RSS 2.0 FeedWhy John McCain Should Not Be President
by Doug MataconisIn this month’s edition of Reason, Matt Welch takes a look at the record and political philosophy of John McCain and finds a man we should be afraid of:
Reading McCain’s four best-selling books is a revelatory experience. Not since Teddy Roosevelt has a leading presidential contender committed so many words to print about his philosophies of life and governance before seeking the Oval Office. All of McCain’s charming strengths and alarming foibles are there, hiding in plain sight, often unintentionally.
McCain on the page is reflexively self-effacing (“I have spent much of my life choosing my own attitude, often carelessly, often for no better reason than to indulge a conceit,†he writes in the second paragraph of Faith of My Fathers), consciously reverent of his heroes (Why Courage Matters and Character Is Destiny are basically collections of hagiographic mini-profiles threaded with a few self-help bromides), and refreshingly authentic-sounding (for a politician, anyway). He has a tendency to write passages that would fit perfectly in a 12-step recovery guide, especially Steps 1 (admitting the problem) and 2 (investing faith in a “Power greater than ourselvesâ€). There isn’t any evidence that McCain himself has gone through the 12 steps, but his father was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, his second wife received treatment in 1994 for her five-year addiction to pain medication, and he has spent a life surrounded by substance abusers. “I have learned the truth,†he writes in Faith of My Fathers. “There are greater pursuits than self-seeking.…Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself.â€
That “something†is the “last, best hope of humanity,†the “advocate for all who believed in the Rights of Man,†the “city on a hill†once dreamed by Puritan pilgrim John Winthrop (whom McCain celebrates in Character Is Destiny). Any thing or person perceived as tarnishing that city’s luster has a sworn enemy in the Arizona senator. “Our greatness,†he writes in Worth the Fighting For, “depends upon our patriotism, and our patriotism is hardly encouraged when we cannot take pride in the highest public institutions, institutions that should transcend all sectarian, regional, and commercial conflicts to fortify the public’s allegiance to the national community.â€
From this belief, Welch points out, comes McCain’s positions on issues ranging from campaign finance reform to the War on Drugs. And through it all there is the idea that the individual should put their desires second, and the needs of the state first:
If you’re beginning to detect a rigid sense of citizenship and a skeptical attitude toward individual choice, you are beginning to understand what kind of president John McCain actually would make, in contrast with the straight-talking maverick that journalists love to quote but rarely examine in depth. For years McCain has warned that a draft will be necessary if we don’t boost military pay, and he has long agitated for mandatory national service. “Those who claim their liberty but not their duty to the civilization that ensures it live a half-life, indulging their self-interest at the cost of their self-respect,†he wrote in The Washington Monthly in 2001. “Sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest, however, and you invest your life with the eminence of that cause. Americans did not fight and win World War II as discrete individuals.â€
McCain’s Presidential hero is not Ronald Reagan, who recognized America’s legacy of individual liberty, but Teddy Roosevelt:
“In the Roosevelt code, the authentic meaning of freedom gave equal respect to self-interest and common purpose, to rights and duties,†McCain writes. “And it absolutely required that every loyal citizen take risks for the country’s sake.…His insistence that every citizen owed primary allegiance to American ideals, and to the symbols, habits, and consciousness of American citizenship, was as right then as it is now.â€
Like Roosevelt, it is clear that McCain sees national duty as more important than individual liberty. A President who believes this is capable of almost anything.
[...] Why John McCain Should Not Be President [...]
Pingback by Below The Beltway » Blog Archive » Knocking Two Off The List — March 10, 2007 @ 9:13 am“Like Roosevelt, it is clear that McCain sees national duty as more important than individual liberty.”
He’s not a true conservative. Conservatives wish for a smaller government (where did the term “conservative” come from?). He doesn’t.
Comment by Simmons — March 10, 2007 @ 2:10 pmIf anything, the above text makes me want to vote for McCain. He seems to be a FISCAL conservative with enough life experiences to remain objective. Drawing from Teddy Roosevelt bodes well for a leader aspiring to unite a divided country.
Comment by Piotr — March 10, 2007 @ 3:19 pmAre these not the same comments as made by one of your most romanticized and nationally mourned and feted president’s? Did John F. Kennedy not say “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”? Are these not the same ideals in a different wording?
Comment by Tracey — March 10, 2007 @ 4:47 pm“our patriotism is hardly encouraged when we cannot take pride in the highest public institutions, institutions that should transcend all sectarian, regional, and commercial conflicts to fortify the public’s allegiance to the national community”
In contrast, many (if not all) of the founders of this nation understood that men with power will always be corrupted to seek more power at the expense of the people’s property and freedom. That is why they tried separating powers into 3 branches. Relying on government is foolish. To keep our freedom, we must vigilantly watch those in power – they can be trusted only to strive for more power.
Comment by Jeremy — March 10, 2007 @ 5:26 pmMcCain said Americans are incapable of doing manual labor like illegal aliens in one speech.
He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce.
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd. “I’ll take it!” one man said.
“You can’t do it, my friends,” McCain retorted. — Link
We don’t need a guy who has temper tantrums over little things in control of our military. His nickname is McNasty I heard. He sure is McNasty.
Comment by uhm — March 10, 2007 @ 5:33 pm“Americans did not fight and win World War II as discrete individuals.â€
Hmm. They sure DIED as individuals.
Comment by Marc — March 10, 2007 @ 5:52 pm“He’s not a true conservative. Conservatives wish for a smaller government (where did the term “conservative†come from?). He doesn’t.”
“Conservative” has nothing at all to do with small government. It has everything to do with conserving the past, for better and for worse. A true Conservative should support the military-industrial complex because it’s tradition. Our forefathers unquestionably followed their leaders and subsidized corporations, so we should too.
Well, the best metaphor I’ve for Mr. McCain is Darth Vader, so maybe he will get a chance to pilot the Death Star until it explodes.
Comment by ∆ — March 10, 2007 @ 7:52 pmPiotr and Tracey, calls for national duty are fine, as long are they are couched in terms that recognize that it needs to be voluntary. Reagan did this quite well. McCain and Teddy…not so much.
To speak of national service in terms of compulsion cheapens what I and every other citizen who has chosen to serve their country have done.
Comment by mike — March 11, 2007 @ 2:38 am