Note to John McCain: Give Up
by Bryan
You’ve fought the good fight. You’re a war hero. You’re a national hero. But you’re not going to be President.
So, instead of telling you to fire your campaign, like Bill Kristol, I’m telling you to fire yourself.
Look, we all know how next Tuesday is going to end. You didn’t get this far by being stupid. At some point between when Pennsylvania and Hawai’i are called for Obama you’re going to pick up the phone and make the call. Or more likely you’re going to tell your aide to make the call for you and then you’re going to have to congratulate him on become President of the F*cking United States and then poof you’re just going to be a maverick-y senator again.
It’ll be worse because your little tart of a VP nominee will continue to make a fool of herself with public approval and you’ll see that her maverick-y ways will include, probably, quitting public service for a TV program or something. That will really be bucking the political system and you’ll have to say well yes that’s unfortunate but we all gotta do what we all gotta do. And when she runs for President in 2012 you won’t even endorse her but the worst part is that she won’t even care.
John, you shoulda been president in 2000. Everyone knows it. You would have been better than Gore, and you would have been better than Bush. It’s not even close. You were the right man for the right time and we all know what happened. And we felt bad, so we gave you another chance here, but we’re rescinding that chance now.
It’s over.
Bryan Joiner 
Even if McCain was the most honorable person out of McCain/Bush/Gore, would he have been the best president? Was he really “the right man for the right time?” I could be wrong, but I think you and I agree that the Iraq War has been an epic failure. In my opinion, it’s been the biggest policy blunder of my lifetime. I don’t think President Gore would’ve gotten us into that war, but President McCain would have. He might have waged it in a more effective manner than Bush, but it still would’ve resulted in thousands of dead Americans and a trillion dollars spent, with debatable benefits in return.
I also think it’s reasonable to assume that you and I would’ve preferred Gore’s policies on other issues (i.e. global warming, Supreme Court appointees).
What exactly do you think McCain would’ve done better as president than Gore?
Choosing a candidate is a complicated decision. When making the decision, most people consider both issues and character/judgment. If two candidates are close on the issues (or the voter is smack in the middle), then character/judgment/intelligence/wisdom/whatever can be a good deciding factor. But, I think it’s dangerous to pay too much attention to that stuff because it’s so hard to tell. I’m voting for Obama because I prefer his positions on foreign policy, tax policy/economy, health care, global warming, court appointees. He also seems to have strong character/judgment, but I’m aware that (unless I get to spend extended time with both candidates) it’s much harder for me to judge that stuff.
That’s fine. I’m glad you’re suggesting that McCain was damaged goods in 2004. From there, it’s not that tricky to turn the clock back and see that he’s been a self-interested jerk since the 70s. You could argue that any political life involves stomping on people and putting yourself out forward–it’s called advancement. I just think he lost his integrity with his various meanderings, and considering its his integrity that he pretends is his defining virtue, the dissonance doesn’t rest well.
The problem with McCain is that what we know about him is largely from a population that he has nurtured and tried to make like him since Keating 5. I think after this debacle is over, we might finally start seeing more critical approaches to his sense of entitlement.
Nope. I said it at the time, during the primaries. I said exactly this: it would be nice if the Dems and GOP could just come together and say “McCain? McCain.” instead of possibly being stuck with Bush (or Gore, who I didn’t vote for in the primary) Don’t know if I would have voted for McCain in the general, but my admiration of McCain pre-2008 is not exactly a secret. I’ve written about it before on this very blog, it’s true, it’s true.
His campaign has not been honorable. This is also true. Most of what I think about McCain pre-2008 campaign is culled from Michael Lewis’s book Losers, about the 1996. Michael Lewis likes him so I like(d) him. Not ashamed to admit that. Yes, there’s a dissonance between that acct of the campaign/DFW’s account of the campaign and this one. Politics is dirty and stupid and he’s run a dirty and stupid campaign. I forgive him. Sue me.
But I think any pre-2008 accounting that labels McCain a “fraud” is pointless; it’s just not true if we’re grading on a curve. It’s really easy to belittle the other side in the heat of battle but in this case it seems borne of the last 8 years and the campaign, only the second of which I really tie to McCain. Okay, you can make an argument (a correct one) that says the McCain 2008 asshole bid began in 2004 when he sold his soul to get on Bushie’s good side. That was a dumbass move, but I understand it. I still forgive him. If the candidate was Rudy or Romney, I wouldn’t say this. I hate those fucks. Especially Romney. The day he got elected was the day I was most proud not to live in MA anymore.
But I’m not saying that to get on your good side. I just disagree with you here, even if I’m never going to change your mind.
“John, you shoulda been president in 2000. Everyone knows it. You would have been better than Gore, and you would have been better than Bush.”
I’m going to assume you’re so blind from the prospect of an Obama presidency that somehow you missed this passage when you edited your post.
McCain is/was/will be a fraud. He’s not satan, but he’s not that honorable a fellow. And to suggest that he would’ve been a better president than Gore is, like, I dunno… what do they call it when you’re nice to assholes in their obituaries? That’s what that is.