| 6.20.11 @ 9:55AM

We can mark McCain's dues statement for his membership in the beltway clique paid up for this year.

Bill Diebold| 6.20.11 @ 10:16AM

McCain is the senior senator of my home state. This has given me plrnty of time to observe the senior weasle in action. I also have had many conversations with my fellow conservatives here in Arizona. The truth is he only represents himself. He likes the term "maverick" as it relieves him of the burden of having principals. McCain is simply a political whore who will happily promise anybody anything that will get him re-elected. He was an open border elitist when he saw he could mine the illegal alien vote. He expressed his concern about gun control while pandering to the loony left liberals. In summery, McCain was a waste of a perfectly good parachute.
The only public service he qualifies for is sitting in the dugout waiting for the time the US needs to make a hostage swap with the Iranians.

randyinrocklin| 6.20.11 @ 2:40PM

so tell me how this POS got re-elected by the people of AZ?????????

Bill Diebold| 6.21.11 @ 9:59AM

Mr rinr,
That's a good question. I can only presume they're people who haven't observed the weasle and actually believe his steamy load of crap. And possibly all the illegals that stream into AZ every day would be happy to vote for him. The dimocraps have developed an industry based on voter fraud. In their eyes he's just an open border elitist and basically follows their code. "Maverick"

Bumr50| 6.20.11 @ 11:01AM

Th fact that this man is still clinging to power and not golfing every day is a very telling insight into what's wrong with DC culture.

These people wrap their own egos up in the blanket of serving the public so tightly that the job has become their identity. They don't know anything else, and I presume are scared to death of relinquishing their power.

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 11:20AM

Kudos to McCain on this one. There was a time when the Republican Party stood for American leadership in the world. It is now increasingly a tool of the Paul-bots and their allies on the Democratic Kucinich left -- isolationism and non-intervention. Sad to watch.

W| 6.20.11 @ 11:32AM

RCV, I am surprised, are you for the Libya war? What is our interest there?

Steve A| 6.20.11 @ 12:51PM

I think you have to give McCain credit here & on most foreign policy issues. I believe he stands for what he truly believes, regardless of who is in office. He was for the surge when all else were against it. He is against enhanced interrogation in opposition to most GOP. He is backing Obama here as he believes it is the correct course. He may be wrong, but at least he has some balls.

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 1:29PM

When you're on the same side of an issue with Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul and Louis Farakhan, you ought to ask yourself, "What the hell am I doing here?"

Qhaddafi is a man who ordered and carried out the murder of hundreds of Americans civilians, as well as the murders of numerous American soldiers in Germany. He has aided international terrorists for most of his term in office. He is one of the worst lunatic oppressors on earth. I cheer the fall of every tyrant, whether he be Ceaucescu or Assad, Castro or Qhaddafi.

Drunken Sailor| 6.20.11 @ 2:10PM

Just curious, did you feel the same about Saddam ?

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 2:16PM

I was delighted at the fall and capture of Saddam, and his execution. I did not believe the Iraq invasion was strategically a wise idea -- far too empowering of Iran, a far greater threat to us and to Israel -- nor did I think it was worth the high price of American lives and treasure.

Steve A| 6.20.11 @ 2:43PM

RCV, The problem is this. As for those who lean left, you are the exception. What this nation lacks is some consistency on both sides. We (Americans) are the good guys wether Bush kills terrorists or Obama kills terrorists. The difference is that leftists fly over to Baghdad & pose as human shields when a Republican tries to kill the bad guys. The difference is that Democrat politicians accuse Bush of flat out lying when they know it is false. Now, some Republicans play the same game in opposition, without consideration on what is best for the country. The opposition is mostly political, not principled. If it were Bush launching tomahawks on Quadaffi, 98% would applaud.

W| 6.20.11 @ 3:22PM

Steve, which Republicans are playing the politial game in opposition to Obama not based on principles? How does bombing Libya, without any congressional debate and approval as was done in Iraq, serve the best interest of our country?

