McCain of Arizona

The last time I saw John McCain in Phoenix he was stalking out of Arizona Center into the surface parking lot that used to stand behind the Arizona Republic building and I was on my way to see a movie at the AMC cinemas. He nodded. I said, "Senator." He stalked on. A good fifty feet behind were Cindy and a couple of his children. It was so shocking to see McCain in Arizona, much less downtown, that it made me momentarily take stock. Then I realized he was not supporting the central city — his local office, after all, is near 24th Street and Camelback. This was one of the few places where he could see a movie and not be bothered by constituents.

Wealthy Republican John Sidney McCain III has been on my mind after his vicious attacks on his former colleague, Chuck Hagel,  during the latter's confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Defense. Juan Cole wrote the hearing "was painful to watch because it displayed the tomfoolery, pretense, self-righteous know-nothingism, and embarrassing lack of contact with reality that dominate the landscape of America’s broken democracy. It was like watching a Nebraska ordinary Joe set upon by circus freaks– a phalanx of moral midgets, stalking cat-men, vicious lobster boys and ethical werewolves." Foremost among them was McCain.

Much was written about how the two had been friends and were fellow Vietnam vets. In reality, I doubt McCain has any friends in the Senate, including his fawning pet Lindsey Graham. And Hagel was a mere ground-pounder, an Army sergeant. McCain was an admiral's son, an elite Naval Aviator.

If the flawed but genuinely courageous and sometimes brilliant Gen. Douglas MacArthur was guided by "duty, honor, country," McCain can be summarized by different words: Anger, recklessness, opportunism. Nobody can take away the grit he displayed as a prisoner of war. But even here, his conduct paled compared with James Stockdale and others. Before and after this ordeal, virtually every biography of McCain is propelled along by those character flaws.

The "maverick" beloved by the elite media is largely a sham. For 2011, the American Conservative Union, which rates voting records, gave him a score of 80; the year before it was 100; his lifetime rating is nearly 83. The liberal Americans for Democratic Action rated him zero for 2010, the most recent year available. Even his successor, Jeff Flake, scored 10. The League of Conservation Voters saw McCain voting frequently against environmental protection. He turned in a pitiful 9 percent in the 112th Congress and zero in the 100th, when he was running for president. In 2003-2004, he did better: 56 percent. But in 1999-2000, just 6 percent. McCain backed away from climate change legislation. His effort, with Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, to control reform campaign finance was laudable. But he failed to address the unintended consequences, the flood of soft money. When the Supreme Court opened the floodgates for the oligarchy with Citizens United, McCain was critical but didn't push for legislation or a constitutional amendment to stop it.

In other words, contrary to myth, McCain is a predictable "conservative" Republican. This was especially true where it counted, voting to approve the Iraq War, one of the worst blunders of modern American foreign policy, and unrepentantly continuing to support it. He tore into Hagel for opposing the "surge," when even its architect, Gen. David Petraeus, only gave it a fifty-fifty chance — and now Iraq is a tinder box again. As a presidential candidate in 2008, McCain tossed away his occasional tilts against right-wing orthodoxy, including on immigration and the use of torture. To appease the growing extremism in the party, he made the most reckless decision of his career, making the half-term Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, his running mate. About the only redeeming feature of the campaign was toward the end, as the rallies became ever more hysterical in their anti-Obama frenzy, and he refuted a woman who called Obama "an Arab."

Now, in what may be the twilight of his public life, we're left with anger and score settling. He likely won't run again, so why not show some constructive leadership? Why not actually be a maverick from the krackpot Republican Party. Be a statesman. But, no. The spectacle of McCain would be sad if it weren't so destructive. In this one way, McCain is indeed representative of his state, or at least a powerful part of its electorate and political leadership. He's against everything.

Barry Goldwater had many faults, but he was always a man who loved Arizona. A Phoenix native, Goldwater supported every major effort at improving the city. As a senator, he got in harness in the bipartisan work to win the Central Arizona Project. He worked to improve the lives of the state's tribes. Although Goldwater was a national figure for most of his career in Washington and loved being a celebrity and running with a fast crowd, he never forgot his home state. He also wasn't above admitting when he was wrong, most notably on the Voting Rights Act, after doing so could gain him no votes and only anger the right. And when Richard Nixon had committed acts far less foul than Bush/Cheney, Goldwater was among the elder Republican statesmen who forced him to resign.

