I stumbled upon a defining distinction between Obama and McCain whilst reading David Ignatius' piece in the Washington Post (via RCP) about "McCain's True Voice". The article was about how McCain should try to recapture his true personality, something which has lost its focus in recent weeks. I'm not so sure I agree that it's lost focus--I think it might be more a case of the media and pundits being a little bleary eyed after staring at Obama's awesome glow for so long without those special solar eclipse glasses.
Anyway, the point Ignatius drives at is that McCain is a hero who cares more about his country than he does himself, which I don't think Obama does:
Certainly all those heroic details are present in McCain's memoir, and in his political appeal this year. The Vietnam legacy of steadfastness motivated him to resist American failure in Iraq and to agitate, sometimes almost alone, for what came to be called the "surge" of U.S. troops. When he says he preferred political defeat for himself to military defeat for his country, he is telling the truth. With an ex-POW's stubbornness, he could not abide the notion of failure and dishonor for U.S. forces.
The sentence in bold really speaks volumes about McCain. He knows this because he experienced it. He has lived it. Can you imagine Obama having such a steadfast commitment to, well, anything? No, me neither. This is what really gets my goat when people say that Obama's patriotism shouldn't be questioned. Sure, he a patriot, but let's not pretend that it's some sort of a blanket term...it is possible to be more (or indeed less) patriotic than someone else. In the same way that I wouldn't call Obama unintelligent, but if he was running against Einstein then, yeah, maybe there's a point to be made that he's not the smartest guy in the race. Is that really so offensive?
1 comments:
McCain tried to commit suicide twice in Hanoi. Then he later said that the Keating Five Investigation was more of a mental stress on him than Hanoi, so he must have been close to suicidal again during that scandal.
McCain is admitedly highly superstitious. Admits that he believes in "luck" per se. Carries around charms.
McCain has a predliction for gambling, loves games like craps, etc.
McCain ditched his first wife, who had raised the kids while he was a captive. He is the first US presidential candidate to admit to committing adultery.
McCain went into politics with the money of his paramour, who he has now married.
The above is all a matter of record.
McCain claims to be very patriotic, but what objective proof is there of that. Yes, he went to the Naval Academy and into the Navy, but in that he was simply following the career of an Admiral father and and Admiral grandfather. Getting shot down is not an act of heroism. He was never in the jungle with the draftee soldiers, never met Vietnamese other than his captors -- who he still calls "Gooks."
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