Steve A| 6.20.11 @ 3:38PM

W, My point is this. If Reagan were President today & did the exact same thing as Obama has done (He did launch a missile or 2 at his compound if I reacall), Boehner, Bauchmann & all of the rest would be lock step right behind the action. Sean Hannity would be calling him the defender of Liberty & on & on & on & I am just tired of the bu****it.

I, personally, think he must get Congressional approval within the 60 days to continue. I could care less if he is GOP or DEM. The problem is that we draw up the battle lines politically & argue against ourselves regardless of what is best for the country.

Case in point: When Bush had the reigns & spent us into oblivion with prescrip drugs & blowing the budget to new heights, where were all of the Republican's crying foul. They are a bunch of pansies, just like the Dems. They may be actually worse because they supposedly know better.

Quartermaster| 6.20.11 @ 4:26PM

Sometimes (rare I know), even Dennis "The Menace" Kucinich is right.

W| 6.20.11 @ 5:06PM

Steve, when Reagan bombed Quadafi or gaddafi, whatever, that was in direct retaliation for the Berlin disco bombing, and others,it was closely related in time.
Quadaffi has not done anything against the USA since the Reagan bombs, and in fact, after the Iqaq invasion, he stopped his nuclear program. He is no threat to us, but we do not know who the rebels are unless you trust and belive Hillary and the French.
You are correct that Bush spent too much money, but the spending today is beyond belief. Obama's unilateral decision to go to war, and ignore congress and the public, is similar to the way he ignored the public in obamacare, he does what he wants

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 5:39PM

Reagan never would have gone into Libya. He leared his lesson in Lebanon. He got out when the getting was good. He listened to the neocons one last time, in the Iran contra affair. It almost cost him his job. They sank Bush and now want to sink the party forever by bringing a civil war to the Conservative movement.. Let the neocons go back to the Democrats whence they came. The Krauthammer's, Kristols and Podhoretz's and the rest have never ever had a sane or good idea, ever. The went from, Trotsky to the Democrats. They should go back where they belong.

W| 6.20.11 @ 3:19PM

You make the case to kill Gaddafy, but not to kill the Libyan civilians through bombing. We had more reason to attack Iraq than to attack Libya. It is easy to say you want to remove the dictators, but do you want to go to war with those countries?

W| 6.20.11 @ 5:56PM

The problem with the argument that Gadaffy is a bad guy who deserves to be killed becuase of the disco bombing and the Lockerbie bombing is tha Obama did not go to war for this reason. Obama went to war to help the rebels and "proteact Libyan civilians." He did not go to war to punish Gadaffy for crimes he committed over twenty years ago. If Obama's reason for war is to punish Gadaffy for the crimes of twenty years ago, then that should have been debated in congress for authorization, becuase there was no emergency to act if we are avenging crimes from twenty years ago. The suppporters of the Libyan war on this site are making arguments that Obama has not and will not make. If Obama's teleprompter were to say we are going to kill Gadaffy for what he did, and I am requesting congressional approval, then I would support Obama.

Wayne | 6.20.11 @ 11:45AM

You honesty want Obama leading the world?

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 2:52PM

"It is now increasingly a tool of the Paul-bots and their allies on the Democratic Kucinich left -- isolationism and non-intervention. Sad to watch."

Nah. RCV~ while it looks that way here at AmSpec and you'd be right if judging by some of the authors and a lot of the Paulbot Libertarians who post here~ nope, it will never happen.

The Republican party elite is one thing, and they are losing out big time to real conservatives these days~ but the grass roots Repubs like me are way stronger than the measly Paulbot gang of lunatics.
The Tea partiers are NOT mostly Paulbots. They are regular Americans from all walks of life who are sick of Democrat RULE.

We shall overcome. :^).

RCV| 6.20.11 @ 10:48PM

Oh, yeah? The despicable Mr Paul just won the straw poll at the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference. The once proud GOP is selling its soul to the devil before your verybeyes, Margie. Good luck to you real Conservatives.