Bitten by the political bug as a Naval officer working on the Hill, McCain always wanted to be a national figure. He retired from the service and wanted to run for a safe seat. McCain ended up representing Arizona accidentally, because of his second marriage to the beautiful and wealthy Cindy Hensley.

The Constitution intended the Senate to be a check on the passions of the moment, embodied in the House, and the presidency. McCain failed on both counts, especially in restraining the endless war of the neocon Bush White House. But senators were also intended to support the interests of their states. In the modern era, this included steering federal money back home. Look at an economic dynamo state, and you'll find an effective delegation in Congress, whatever their ideology. If McCain accomplished anything substantial for Arizona during his tenure, I don't know about it. Instead, he was the showboat on network television, the bitter shadow president, as Arizona became an economic and social backwater and now confronts massive challenges, not least climate change and water. Allegedly representing a state endowed with unique natural beauty, his claim to fame is killing light rail at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon so that this treasure of the world is ever more clogged with cars. He's done nothing to protect public lands. Nothing to help advance Arizona's cities with federal money for research and transit, or locating high-quality federal facilities there.

John McCain represents many things. Arizona is not one of them. It's just where he nominally hangs his hat. One more carpetbagger. Tragically, the electorate demanded nothing more.

Read more about Arizona's Continuing Crisis here.

Comments

[cal Lash]

Great piece Jon!
I really like this,"It was like watching a Nebraska ordinary Joe set upon by circus freaks– a phalanx of moral midgets, stalking cat-men, vicious lobster boys and ethical werewolves." Foremost among them was McCain.

And I think the following has a whole lot of High Ranking Administrators upset,

"And Hagel was a mere ground-pounder, an Army sergeant."
and
"McCain was an admiral's son, an elite Naval Aviator." He was also not well respected among many of his fellow fly boys.

[AZREBEL]

Will we ever know the identity of the power brokers who use our country as their personal chess board and thus it is they who placed their pawn in Arizona to serve as its senator along with another mindless pawn, Kyl??

[mike doughty]

Why does everybody who wants to run for office,move to Az.,wave the flag,mouth the wingnut propaganda and viola:a new Republican office holder?Is the electorate that brainwashed that they can't see through the shallow acts of these carpetbaggers?McCain was one of the first,but certainly not the last.

[cal Lash]

McCains the whitey hero from a family of admirals, loss to a dope a rope smoking darky attorney, castrated McCain. Now they want to put a grunt enlisted man in a place that out ranks admirals, McCain and others have to be going nuts, stand by for a filibuster.

[Emil Pulsifer]

Agreed. Still, I was disappointed that Hagel dodged the hand-grenade lobbed by McCain, asking whether Hagel's earlier criticism of "the surge" was a mistake. Hagel responded with some evasive crap about "letting history be the judge" -- but surely the early history of the Iraq War has already been written?

What he COULD have said was: "I was absolutely right that the 'surge' was a bad idea in itself. It only sent more American servicemen into the same quagmire of guerrilla warfare that the U.S. Army, lacking a true light infantry, was incompetent to counter. What I didn't reckon on was the 'Anbar Awakening', in which local tribesmen acted as a proxy light-infantry, using their own local intelligence sources to inform counter-guerilla tactical operations. The 'surge' was accompanied by a shift in U.S. Army troop imbedding tactics which resulted in closer cooperation with locals; and this increased community presence no doubt encouraged the local tribesmen. But the additional U.S. troops did not tip the balance, and the Anbar awakening preceded the 'surge', though as I said, given fundamental changes in the deployment of U.S. troops during this part of the war, the increased presence no doubt encouraged the already 'awakened' local tribesmen to persevere."

Here's what U.S. Army historians have to say about "why we succeeded":

"Our willingness to adapt our plans based on the advice of the sheiks, our staunch and timely support for them in times of danger and need, and our ability to deliver on our promises convinced them that they could do business with us. Our forward presence kept them reassured."

http://www.army.mil/professionalWriting/volumes/volume6/april_2008/4_08_3.html

[cal Lash]

McCain will go to his grave believing his "Surge" won the war. But the war is far from over and in the end the US will have lost another one.

