DOCSLIB.ORG

The Mushroom Cloud That Hangs Over Mccain Many Fear the Arizona Senator Is Too Hot-Headed to Be President, Says Alexander Cockburn

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Mushroom Cloud That Hangs Over Mccain Many Fear the Arizona Senator Is Too Hot-Headed to Be President, Says Alexander Cockburn news/opinion (cbd, but not by name) April 26, 2008 skip to nav The mushroom cloud that hangs over McCain Many fear the Arizona senator is too hot-headed to be president, says Alexander Cockburn Increasingly certain that their Democratic opponent in the autumn will be Barack Obama, John McCain's political handlers are sketching out their strategy: to portray Obama as a mere novice in statecraft, devoid of those powers of mature wisdom and sober judgment with which the seasoned McCain is so richly endowed. The danger here for McCain is that there are bountiful stories attesting to his volcanic lack of self control, capricious moral standards and lack of political judgment. In 1999, when McCain was battling George W Bush for the Republican nomination, the Arizona Republic, one of the most conservative dailies in the country, editorialised about "less flattering" aspects of their senator's character. "Many Arizonans active in policy-making have been the victim of McCain's volcanic temper," the Republic stated. "McCain often insults people and flies off the handle." There is reason, the editorial concluded bleakly, "to seriously question whether McCain has the temperament, and the political approach and skills, we want in the next president." Though the same paper has offered demure support for McCain this time around, Democratic campaign commercials in the autumn will surely be citing the paper's 1999 verdict, along with the considered judgment of Thad Cochran, the Republican senator from Mississippi who's known McCain for 30 years. "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine," said Cochran. "He is erratic. He is hot-headed." There was a famous fight in Arizona that went on for years about Mount Graham, on which the federal government wanted to put a telescope. Indians said it was sacred. Greens said its slopes sheltered the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel. In 1992, a couple of physicians, Robin Silver and Bob Witzeman, went to meet McCain at his office to discuss the issue. There are many stories attesting to McCain’s volcanic lack of self control and lack of political judgment At the mention of the words Mount Graham, McCain erupted into a violent fit. "He jumped up and down, screaming obscenities at us for at least 10 minutes," Silver said. "He shook his fists as if he was going to slug us." Witzeman left the meeting stunned. "To my mind," he said, "McCain's the most likely senator to start a nuclear war." The last time anyone made that sort of charge against a senator from Arizona, it was about Barry Goldwater, who ran against Lyndon Johnson in 1964. A famously effective campaign ad showed a little girl picking a daisy, which then mutated into a mushroom cloud. Painted as a potential nuker of the planet, Goldwater lost in a landslide. The US press has fawned over McCain the 'maverick' for years, but his colleagues in the Senate have long regarded him as a mere grandstander, posturing for C-SPAN's camera about wasteful spending, then meekly voting for the pork-barrel items he's just denounced. They snicker at his affectations of moral purity, noting such seamy episodes as McCain's imprudent association with Charles Keating, an Arizona bank swindler, ultimately McCain’s aides confronted Iseman, telling her to stay away convicted and sent to prison. They point to the torrents of money pouring into McCain's campaign treasury from the corporations that crave his indulgence as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. In a damaging story suggesting ethical double-standards, the New York Times this week cited McCain aides as decrying their boss's unwise association - one they construed as possibly romantic - during his 2000 presidential bid with an attractive lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, then 32. The aides confronted Iseman (left), telling her to stay away. McCain denies any romantic involvement. For such reasons it is foolish to think McCain will find it easy to put a shrewd debater like Obama on the defensive. And beyond such biographical impedimenta, the 71-year-old senator totters towards the autumn campaign under one huge burden which is not his fault. This week George Bush's approval rating sank to the lowest in the history of such polls, 19 per cent. A very large number of Americans have simply had it with a Republican in the Oval Office. FIRST POSTED FEBRUARY 22, 2008 http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/18925,opinion,mushroom-cloud-that-hangs-over-mccain 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Retired United States Congressmen from the State of Michigan
    Retired United States Congressmen from the State of Michigan Submitted by Joshua Koss To The Honors College Oakland University In partial fulfillment of the requirement to graduate from The Honors College 1 Abstract Conventional wisdom in the study of members of Congress, pioneered by Richard Fenno, argues that one of the chief goals of elected officials is their reelection. However, this theory does not account for those who willingly retire from Congress. Who are these former members and what activities do they pursue once they leave office? To answer the first question, this project analyzes data on retired members of Congress from the state of Michigan regarding the years they served, party identification, and their age of retirement. The second and perhaps more interesting question in this research, examines the post-congressional careers of former members of Congress and whether their new line of work has any connections with their time in Congress through committee assignments and issue advocacy. In addition to quantitative analysis of the attributes of former members and their post-congressional careers, a qualitative analysis is conducted through a comparative case study of retired Senator Donald Riegle and former Representative Mike Rogers. This aspect of the study more closely examines their respective career paths through congress and post-congressional vocations. 2 Introduction In 1974, Democratic Congresswoman Martha Griffiths announced her retirement from the House of Representatives citing her age, 62, as a key motivation for the decision. After this, Griffiths would serve two terms as Michigan Lieutenant Governor before being dropped off the ticket, at the age of 78, due to concerns about her age, a claim she deemed “ridiculous” (“Griffiths, Martha Wright”).
