Something that we ought to do more of here, perhaps, is
encourage AmSpec Online readers to get their hands on the actual
ink-and-paper American Spectator magazine. (Of course,
you can click here to
subscribe now for the low, low price of $19.95 a year.)
Whether you subscribe now, or drop by a nearby bookstore or
magazine stand soon, however, I would urge online readers not to
miss the special July/August double edition of the American
Spectator. Among the excellent worthwhile articles is "Captain
McCain," R. Emmett Tyrrell's five-page argument for why
conservatives should support the Republican presidential nominee,
Sen. John McCain. On a quick read, one passage stands out:
My admiration [Tyrrell writes] has endured through our
disagreements over such things as immigration, campaign finance,
and now global warming. Taking one issue with another, McCain is a
conservative and a man of honor.
Then, too, he is always good company, quick to laugh, quick with an
irreverent joke, but fundamentally serious. With John one can
disagree but remain a friend. In this, friendship with John has
been simliar to my old friendship with Ronald Reagan -- though when
I disagreed with Reagan I was always wrong. . . .
Having never had the chance to meet the distant relation I call
Crazy Cousin John, I can't comment on his personal qualities, and
so his political aptitude to anger and dismay conservatives is
foremost in my mind. Yet I think that Tyrrell has made about the
best argument that could be made in the senator's behalf,
bolstering his own views by citing the endorsements of such eminent
conservatives as Ted Olson, Grover Norquist, and John Lehman.
Even if you're among those who've sworn solemn oaths never to
vote for John McCain under any circumstance -- they could
waterboard me at Gitmo and I'd never break -- you owe it to
yourself to read Tyrrell's eloquent appeal. Subscribe now, to be sure you
don't miss it.
Frankly, the longer I look at the Obama campaign, the more time
I spend practicing Morse code, just in case. By November, at least
I'll be able to blink: "T-O-R-T-U-R-E."
topics:
John McCain, Global Warming, Books, NATO, Immigration