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 11:20PM

RCV~ he ALWAYS wins the straw polls~ it is NO big deal.
It's laughable.
I ain't worried, sir!

johnd2| 6.20.11 @ 11:27AM

McCain and much of the power elites of both parties are willfully blind to the aproaching end of our pretentious and hopelessly expensive experiment in empire. If we keep electing these guys, we deserve the economic and eventual personal demise that follows.

Wayne | 6.20.11 @ 11:43AM

The GOP in general has been very slow in condemning ObamaWar. It was illegal from DAY 1. Imagine the world's most powerful military in the hands of Obama. But many Republicans were saying Obama didn't attack Libya soon enough.

But the author is right. Just as the bombing of Pearl Harbor was an act of war, so is the bombing of Libya. We are at war with Libya, and probably Yemen also, and we are on the same side of this war as Al Qaeda.

Democrats have always liked wars, but why do Republicans need to join in?

GENE HAUBER| 6.20.11 @ 11:45AM

GET RID OF MCCAIN, GIVE BACHMANN THE FLOOR AND IMPEACH THIS STUPID HUMP OF A PRESIDENT...NOW!

Anommynous| 6.20.11 @ 11:53AM

"Only a few muted voices opposed it on the grounds that we had no national interest at stake."

I, for one, was skeptical of the Libyan adventure from the very beginning, and I know quite a few other conservatives who weren't at all mute about their misgivings. And I think we have been vindicated in our skepticism.

But, well, now we are there. It was a mistake to go there in the first place, but now that we are there, is it responsible to leave? If our supposed goal is to topple Gaddafi, then let's do it as quickly and efficiently as possible, shock-and-awe style, with ground troops if necessary. How long did it take to topple Saddam? Then, once Gaddafi's toppled, we leave. If there is nation-building to be done, we'll leave it to France, since this is the war they wanted, but we'll be through with this fiasco in the most face-saving manner possible.

Ken (Old Texican)| 6.20.11 @ 11:57AM

I just finished reading a novel called "Gods of Ruin".
Pretty preachy...unlike mine which is prophecy.
www.txbooks.blogspot.com

Uh...in case some of you don't know what "Charlie Foxtrot" means.......it means "Cluster F**k."

We are edging ever closer to a "Sit Down Revolution"...where everyone to the degree they are able, simply sit down and refuse income...ie: income taxes.

If Americans sit down for one single month...the federal government is bankrupt.

I'm good for three months. How many here are good for a month?

God bless. The tea-party movement can organize it.
"Tea Party Patriots" can promote it. Let's do it!

Margie| 6.20.11 @ 2:57PM

Hey Ken!
We're getting prepared here.
One way to have income apart from gov. is to buy and sell on ebay. Not as a business, but as an individual.
Though they are looking into trying to tax even that now. Imagine that. Never mind that what you are buying and selling is used goods that have already been taxed~ they want to tax them again.. and again. They will never stop.

NJK| 6.20.11 @ 12:23PM

Excellent article. I don't like or respect either John Boehner or John McCain. John Boehner has no leadership ability. He's shown that by undermining every situation the Republican House has to fix what's wrong. Dennis Kucinich presents a resolution to defund the Libyan War, and John Boehner decides to intervene and give Obama two more weeks and $2Million a day to violate it some more. He writes nice polite letters, and golfs with this criminal. And yes, Obama is a criminal who enough people foolishly voted for.

John McCain is a has been, and should have known when to retire. He's like the sitcom that doesn't quit while it's still relevant or the quarterback who keeps coming back, eventually leaving as a has been. John McCain hurts the country. He doesn't help it. Go away McCain. You're not relevant to anyone except yourself and the leftists.

NJK| 6.20.11 @ 12:26PM

Here's a good article about what used to be the Democrat Party.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY, NOT A POLITICAL PARTY
Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler
Thursday, 02 June 2011
http://www.tothepointnews.com/content/view/4552/2/

Siegfried X| 6.20.11 @ 12:49PM

McCain has been a neo-con for many years. He knows that's where the big money is the Republican Party now.