[morecleanair]

Had Romney won, McCain reportedly had the inside track for Sec. of Defense. So this is another time when the brass ring eluded him. Seems like he is constipated by a terminal case of the "if onlys".

[cal Lash]

A 100 years from now the Shieks will rule the desert
and america will be a backwater land ravaged by religious gun toting randian birchers.

[jmav]

Won the war in Iraq? That would be Iran. Thank you neocons!

[jmav]

The Arizona electorate allows its elected officials to posture on behalf of the Republican national platform at the expense of actually representing the state's interests. No other state comes to mind that would allow this political prancing to continue. The land of kook.

[krazy bill]

Here's what John Sydney McCain said on the fourth day of his capture by the Reds:

"I said, "O.K., I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital.""

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account?page=2

[Amy Carlile]

Totally agree with you all points, but you may be underestimating his need to be in the spotlight when you assert McCain won't likely run again. He's got it in his head that he's a great man, a great senator, a statesman and he'll never not run. He'd die without his pulpit. Watch.

[cal lash]

I agree with Amy,
McCain thinks he is Roman Senator.

[Rogue Columnist]

Amy is right.

[Gene Stowe]

AARRRGGGHHH!!!! Why doesn't anybody get this right? In the middle of a great column, we read: "About the only redeeming feature of the campaign was toward the end, as the rallies became ever more hysterical in their anti-Obama frenzy, and he refuted a woman who called Obama a Muslim." What actually happened: She said, "He's an Arab." McCain said, "He's not an Arab, he's a good family man." For that he continues to get lavish praise for elevating the conversation. Except from my Arab friends.

[Rogue Columnist]

You are right, Gene. I'll make the change.

[AZREBEL]

In politics and septic tanks, you don't "elevate the conversation".

You're just in a different level of bullshit.

Give me a break.

[Dawgzy]

I disliked Barry Goldwater's politics and didn't think much of him otherwise. This is dyed in the wool- we proudly remember the story of my very smart and tough grandmother who'd served 2 terms in the leg. as a Dem, and who lived at 4th ave and Fillmore, walking in front of the westward Ho in '52 when BG greeted her and made to shake her hand. She said something to the effect of "Get away from me, Barry Goldwater. You're the last person I'd vote for." With all of that, BG looks much better these days.
McCain made to appropriate what made BG the most popular Arizonan ever, spreading it around the press that he wanted to be known as "the maverick," adding some cowboy flavor in the bargain, and occasionally speaking out against a particularly nutty right wing trope with little downside.
One of the most nauseating pieces of political ghoulishnesss ever was an NPR story on how McCain was not only a faithful visitor to Mo Udall in the VA as he was dying, but one of the few, and how the senator didn't want this bit of saintliness being publicized. He and Cindy are quite a pair.

[cal Lash]

Well. in 1899 my grandmother was a proud and vocal republican and as a result the democrats ran her out of Louisiana.

[Gaylord]

It should be noted that McCain receives far and away the largest amount of lobbyist money of any senator.

[eclecticdog]

cal, your grandma should have stayed a few generations and rode the neo-Confederacy wave. You could a been the LA gov!

I have to agree they'll pry the McCain senatorial seat from his cold dead hands. I imagine Tom Horn will run for it (and win).

[cal Lash]

Eclecticdog, I made that up from some history from the book Carnival of Fury. A good read built around a black man that shoots 23 white folks including seven police officers. I have it if you would like to read it, I will bring it to next fan club coffee.

The South and McCain have yet to win a war.
http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/the_white_souths_last_defeat/

I would prefer Mark Kelly.

[eclecticdog]

That (Carnival of Fury) would be an interesting read.

[headless lucy]

In one of his early campaigns, McCain was criticized for his jocular description of the residents of 'Leisure World' of actually residing in 'Seizure World'. That's when McCain still had a sense of fun.

He has definitely not seen the humor in his recent cartoon incarnation as a snarling Tyranosaurus with stubby, almost useless, forearms.

[Southern Comfort]

At least, he's not Kyl. (He's just a little less dull.)

[AZREBEL]

So, near the end of his stay at the Hanoi Hilton, John contacted the devil.

JM: I want out of this place.

d: for your soul?

JM: Yes.

d: anything else?

JM: can I get more?

d: sure.