    [Show full text]
  • Highly Partisan Reception Greets Palin As V.P. Pick
    ABC NEWS POLL: THE PALIN PICK EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE AFTER 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 Highly Partisan Reception Greets Palin as V.P. Pick Sarah Palin is receiving a highly partisan reception on the national political stage, with significant public doubts about her readiness to serve as president, yet majority approval of both her selection by John McCain and her willingness to join the Republican ticket. Given the sharp political divisions she inspires, Palin’s initial impact on vote preferences and on views of McCain looks like a wash, and, contrary to some prognostication, she does not draw disproportionate support from women. But she could potentially assist McCain by energizing the GOP base, in which her reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Half of Americans have a favorable first impression of Palin, 37 percent unfavorable, with the rest undecided. Her positive ratings soar to 85 percent among Republicans, 81 percent among her fellow evangelical white Protestants and 74 percent of conservatives. Just a quarter of Democrats agree, with independents in the middle. Favorable Ratings ABC News poll 100% Democrats Independents Republicans 85% 77% 75% 53% 52% 50% 27% 24% 25% 0% Palin Biden Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, is similarly rated, with slightly fewer unfavorable views and partisanship running in the opposite direction. Palin: Biden: Favorable Unfavorable Favorable Unfavorable All 50% 37 54% 30 Democrats 24 63 77 9 Independents 53 34 52 31 Republicans 85 7 27 60 Men 54 37 55 35 Women 47 36 54 27 IMPACT – The public by a narrow 6-point margin, 25 percent to 19 percent, says Palin’s selection makes them more likely to support McCain, less than the 12-point positive impact of Biden on the Democratic ticket (22 percent more likely to support Barack Obama, 10 percent less so).
    [Show full text]
  • Picking the Vice President
    Picking the Vice President Elaine C. Kamarck Brookings Institution Press Washington, D.C. Contents Introduction 4 1 The Balancing Model 6 The Vice Presidency as an “Arranged Marriage” 2 Breaking the Mold 14 From Arranged Marriages to Love Matches 3 The Partnership Model in Action 20 Al Gore Dick Cheney Joe Biden 4 Conclusion 33 Copyright 36 Introduction Throughout history, the vice president has been a pretty forlorn character, not unlike the fictional vice president Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays in the HBO seriesVEEP . In the first episode, Vice President Selina Meyer keeps asking her secretary whether the president has called. He hasn’t. She then walks into a U.S. senator’s office and asks of her old colleague, “What have I been missing here?” Without looking up from her computer, the senator responds, “Power.” Until recently, vice presidents were not very interesting nor was the relationship between presidents and their vice presidents very consequential—and for good reason. Historically, vice presidents have been understudies, have often been disliked or even despised by the president they served, and have been used by political parties, derided by journalists, and ridiculed by the public. The job of vice president has been so peripheral that VPs themselves have even made fun of the office. That’s because from the beginning of the nineteenth century until the last decade of the twentieth century, most vice presidents were chosen to “balance” the ticket. The balance in question could be geographic—a northern presidential candidate like John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts picked a southerner like Lyndon B.