It's shocking to see American Spectator and Babbin oppose military action in any way. Before the 2008 election, AS and the whole Republican media were all neo-con all the time.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 5:46PM

Amen to that Siggy; I Amost fell on the floor after reading that. I think the Spectator is going to join in the great debate that is engulfing America about the future.

Siegfried X| 6.20.11 @ 12:51PM

Another Republican problem is so few of their top politicians have actually served in the military. That allows McCain to bully the other Republican pols, since they need some veteran to discuss war issues.

Jack in Wi.| 6.20.11 @ 5:44PM

The only guy running who served in the military is Doctor Ron Paul, 5 years in the Air Force. In the last election cycle he got the most money, by far from the Military and their families. He has worked in military hospitals for years and saw all the waste and destruction of war. The winning and only ticket is Ron Paul for President. Rand Paul for Vice President.

Cpm| 6.20.11 @ 9:52PM

You're just wasting your time .

Marc Jeric| 6.20.11 @ 1:46PM

McCain has become just another bloviating gasbag.

Uli Kunkel| 6.20.11 @ 1:58PM

Whenever McCain is reminded he's wrong, or at least when clearer heads take exception, McCain doubles down on his sojourn into stupidity and mule headed contrariness, to the detriment of a unified republican party -- he's nuts and counterproductive!!!

Susie Johanson| 6.20.11 @ 2:40PM

The RNC should make it clear that McCain does not speak for the party. Having realized his own selfish, delusional ambitions of running for President, and losing miserably, he now attempts to regain his media friends by doing what he always did - blast republicans. Why Arizona re-elected him is a mystery to me, and thorn is the Republicans side, which he will be until someone tells him to sit down and shut up

thechicagoway| 6.20.11 @ 2:51PM

Using the "no boots on the ground" logic, then the a-bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki were not "hostile acts" and not subject to the war powers act.

Albert| 6.20.11 @ 3:45PM

"Liberals, by their nature, can't be overtly hostile to anyone, nor can they admit their inner feelings of anger, hatred or warlike intent. They sublimate their hostility in legislation and court decrees which, too, are defined to exclude hostile intent."

This disposition to "sublimate" in the courts extends to sublimating in the bureaucracies as well. Witness the TSA field raids and Congress' habit of assigning responsibility for distasteful tasks to bureaucracies (base closures, regulating the value of currency, etc...). Functionally, this is despotism by bureaucracy, wherein government agents are merely "obeying orders" or "following standard procedures." When liberals use such drones to violate our rights and seize our property, it is accompanied by the usual mantra "this is nothing personal." It should be noted that liberals, by their very nature, are COVERTLY hostile to everything that represents freedom and prosperity. And with good reason. Free and prosperous people have no need for liberals, and this is simply unacceptable to the liberal ego.

Big Daddy| 6.20.11 @ 4:14PM

Once again John McCain's need to be relevant is readily embraced by the MSM and shouted out as the Republicans "official " policy when it suits the Dems. Sadly we have seen this movie before.
Mc Cain was on the wrong side of Campaign finance reform, immigration, and now Libya. The media trotted him out to a microphone and like a trained monkey he would mouth the words they wanted to hear.."I've reached across the aisle" A "Bi-partisan effort to compromise" Why is it these "compromises" always include a Hack like
Fiengold, Kennedy or as now, John Kerry?
John could just make it "official" and join the Democratic Party.....of course he would never get any face time in the news again....
Time to go home John, the young lions want their chance and conservatives need an untarnished and energetic face to deliver the message.

Dan| 6.20.11 @ 4:48PM

While I admire John McCain for his service to our country, he is a political loser and must somehow be stopped from sinking the election for the GOP. Remember the WWII slogan, lose lips sink ships.

