TDR Interview: John McCain

I have to begin with a disclaimer, one that I am proud of: I support Senator John McCain in the Republican presidential primary and will cast my vote for him. However, this article is not meant to convince you to agree with me. Rather, I hope to offer a glimpse into the personality of a man who has been a constant presence on the national stage, and one who (at least if I have my way) will be the next president of the United States. I did not take this assignment as a McCain supporter since I had not yet made up my mind. I came to my decision during this process, while helping to organize a College Republicans-sponsored town hall meeting at Dartmouth with Senator McCain. The campaign graciously offered a couple of spots on the campaign bus for Dartmouth student journalists, and I equally graciously accepted a spot on behalf of this fine publication. This afforded me the opportunity to ask Senator McCain some questions while riding with him between two town halls. These questions and McCain’s answers are interspersed throughout the article.

Not wishing to appear an ignorant freshman but rather to present myself as the well-educated junior that I am, I hurriedly ran to the Dartmouth Bookstore and grabbed the last copy of Faith of My Fathers off of the shelf. This book outlines McCain’s family’s long tradition of military service and recounts his own experiences in wartime. It put into perspective my analysis of the Republican field. I became convinced that Senator McCain’s motive in seeking the presidency is tied to honoring his ancestors and serving the nation rather than to personal vanity or Faustian ambition. It is my personal belief that his goals are the most noble and the least self-serving. There are several books by McCain and about McCain, and I recommend reading one or several of them for a deeper analysis of the man. My thoughts are admittedly drivel in comparison.

Any look at a public figure first demands the rudimentary life and career highlights. John Sidney McCain III was born in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone. His father John Sidney McCain, Jr. was a career Navy officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Vietnam War. His grandfather John Sidney McCain, Sr. also reached the rank of Admiral and was a revered naval commander during the Second World War. McCain the third continued this tradition and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. He saw combat in Vietnam and was shot down over Hanoi in the fall of 1967. In a legendary story, McCain went on to spend over five years in as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, a significant part of it in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”

The Dartmouth Review: As you pursue this office, how much is the legacy of your father and grandfather with you?

John McCain: My forebears have established a precedent for me of service to the country, honorable service. And I’m proud of them just as all of us are proud of our parents and grandparents. My father was a great role model for me and a lot of my ideas and thoughts were formed in the Naval Academy, service in the Navy, in prison where I really began to love America when I was first deprived of her company, and having the privilege to serve in a company of heroes and privileged to have observed a thousand acts of courage and compassion and love. So there are a lot of influences that formed my idealism.

After returning from Vietnam in 1973, McCain underwent extensive physical therapy in order to reclaim his flight status and went on to become Commanding Officer of the Navy’s then largest attack squadron, the VA-174 “Hellrazors.” In 1977 McCain was given a Washington job as the Navy’s Senate liaison and retired from the Navy in 1981 with the rank of Captain. Now living in Phoenix, Arizona with his second wife, McCain seized an opportunity to run for office when Congressman John Jacob Rhodes, Jr. announced his retirement. In the primary race in Arizona’s 1st Congressional district, McCain faced charges of being a carpetbagger, an Arizona outsider who was there out of political opportunism. As The Arizona Republic reported back in March, at one point on the trail, McCain was provoked on the issue by a questioner and responded to the unflattering allegation:

Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the first district of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi. McCain would go on to win the district’s Republican primary, the seat in the general election, and reelection in 1984. The retirement of Barry Goldwater paved the way for a successful Senate run in 1986, where McCain has been since, earning a reputation as a maverick and bipartisan dealmaker. McCain ran for the presidency once before, in 2000, winning the New Hampshire primary by a wide margin but ultimately losing the nomination to then Texas governor George W. Bush.

TDR: What kind of changes have you seen in America in your decades of public service?

JM: Right now there’s a lot of cynicism and mistrust and lack of confidence in government. A lot of that is justified because of Katrina, Iraq, corruption in Washington. So I think in the political process it’s time when we’ve got to move forward. On the military and national security front, we obviously confront the forces of radical Islamic extremism and I think it’s going to be a long struggle against them, militarily, diplomatically, and ideologically. So we’re going to have a very long war with these people and their ideology, and I’m confident that we will never surrender and they will.