JM:since my current wife has moved on, can I get a new hottie?

d: done

JM: and her dad needs to own a beer distributorship.

d: Ha! That's a good one. done.

JM: I want to live somewhere where I'll seem smart.

d: Mississipi or Alabama?

JM: too humid.

d: That leaves Arizona

JM: OK

JM: and I don't want to ever have to work.

d: OK Senator.

JM: while we're trading, can I trade in my hero status?

d: OK , GOP Senator and FOX News contributor

JM: Perfect.

d: Nice doing busness with you.

JM: one last thing. Can I get a couple of nice, $400 sweaters?

d: Sure, use them now, you won't need them where your going.

[AZREBEL]

For those of you who enjoy a good movie, the scene described above will soon be a TV-movie on the Oprah channel.

The cast will be:

John McCain - Mickey Rooney

The Devil - Jan Brewer

Richard Nixon - Himself

J. Edger Hoover - Janet Napolitano

Cindy McCain - Pam Anderson

Jon Kyl - The Tin Man (Wizard of Oz)

Lindsay Graham - Paul Babau with a wig

Rose Mofford - Marge from the Simpsons

Jon Talton - George Clooney

OK, that's enough, I've had enough to drink.

Good night.

[Jmav]

JM: I want to live somewhere where I'll seem smart.

d: Mississipi or Alabama?

JM: too humid.

d: That leaves Arizona

JM: OK

Bravo AZREBEL Bravo

[cal Lash]

Academy Award for a drunken rebel

[Petro]

Reb, I think you'd make a good devil. Brewer - not enough wit.

[cal Lash]

I thought Edward Olmos played a "good" devil

[cal Lash]

McCain,"build that dang fence"
And Vanity Fair
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/02/border-folly-arizona-immigration

[eclecticdog]

Take the McCain quiz at the New Republic:

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112350

[eclecticdog]

I thought Gollum would be a natural to play Jon Kyl and Micheal J. Pollard to do McCain (Rooney is just a little too cheerful). Nice choice on Pamela tho.

[headless lucy]

McCain lost his honor when he failed to defend his adopted daughter from India from the charges of the 'W' campaign in the 2000 primary in S Carolina that she was his 'n' word chile.

What a jerk.

[cal Lash]

If u read mccains early history a lot of his peers thought he was a caustic jerk. Bush jr comes off as a nice guy standing next to John. They just dont make republicans like Ike, anymore!
from my cell phone somewhere near Picacho

[AZREBEL]

NEW TOPIC*****************************

You folks on this blog who are big supporters of "Government" everything, need to explain to me why Betsy Bayless, a pig who has eaten at the public trough her whole life, deserves to be paid MORE THAN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" and who will cost us untold millions in retirement.

It is this type of BS pay packages which turn most of us off to all kinds of government everything.

These greedy pigs ruin it for all the "public servants" who do the slave labor.

How does this keep happening???????

[cal Lash]

Azrebel
Clues, she is a republican in Az
And her name is Bayless

[Rogue Columnist]

Sorry folks. Am sick.
Great McCain Radio Theater drama script

[Petro]

Aw, Reb - I think most of us agree that murder and gambling is best left to the private sector. :)

[Petro]

McCain's Valentine

[cal Lash]

Get well Jon, See U in May

[eclecticdog]

Betsy has served her corporate masters well, but they do not want to pay her, so they have relied on yet another taxpayer subsidy for one of their own. Ain't democracy wonderful.

Is there a blood or marriage tie between her and Eddie?

[cal Lash]

Eddie is a Basha, she is a Bayless, possibly like AJ

[Petro]

Or, as my Persian wife used to say with a thick Tehran accent and a giggle, "Bay-Jay Ayless."

[eclecticdog]

Even in my youth I got Bashas' and Bayless' mixed up. At least that circuitry is still wired the same. Her online bios promote her AZ roots (3rd generation!) but little else.

http://afmaaz.org/documents/AFMAHistory.pdf

I see Bashas' bought out what was left tho. And a bit more on outrageous pay packages (who do they think they are, college football coaches!):

http://seeingredaz.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/betsey-bayless-peaking-of-outrageous-pay-raises/

[100 Octane]

McCain at a recent town hall meeting.....

http://www.newser.com/article/da4i2re03/mccain-defends-immigration-overhaul-to-angry-arizonans-as-border-security-chief-tours-state.html