Naturalborn Texican| 6.20.11 @ 5:32PM

I agree with you, Dan.

I have great respect for McCain and his service in Vietnam...

BUT!!! We can no longer "make nice" with the Dumbocrats, and keep this country the greatest in the world!!!

We've go to whip their backsides all the way to the capital and back!!!

Die Fledermaus| 6.20.11 @ 5:42PM

I've never been one to entertain the idea of God's punishment with disasters, but maybe those awful fires in Arizona is a message for putting this fool McCain back into the Senate?

Hasn't he done enough damage to the country? I'm beginning to wonder exactly whose side he was on in that POW camp.

St. Thor| 6.20.11 @ 5:52PM

The problem is that no one ever looked into McCain's military service. His father and grandfather were Admirals, which explains why he wasn't taken off flight status after crashing two expensive military aircraft. For anyone else that would have been a career ender, but he was allowed to continue flying and was shot down, taken prisoner, and gave up information to the enemy, which was excused because of the virulence of the torture he endured, and forgetting about those who endured the same and worse without cracking. He is no Patton, or MacArthur, or Bradley, or Eisenhower, or Nimitz, but a regular old schmuck like most military personnel except for the high ranking relatives. And even they could not get him promoted to flag status. He should have been directed to the local VA's post traumatic stress ward rather than held up as some hot shot military hero deserving of a Senate seat, not for shooting down the enemy, but getting shot down.

shipley130| 6.20.11 @ 8:13PM

I'm still mad at myself for voting for him, even though he wasn't elected. I didn't realize he was so full of himself until I read his book. He has gotten cover from scrutiny because of his POW status. That is just as bad as the left wing media cover for Obama.

rendite| 6.21.11 @ 3:21AM

St. Thor, thank you. Finally some truth. While I might not word it as harshly as you do, John McCain owes much to his pappy and grandpappy. Annapolis? Probably never would have happened without his bigshot dad.

People here at AS need to stop just knee-jerk praising people who have had some time in the military. Stop offering instant sainthood for what most do in the military: Just ordinary, everday working, jobs. Key point: Most never get shot at or shoot.

As to McCain, I am sure he chuckles mightily to himself. The people of Arizona just gave him 5.5 more years. The man is scared stiff of retirement, the thought of having to play second fiddle to his millionaire wife.

BackToBasics| 6.20.11 @ 6:39PM

The Republican establishment is trotting out McCain to get us used to bipartisanspeak again. It's probably a runup to getting us "used" to the establishment push for John Huntsman. Honestly, the Republican establishment is more stupid than Obam is!

sablegsd| 6.20.11 @ 6:58PM

Somebody needs to take this clown behind the wood shed and "change his mind."

His military service does not give him the right to sabotage what is right for this country. And the kinetic action carp is NOT RIGHT OR LEGAL.

shipley130| 6.20.11 @ 8:09PM

Obama is setting the ground work for other countries to get away with attacking America from say, a Chinese destroyer, because there were no boots on the ground, therefore, there is no hostilities.

weddingdresses | 6.21.11 @ 5:36AM

Obama is setting the ground work for other countries to get away with attacking America from say, a Chinese destroyer, because there were no boots on the ground, therefore, there is no hostilities.

Dernon Ruton| 6.21.11 @ 11:09AM

"McCain's 2008 campaign was doomed from the start by his own arrogance . . . ."

In this writer's opinion, that campaign was distasteful rather than doomed. Millions of Republican voters knew they had no choice, and that they would have to hold their noses while voting for him. They did so. Millions more did not hold their noses because they didn't bother to vote at all. And that's because they weren't energized by, weren't excited about, weren't engaged in, and weren't paying attention to, one of the most lackluster, insipid, meaningless, and manifestly unconcerned campaigns in American history. Their not having voted may well have made the popular vote difference. That campaign stuck more than one toe over the line between naive incompetence and willful malfeasance. As tired, unattractive, and apparently unmotivated as McCain was, he came awfully close. Imagine if he had tried.