Several things emerge about John McCain when listening to him for even a brief period of time. One is how deeply engrained the military is in his life. He goes out of his way to mention and honor our service men and women, whether those of prior generations or those serving the nation today. He wears a bracelet honoring Matthew Stanley, a fallen 22-year-old soldier who was serving in Iraq, given to him on the campaign trail in New Hampshire by the soldier’s mother. With most politicians, this could be written off as a political gimmick. But with McCain, it is clear that his aim is to draw attention to the oft-forgotten sacrifices being made by many young Americans and their families on a daily bias. Talking with Associated Press reporters and editors, McCain said: “It means any political ambitions of mine pale in comparison to the sacrifice that nearly 4,000 family members have made.” His family tradition, interest in military history, and over two decades of service in the Navy reflect his deep understanding of the military and its needs. Anyone discounting McCain with the generalization that Senators lack the hands-on leadership needed to be an effective president should look at his actions and leadership in the United States Navy.

This is strongly connected with Senator McCain’s belief in service to the nation. He has devoted the vast majority of his adult life to public service, whether in the military or in government, and he appears to firmly believe that this is an integral part of a fulfilling and productive life.

TDR: From what you have seen, do you think there is any difference between my generation, the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers, and your own generation? Do you have faith in us to carry forward the torch of public service?

JM: I think your generation is more patriotic and more willing to serve a cause greater than yourselves than my generation was. When I’m around young Americans, I am always impressed by their patriotism, their love of country, and their willingness to volunteer to serve it. So I have great confidence in the future of America because I have great confidence in the present young generation.

JM: Serve a cause greater than yourselves. There is nothing nobler. There is nothing that will enrich your lives more.

McCain the devoted public servant is well-known. I also wanted to glean some information about the person beneath. We often forget that the people we constantly see on our televisions are real individuals with private lives. To that end, I asked Senator McCain several questions that might very well be used as icebreakers during a freshman trip.

JM: It’s hard to pick one, but I obviously think that Abraham Lincoln is one of the great figures of modern history. In ancient history, I’d probably pick Leonardo da Vinci or Aristotle or Plato.

JM: Favorite movie is a movie called Viva Zapata!, which stars Marlon Brando and it’s about the great Mexican revolutionary. Elia Kazan made three movies in a row. One was called A Streetcar Named Desire, the other was called On the Waterfront. The third was Viva Zapata! All of them starred Marlon Brando and the least appreciated was Viva Zapata!

JM: The music that I enjoy most young people would define as ancient, archaic, and boring. I’m one of the few living Americans who admits that he really likes ABBA. Roy Orbison is one of my favorite artists. I love Roy Orbison. But really my taste in music stopped in 1967 when I was shot down. I took a five-and-a-half-year hiatus and I never got back into the music scene. I probably stopped with the Beatles. I don’t think they ever did anything good after ’67.

JM: I like “Hey Jude.” You know, that’s one of my favorites. I love “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I have many.

This line of questioning revealed another of Senator McCain’s characteristics, the unfettered launching into and telling of stories. His wealth of anecdotes, and gusto in recounting them, points to a considerable appreciation and enjoyment of life.

JM: I like Elvis. One time I was in Las Vegas about ten years ago. I was in the men’s room and I looked around and standing next to me was a guy who was an Elvis impersonator. He said, “Oh, Senator McCain, I’m an admirer of your’s.” And I said, “Oh, really?” And I said, “What are you doing here?” And he said, “Well we’re having an Elvis impersonator contest.” And I said, “Where’re all your contestants?” And he said, “Right out here.” I said, “Really?” So I went outside and I had my picture taken with 30 Elvis impersonators. It was one of the great experiences of my life.

During his town halls, he tells jokes and gamely ribs questioners. The jokes are usually the same, as any person following the campaign will tell you. His irreverent streak is a unique trait among the presidential candidates, who strive to deliver lab-tested sound bites. John Hinderaker made an interesting observation in a November posting on Power Line entitled “McCain Comes Roaring Back:” “McCain talks with the freedom of a candidate who knows that win or lose, he will go down in history as a hero.”

