ARE YOU GLAD YOU HELPED HIM GET RE-ELECTED NOW?
That knife in the back hurts doesn't it?
Posted on 04/18/2005 3:03:56 PM PDT by swilhelm73
Senator John McCain appeared on Hardball within the last hour to inform Chris Matthews and the MS-NBC audience that he would refuse to vote for the so-called "nuclear option", the rule change that would disallow filibusters on executive nominations for the federal bench. He stated that he would vote with the Democrats to uphold the notion that a legislative minority has the right to dictate to the executive branch who their nominees should be:
MATTHEWS: But bottom line, would you vote for what’s called the “nuclear option,” to get rid of the filibuster rule on judgeships? MCCAIN: No I will not.
MATTHEWS: You will stick with the party?
MCCAIN: No, I will vote against the nuclear option.
MATTHEWS: You will vote—
MCCAIN: Against the nuclear option.
MATTHEWS: Oh, you will?
MCCAIN: Yes.
I initially heard this exchange on the Hugh Hewitt show, and I almost choked when Hugh referred to McCain as a "great American," in Hugh's classy way of framing the debate. I cannot support that notion. McCain served his country admirably in Viet Nam, but his career as a politician contains nothing but a series of sell-outs and the worst kind of self-promotion.
This self-described "maverick" started his Senate career by peddling his influence to Charles Keating, who fleeced the FSLIC for billions of dollars. McCain claimed to be the least tarnished of the Keating 5 and the least culpable, but in the meantime his family had invested heavily in Keating's businesses and traveling on Keating junkets to the Bahamas and other fancy vacations.
After having sold Arizonans out to a crook, McCain took on the appearance of a reformer by climbing aboard the campaign-finance reform bandwagon. He made headlines and became a media darling by claiming that money unduly influenced politics, after claiming that the investments and gifts of Keating had nothing to do with his actions in defending Keating's businesses. This work culminated in the BCRA, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, perhaps the single most successful attack on free political speech in a century. It cemented his persona as a reformer.
However, a closer look earlier this year shows that to be a clumsy facade. His Reform Institute channels big money from leftists like George Soros to keep his campaign staff employed while decrying the checkbook politics that funds his vanity program. McCain, in essence, has created the same kind of mechanism he supposedly decries by building a shelter for unaccountable donations that exists to glorify John McCain and keep him in the public eye. He sold out the Constitution to make himself look good on the news shows and to cover the stink from his first term.
Now he's sold out the Republicans and the majority of the country that elected a GOP president and extended the GOP majority in the Senate. McCain offers as an excuse the threats of the Democrats who insist on governing from the minority:
Second of all, we ought to be able to work it out. Third of all I don’t want to shut down the Senate. We’re in a war. We’re in a war. Shouldn’t we be doing the people’s business? Filling empty bench seats is the people's business. Where did McCain get the idea that the people don't care who gets nominated for federal appellate seats? And if McCain doesn't want to shut down the Senate, then he should tell Harry Reid to stop his extortion racket and tell his Democrats to start showing up for committee assignments, starting with the Judiciary Committee. Giving in to extortion isn't courageous or great; it's political cowardice, and unfortunately, it's all too typical of the so-called "maverick".
McCain was a brave man in Viet Nam. He became a craven politician a long time ago, however, and almost everything he's done since shows that he hasn't changed a bit. If I still lived in Arizona, I'd be looking for ways to recall him from office immediately. It's time for the GOP to quit kissing McCain's ass and apply another extremity to it with noticeable force -- and to strip him of his committee assignments as soon as possible. Let him switch parties if he likes. He's useless and a disgrace as a Republican.
Addendum: Let's return to this notion of McCain's that the filibuster should be preserved in case liberals grab a majority in the Senate and win the White House some time in the future. He warns that a bunch of liberal judges would get confirmed if that happens. Well, pardon my sense of equity, but in those circumstances they should. Clearly that would reflect the will and disposition of the electorate, and judicial nominations being one of the reasons for electing both branches of the government, such an outcome would be entirely appropriate. Filibusters that foist the will of the minority onto the majority, especially for processes that clearly have a Constitutional threshold for majority rule, make little sense regardless of who holds power.