    [Show full text]
  • Suffolk University Virginia General Election Voters SUPRC Field
    Suffolk University Virginia General Election Voters AREA N= 600 100% DC Area ........................................ 1 ( 1/ 98) 164 27% West ........................................... 2 51 9% Piedmont Valley ................................ 3 134 22% Richmond South ................................. 4 104 17% East ........................................... 5 147 25% START Hello, my name is __________ and I am conducting a survey for Suffolk University and I would like to get your opinions on some political questions. We are calling Virginia households statewide. Would you be willing to spend three minutes answering some brief questions? <ROTATE> or someone in that household). N= 600 100% Continue ....................................... 1 ( 1/105) 600 100% GEND RECORD GENDER N= 600 100% Male ........................................... 1 ( 1/106) 275 46% Female ......................................... 2 325 54% S2 S2. Thank You. How likely are you to vote in the Presidential Election on November 4th? N= 600 100% Very likely .................................... 1 ( 1/107) 583 97% Somewhat likely ................................ 2 17 3% Not very/Not at all likely ..................... 3 0 0% Other/Undecided/Refused ........................ 4 0 0% Q1 Q1. Which political party do you feel closest to - Democrat, Republican, or Independent? N= 600 100% Democrat ....................................... 1 ( 1/110) 269 45% Republican ..................................... 2 188 31% Independent/Unaffiliated/Other ................. 3 141 24% Not registered
    [Show full text]
  • Giuseppe Prezzolini
    Giuseppe Prezzolini MANIFESTO DEI CONSERVATORI 1972 Giuseppe Prezzolini MANIFESTO DEI CONSERVATORI 1972 Opera disponibile su www.archive.org con licenza Attribuzione - Non opere derivate 4.0 lnternazionale (CC BY-ND 4.0) PREFAZIONE Nel settembre del 1971 Veditore Rusconi mi chiese di radunare in un libretto quello che avevo va- rie volte scritto per difendere la malfamata parola di «conservatore». Essendo sempre stato fin da giovanissimo d’ac- cordo con le minoranze e spesse volte quindi diven- tato critico della democrazia, accettai subito e mi provai a stabilire su quali basi si poteva seriamente fondare l’ideale di un conservatore al tempo nostro. Ma quando ebbi esaminato il problema dal punto di vista semantico, filosofico, biologico, sociologico, storico, politico, e trovato fra tutti una certa concor- danza, pensai che forse al pubblico sarebbe stata più interessante una storia personale del mio, per dire così, pensiero politico. Andai a rovistare in giornali, in riviste e in libri ed accumulai molti appunti e ritagli e vidi che met- tendoli in fila uno dopo l’altro mi annoiavo. Pensai, allora, di divertirmi commentando quei tentativi miei di comprendere e di agire sul mondo politico nel quale mi sono trovato, e li intramezzai di ricordi, di aneddoti, di panorami, tutti schizzati alla svelta. Lo mandai e piacque all'Editore, che era stato soddisfatto di un mio libro che tocca il problema della politica (Cristo e/o Machiavelli), lo lesse in ab- bozzo e m'invitò a pubblicarlo in volume. Eccolo qui. 3 4 Parte prima 1. SEMANTICA DELLA PAROLA «CONSERVAZIONE» Userò il termine di «conservatori» invece di quello di «destra», perché il nome di «destra» ha soltanto un significato di luogo, ed è accidentale.
    [Show full text]
  • CONSTITUTING CONSERVATISM: the GOLDWATER/PAUL ANALOG by Eric Edward English B. A. in Communication, Philosophy, and Political Sc
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by D-Scholarship@Pitt CONSTITUTING CONSERVATISM: THE GOLDWATER/PAUL ANALOG by Eric Edward English B. A. in Communication, Philosophy, and Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, 2001 M. A. in Communication, University of Pittsburgh, 2003 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2013 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Eric Edward English It was defended on November 13, 2013 and approved by Don Bialostosky, PhD, Professor, English Gordon Mitchell, PhD, Associate Professor, Communication John Poulakos, PhD, Associate Professor, Communication Dissertation Director: John Lyne, PhD, Professor, Communication ii Copyright © by Eric Edward English 2013 iii CONSTITUTING CONSERVATISM: THE GOLDWATER/PAUL ANALOG Eric Edward English, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Barry Goldwater’s 1960 campaign text The Conscience of a Conservative delivered a message of individual freedom and strictly limited government power in order to unite the fractured American conservative movement around a set of core principles. The coalition Goldwater helped constitute among libertarians, traditionalists, and anticommunists would dominate American politics for several decades. By 2008, however, the cracks in this edifice had become apparent, and the future of the movement was in clear jeopardy. That year, Ron Paul’s campaign text The Revolution: A Manifesto appeared, offering a broad vision of “freedom” strikingly similar to that of Goldwater, but differing in certain key ways. This book was an effort to reconstitute the conservative movement by expelling the hawkish descendants of the anticommunists and depicting the noninterventionist views of pre-Cold War conservatives like Robert Taft as the “true” conservative position.