No. Instead, McCain threw that fight like the battered, corrupt old boxer on the take that he is. For America to genuflect in 2008 one last time before his Vietnam War record was a last hurrah of respectful indulgence. But that record was made a long, long time ago, and has brought him neither depth nor status. For that, you need wisdom. In that, he is no hero. In his own way, John McCain is every bit as arrogant as B. Hussein Obama.

And now, to hear this self-aggrandizing old coot one more time leading his one-man Fifth Column of Contrarian Stupidity against a vast field of Republican hopefuls -- who seek to unseat, in Obama, the most horrific, secretive, megalomaniac, would-be autocrat in US history -- is way more than the last straw. Heaven only knows how Arizona sent this old coot back to the Senate rather than out to pasture. It's way past high time for someone with clout to tell him to zip it. But either there's no one with the viscera to do so, or else there's no one he'll listen to. I'm saddened to see yesteryear's young hero grown to be an old accomodationist, know-nothing old plague desperately clinging to his country's tail as hooves, haunches, and history gallop away from him into a future he knows he cannot shape. "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise." (King Lear, Act I, Scene 5; the Fool speaking to the King.) Who'll play the fool to McCain?

rendite| 6.21.11 @ 2:54PM

DR, a good post. Thank you.

I think McCain does a real disservice to veterans, especially those who suffered as POWs. He's much older now, but I bet if we could view video and hear audio clips of his early years of political campaigning, I bet he milked his Vietnam stories for all they were worth. No shame.

I never wish for any American serviceman those long years of POW incarceration and mistreatment.

But don't use it as your calling card. Don't misuse sympathy. And, yes, that was all now a long, long time ago.

Is there a legal way to end --- right now -- John McCain as a U.S. Senator? A procedural way? A special referendum?

He has a habit of going abroad with Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman on various "missions." Example: The Munich conference in February. Does anyone else think like me? Do you see them as "The Three Stooges on a Road Trip?"

CalMark| 6.21.11 @ 1:57PM

McCain is a vicious, egomaniacal old fool.

In 2005, McCain was the commencement speaker at Northwestern University. He gave a rip-roaring "intervene everywhere" speech, saying that failure to respond makes Americans just as guilty of every atrocity as the criminal regimes who commit them.

The stadium full of liberals stood up and cheered, of course. I sat on my hands and glared at him. McCain saw me; I expected him to look away smoothly, maybe following a "screw you" smile. Instead, he stared back, haughty and furious, long enough that I started to worry that security might take an interest.

Thousands cheering, but a single, silent, unobtrusive dissident ruined the moment for him. That says everything anyone needs to know about McCain and about liberals in general.

The Bruce| 6.21.11 @ 4:13PM

I keep forgetting that we're now into the 5 years out of 6 when McCain isn't pretending to be a conservative.

Latest Headlines

Not Ready for Primetime Players

Daniel J. Flynn|111 comments

Assessing a Week of Scandal

Matt Purple|122 comments

Oops, Maybe Government is Tyrannical

Marta H. Mossburg|61 comments

Soros Funds Anti-‘Torture’ Report

Mark Tooley|105 comments

Treasure State Treasury

Bill Croke|3 comments

My Generation’s Disease

Benjamin Brophy|66 comments

The View From the Other Side

George H. Wittman|16 comments

USPS: Radical Surgery Needed

Peter Hannaford|19 comments

The Spectacle Blog

The Spectator’s Spectacular: Most Read Stories, May 12-May 19

Patrick Ryan | 12:41PM

Elijah Harper, R.I.P.

Aaron Goldstein | 5.18.13

If Only the Tsar Knew!

F.H. Buckley | 5.18.13

Low-Level IRS Staffer: No, We Didn’t Mastermind This Entire Thing

Matt Purple | 5.17.13

UPDATED: IRS Acting Chief Apologizes, But Defends His Actions

Kaylin Bugos | 5.17.13

Voter Fraud Affected Election Results in Missouri