Besides, by caving in, what difference does it make? McCain has just enabled the Democrats to stall until Bush nominates the liberal judges the minority desires and the electorate rejected. It now makes absolutely no difference what the American voter wants, thanks to the sellout from Arizona.
The problem is no real R's challenge him here. I think he ran unopposed in the primary last year. I'm pretty sure I didn't vote for him in the primary. The dem's that run against him are nobody's. We are just stuck with him until someone decent decides to spend the money and run against him.
He's indestructable. Need to pray for Melanoma, I guess.
DISCLAIMER: For anyone who can't tell, that's sarcasm, I do not endorse the use or patronization of prostitutes nor am I in favor of using political dirty tricks and/or skullduggery in effort to defame or emotionally harm any public or private citizens.
"This shouldn't surprise anyone here. Maybe someone will return Quieg's can of strawberries. The mcKANE MUTINY lives on."
Clickety, clickety, clickety go the ball bearings in McQueeg's hand. Where are the men in the white coats?
Maybe as a Republican, but he's positioning himself nicely to be Hillary's V.P.
As an arizonian I cant stand McCain why we continue to elect this backstabbing RINO I dont know. The GOP will not fund anyone to run against this rabbid POS.
Here's a scary combination for Pres/VP:
McCain and Cleland
Two old combat veterans united in a common hate.
I love how politicians are thrown to the wolves the minute they disagree with your opinions. The Senate creates the rules that they follow, just because someone doesn't follow the RNC playbook, they are haranged as a RINO...go over to DU and see the same thing done to Democrats that may vote against the DNC party line they are titled a DINO...*shrugs*...why is it that someone who disagrees with your idea they are traitorous...la
Just as My experience as a passenger on a 747 qualifies me to fly one. /sarcasm
Now that everyone feels sorry for him being a POW, which I do too, we need to get him to explain this.
http://www.namvets.com/Reading/john_mccain_is_no_war_hero.htm
(SNIP)
For years, I was confused by his actions with respect to this issue. He would oppose any POW/MIA related piece of legislation, including the recent Missing Personnel Act, and the bill I sponsored through Fred Upton, the POW/MIA Rescue Act, which would have granted political asylum to any southeast Asian national who brought a living American POW to freedom.
Why would anyone oppose such a bill ... particularly a former POW?
He disagreed with the findings of the 1990 Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which concluded that our government had indeed abandoned some of our men when the war ended. '
Then, in 1991, he was appointed to serve on the long-awaited Senate Select Committee, which was created to investigate the entire issue. Chairman John Kerry wanted to appoint him as co-chairman, but this was greeted by a national uproar from the American Legion, and virtually every national veteran's group in existence who were already suspicious of his previous actions.
U.S. Sen, Bob Smith from New Hampshire was chosen instead, a minor victory at the time by POW activists, .
This particular Senate Committee was single-handedly undermined (in my opinion) by the actions of John McCain. During the course of their several month-long investigation, they heard unbelievable testimony from hundreds of people. No less than four former Secretaries of Defense testified that men were left behind. National Security analysts testified that they tracked the movements of our men long after the war ended. Radio transcripts of American POWs being moved in Laos were recorded in the early 1980s:
There were satellite photos of pilot distress signals taken as recently as 1992, complete with pilot name and authenticator code numbers. Former Soviet Commanders testified that they debriefed our men in the Soviet Union, and even Boris Yeltsin admitted American POWs had been transferred there.
No less than four committee investigators provided the Senators of their estimates ranging from a low of 150 to as many as 600 men who they believed were still alive and in captivity. This doesn't even include the testimony they heard behind closed doors that supposedly endangered our national security.
The conclusions of this committee was that "no credible evidence was provided to support the possibility that Americans were still alive and in captivity," This, despite documents from Soviet Archives that showed that the Vietnamese were holding more than 1,200 American POWs, and released less than 600, John McCain signed his name on this incredibly flawed report.
Mcain is such an idiot and in my opinion a liar and an oath breaker. This "fillibuster" rule is flagrantly unconstitutional and needs to be treated as such.
That knife in the back hurts doesn't it?
Thank you. I only wish the RNC would listen.
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