    [Show full text]
  • John S. Mccain III • Born in Panama on August 29, 1936 • Nicknamed
    John S. McCain III • Born in Panama on August 29, 1936 • Nicknamed ”The Maverick” for not being afraid to disagree with his political party (Republican) • Naval aviator during the Vietnam War • Prisoner of war in Vietnam from 1967-1973 • Arizona senator since 1986 • Republican nominee for president of the United States in 2008 McCain in the Navy McCain’s father and grandfather were both admirals in the Navy. He followed in their footsteps and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. He is pictured here with his parents and his younger brother, Joe. His son, Jimmy, also became an officer in the Navy McCain in training (1965) As the U.S. began to increase the number of troops in Vietnam in 1965, McCain was training to become a fighter pilot. On October 26, 1967, his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by a missile as he was flying over Hanoi. He was badly injured when he was pulled from Truc Bach Lake by North Vietnamese. Shot Down McCain’s bomber was hit by a surface-to-air missile on Oct. 26, 1967, destroying the aircraft’s right wing. According to McCain, the plane entered an “inverted, almost straight-down spin,” and he ejected. But the sheer force of the ejection broke his right leg and both arms, knocking him unconscious, the report said. McCain came to as he landed in a lake, but burdened by heavy equipment, he sank straight to the bottom. Able to kick to the surface momentarily for air, he somehow managed to activate his life preserver with his teeth.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting to Know the Candidates
    C M Y K C12 DAILY 01-29-08 MD RE C12 CMYK C12 Tuesday, January 29, 2008 R The Washington Post Last week’s survey Bee 10.4% asked: What is your Butterfly 35.1% favorite insect? Cockroach 8.4% More than 450 SAYS readers Ladybug 21.8% SURVEY responded: I don’t like bugs! 24.3% WEATHER has traveled around to be studied TODAY’S NEWS by paleontologists, the U.S. space SPEAK OUT agency and the National Geo- Hadrosaur’s Roaming graphic Society. THIS WEEK’S TOPIC Unlike most collections of Days Are Almost Over bones found in museums, this K Dakota the duckbilled dinosaur hadrosaur was found with fossil- Super Bowl Pick is going home to North Dakota. ized skin, ligaments, tendons and BY DIANE BONDAREFF — RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART VIA AP The New York Giants and the The 65-million-year-old fossil- possibly some internal organs, re- Wim Hof is head and shoulders above TODAY: Cloudy; New England Patriots meet other ice-bath record seekers. ized hadrosaur, found in North searchers said. rain likely. Sunday in Super Bowl XLII Dakota’s Badlands in 1999, will It was found by a high school (42). The Patriots have 18 wins be ready for display at the State student who spotted its bony tail Cold? Think Again HIGH LOW and no losses this season and Historical Society in Bismarck in while hiking on his uncle’s are trying to notch the longest early June. Since the discovery, it ranch. K Most people try to stay out of 50 38 perfect season in pro football the cold during winter.
    [Show full text]
  • For Obama, Being Right Is No Longer Enough
    Unexpected and Expected Surprises in the Campaign Lincoln Mitchell, Harriman Institute, Columbia University Posted: 07/12/2012 10:09 pm The general election is now less than four months away. The election itself has taken on the predictable rhythm of many presidential elections. The primaries were less contested than usual as the Democratic incumbent had no challengers, not even a protest candidate of some kind; and the Republican challenger did not have any serious opposition throughout much of the race. Not surprisingly, the main issue in the race remains the economy as President Barack Obama is seeking to make the argument that while the economy still has its problems, due to his policies, it is moving in the right direction. Republican challenger Mitt Romney's campaign is arguing that the economy is still in terrible shape and that only the magic of more tax cuts can turn it around. None of this is unusual and, if nothing else happens, this will likely lead to a narrow, but unambiguous victory for President Obama. Something, however, almost always happens. With four months to go, there are numerous ways the race can be changed. In July of 2008, for example, the financial meltdown had still not occurred. Similarly events such as economic crises, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other dramatic occurrences could occur at any time and change the nature of the campaign. These types of things are unlikely to occur and almost impossible to foresee in advance. Moreover, it is difficult to know in advance which candidate they will help or hurt.
