Over at TNR, Jonathan Chait disputes the image of John McCain as a straight
talker who tells people where he stands, regardless of whether his
views are popular. In fact, on issues such as taxes, spending, and
immigration, Chait argues, McCain has been quite unpredictable and
idiosyncratic, flip flopping shamelessly, or taking stands out of
cold political calculations.
The piece is worth reading, but I have a bone to pick with this
point Chait makes about McCain's support for the Iraq War:
The fact that the war was increasingly unpopular with the public
at large, paradoxically, made it all the more effective for McCain.
His hawkish stance signaled to conservatives his willingness to
buck public opinion. And reporters, bizarrely, interpreted his
position as more evidence of McCain's probity--here was a man,
gushed a string of campaign reports, willing to lose the presidency
for the sake of his beliefs. In fact, the war was an issue where
McCain's beliefs aligned perfectly with his self-interest, since
the constituency he needed to woo, conservative stalwarts,
supported Bush.
The problem with Chait arguing that McCain's position
on Iraq wasn't a political risk because it helped him among
conservatives neglects the fact that by being so supportive of the
surge, McCain was risking the erosion of his support among
independents, who were central to his strategy for winning the
nomination.
For a more positive perspective on McCain's
conservative fiscal record, check out Kevin Stach's WSJ column.
topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Iraq, Immigration