That brings me to the political angle in all of this. McCain’s campaign stumbled earlier in the year with his positions on the Iraq War and illegal immigration. Some in the Republican Party dislike him for reasons that appear to be more visceral than logical. McCain himself admits that he has made many people angry, but that his principles are more important than appeasing any particular interest group. This, at least to me, speaks to his political courage and rectitude of judgment. Some fault him for bipartisan cooperation such as his involvement in the Gang of 14 (which had to do with a compromise over some of President Bush’s judicial nominees) or his co-sponsorship of legislation with Democratic colleagues. While policy disagreements are legitimate, a prejudiced distaste for bipartisanship is a main contributor to the shrill partisanship of recent years. David Brooks opined in a New York Times op-ed titled “The Character Factor” that “There have been occasions when McCain compromised his principles for political gain, but he was so bad at it that it always backfired. More often, he is driven by an ancient sense of honor, which is different from fame and consists of the desire to be worthy of the esteem of posterity.”

My one political question for Senator McCain regards any plans for youth outreach.

TDR: Is there anything that you’re doing to appeal specifically to younger voters?

JM: Well, I put an emphasis on climate change, which none of the other Republican candidates really have any involvement in. When I campaigned here in 2000, young voters stood up at town hall meeting after town hall meeting and said, “What are you going to do about climate change?” ...Education and health care are obviously issues that I’ve been engaged in, and national security. I am more experienced and more knowledgeable about national security issues than anyone else. Why do I say that’s important to young voters? Because if we continue in wars against the threat of radical Islamic extremism then we’re going to have to have some young Americans to serve. So I would think it would be a very important issue with them. No one else running for president has the knowledge, background, and experience in national security that I do. I fought against Rumsfeld. The others were quiet. I advocated a new strategy that’s working. The others were quiet.

There is an entire industry this time of year surrounding the presidential primaries. Many very intelligent and knowledgeable people make their daily bread commenting on candidate dynamics and nomination scenarios. I won’t try to regurgitate their opinions here and speculate on polls and chances. All I know is that I have made my decision based not on superficial criteria but on a long and thoughtful look at the options. I will support the eventual nominee with enthusiasm, whoever it may be. However, I am certain that Senator McCain would serve as president with the same honor and selfless devotion to country that he has shown all his life, that he would tackle problems without regard for his standing in opinion polls, and that he would command the respect and admiration of all Americans.

During a brief lull between other reporters’ questions, I aired one other thought without any specific intention, mostly out of personal curiosity. Senator McCain’s response was more telling than anything I could say about the spirit of this restless patriot.

TDR: How do you find the way that people interact with you, the degrees of deference or the general way in which people approach you? Is there anything in particular that just annoys you?

JM: The way people approach me is, because they know I’m rather informal, is they approach me very informally. I don’t know if I’ve ever said this before, but sometimes I get a little irritated when there’s somebody who thinks they’re helping me by putting their hand in my back and pushing me around. That’s the only thing that really aggravates me from time to time.

McCain’s Gun Control Problem

http://www.gunowners.org/pres08/mccain.htm

Excerpt:
“Within months of the formation of AGS, McCain was featured in radio and television ads in Colorado and Oregon supporting initiatives to severely regulate gun shows and register gun buyers. Anti-gunners were ecstatic to get McCain on board.”

Yep, and if he had been asked to ride along with Rooty or Mitt or Huck or Fred or even RuPaul, he would have gotten their “book”, asked them some questions and become their backer, I suppose.

I just don’t see anything in this essay to change me to a McCain voter. Other than Republican, I do not have a candidate as yet. However, McCain may very well be the only candidate (well, he and RuPaul, hehehe) who would cause me to stay home on election day and accept the consequences!

*I fought against Rumsfeld.*

The others were quiet. I advocated a new strategy that’s working. The others were quiet.

What a total and complete creeeeeeep!!!!!

PREDICTION: “Scumsfield” will go down along with Robert Strange McNamara and Simon Cameron as the worst defense chiefs this country has ever produced. If you’ll remember it was The Donald who adamantly fought against the surge that is now clearly working.

Somebody is already revising history. But I will do my part to remind as many who will listen about MacCain throwing in his lot with Hillry the queen, and trashing our military accusing them of torturing barbarian killers.

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