    [Show full text]
  • SPRING 2016 BANNER RECIPIENTS (Listed in Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
    SPRING 2016 BANNER RECIPIENTS (Listed in Alphabetical Order by Last Name) Click on name to view biography. Render Crayton Page 2 John Downey Page 3 John Galvin Page 4 Jonathan S. Gibson Page 5 Irving T. Gumb Page 6 Thomas B. Hayward Page 7 R. G. Head Page 8 Landon Jones Page 9 Charles Keating, IV Page 10 Fred J. Lukomski Page 11 John McCants Page 12 Paul F. McCarthy Page 13 Andy Mills Page 14 J. Moorhouse Page 15 Harold “Nate” Murphy Page 16 Pete Oswald Page 17 John “Jimmy” Thach Page 18 Render Crayton_ ______________ Render Crayton Written by Kevin Vienna In early 1966, while flying a combat mission over North Vietnam, Captain Render Crayton’s A4E Skyhawk was struck by anti-aircraft fire. The plane suffered crippling damage, with a resulting fire and explosion. Unable to maintain flight, Captain Crayton ejected over enemy territory. What happened next, though, demonstrates his character and heroism. While enemy troops quickly closed on his position, a search and rescue helicopter with armed escort arrived to attempt a pick up. Despite repeated efforts to clear the area of hostile fire, they were unsuccessful, and fuel ran low. Aware of this, and despite the grave personal danger, Captain Crayton selflessly directed them to depart, leading to his inevitable capture by the enemy. So began seven years of captivity as a prisoner of war. During this period, Captain Crayton provided superb leadership and guidance to fellow prisoners at several POW locations. Under the most adverse conditions, he resisted his captor’s efforts to break him, and he helped others maintain their resistance.
    [Show full text]
  • Senator John Mccain Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza Brochure
    I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s. Senator John McCain 1936 - 2018 SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAZA In recognition and respect of all Vietnam Veterans, the City of Peoria is proud to expand and enhance the Vietnam Memorial Plaza. DONOR CAMPAIGN To ensure this memorial forever serves as a place of reflection and learning, the City of Peoria is enlarging the plaza and adding new elements, which will allow even more visitors to honor, reflect, and learn about our military history. We are requesting your support to make these improvements a reality; and for the first time ever, your commitment will be permanently exhibited at the plaza and visible to the more than 500,000 people who visit the award-winning Rio Vista Community Park each year. Sponsorship opportunities are noted on the back page. Existing memorial PLANNED ENHANCEMENTS AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES SPONSOR NAME HERE Pedestal Permanent Sponsorship Memorial Benches Opportunities Permanent Sponsorship Opportunity SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAZA SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Tier I Sponsors who donate $15,000 Tier II Sponsors who donate or more will receive: $10,000 – $14,999 will receive: • Recognition
    [Show full text]
  • California's Role in the $335 Billion Savings and Loan Heist by Carl K
    FEATURE ARTICLE Partners in Crime: JCalifornia's Role in the $335 Billion Savings and Loan Heist by Carl K. Oshiro* Introduction Proponents of the dual system main- which would have given state-chartered tained that it allowed for experimenta- institutions the power to offer adjustable Since 1985, over 700 savings and tion and innovation in the S&L industry. rate mortgages. Through 1982, the loan institutions have failed in the Unit- However, the dual system also enabled Financial Code set strict limits on the ed States. An additional 300 to 800 the industry to weaken government types and amount of investments state- S&Ls are expected to fail in the years supervision by encouraging competition chartered S&Ls could make. ahead. Recently, the General Accounting among regulators. The S&L crisis took The S&L industry found the federal Office revised its estimate of the cost of root in California precisely because of government to be more receptive. In the S&L disaster to $335 billion.' This is such competition. Concerned about the 1982, the U. S. Supreme Court held that more than $1,000 for each man, woman, large-scale conversion of state S&Ls to federally-chartered institutions were and child in the country. federal charters in the early 1980s, state exempt from the Wellenkamp decision The California legislature, California officials sought to entice them back by In 1981, the FHLBB authorized all fed- savings and loan industry, and state reg- repealing statutory restrictions and erally-chartered S&Ls to offer adjustable ulators bear a major responsibility for weakening the state's ability to supervise rate mortgages.' The Garn-St.
    [Show full text]