McCain Speech

He seems to me to be echoing Hillary Clinton's campaign themes, warning of an "eloquent but empty call for change that promises a holiday from history" though one of my more Clinton-friendly friends insists there's a significant difference.

UPDATE: It's also a bit odd of the candidate of perpetual war to also be the fiscal tightwide candidate. A 100 year occupation of Iraq is going to be a good deal more expensive, and a good deal less useful, than any number of bridges.

UPDATE II: McCain says "I know how congress works and how to make it work for the country." I've mentioned this before and I'll obviously have to say it again, but the reality of McCain's career is that for a man who's been in congress 25 years his legislative record is incredibly thin. This is what comes from being the kind of guy who curses at his colleagues, spends 80 percent of his time mugging for the cameras, and has little interest in or knowledge of domestic policy issues.

Comments

McCain really isn't good at this bogeyman invoking stuff. He sounds like he's reading it off a cereal box.

Posted by phil | February 19, 2008 9:13 PM

I don't think these charges from McCain will hold. For one, Obama's rhetoric will become much more meaty if he's facing a person with whom he has real differences of opinion on policy. Second, McCain is as empty as they come. What's he for anyway, continuing everything Bush has been doing? And he's against "Islamo-facism", apparently.

Posted by TH | February 19, 2008 9:13 PM

He just said "They're seeking to find weapons against us of mass destruction."

Go to bed, old man.

Posted by cd6 | February 19, 2008 9:15 PM

Wait--did the Republicans nominate Bob Dole again? Because I could swear that is what I am watching.

Posted by DTM | February 19, 2008 9:16 PM

Second. Worst. Speechgiver. Ever.

The first, of course is GW.

He sounds like he's reading it because he is.

That would be fine if he understood punctuation.

Awful.

Posted by G Davis | February 19, 2008 9:17 PM

My friends, a serving of cereal plus skim milk provides 2g total fat, less than 5mg cholesterol, 250mg sodium, and 7g protein, my friends.

Posted by Joe | February 19, 2008 9:17 PM

It looks like McCain's fans are learning to hate Obama. I was wondering when that would finally surface. Also, it is awesome that he is going after Obama's wife.

Posted by pjs | February 19, 2008 9:18 PM

I bet Nick Kristof was reallly, really impressed.

Posted by Andruw | February 19, 2008 9:19 PM

In response to the update:

Obviously, dollars spent on wars don't count.

Posted by DTM | February 19, 2008 9:21 PM

You are so delightfully partisan!

Posted by burning flock | February 19, 2008 9:24 PM

Did he just attack Obama for saying that he would bomb Pakistan? Didn't we just do that?

Posted by chris | February 19, 2008 9:24 PM

What a surly old fellow.

Posted by southpaw | February 19, 2008 9:29 PM

Those words sounded really familiar. Did McCain just plagiarize Giuliani's stump speech?

Posted by Jon | February 19, 2008 9:31 PM

Cindy McCain: "I just wanted to make the statement that I have, and always will be, proud of my country."

Annoying as all get-out, and not especially grammatical either.

Posted by Ted | February 19, 2008 9:34 PM

McCain says "I know how congress works and how to make it work for the country." I've mentioned this before and I'll obviously have to say it again, but the reality of McCain's career is that for a man who's been in congress 25 years his legislative record is incredibly thin

Ah, but you see - when McCain says he knows how to make Congress work, what he means is he knows how to make Congress work for him.

Posted by McKingford | February 19, 2008 9:40 PM

Oh, I don't know how useful the bridges would be. Bridges built during the Johnson administration have a tendency to fall apart due to design errors. Well, at least one bridge in MN did, and that anecdote is enough for everyone else to make policy.

That's not the only example, of course. Look at the levees in New Orleans, which were also designed improperly. These sorts of things aren't really useful.

Posted by Thomas | February 19, 2008 9:42 PM

Hold on, the "Obama wants to attack Pakistan" line can't possibly work. Why would he attack his fellow Muslims?

Posted by Jon | February 19, 2008 9:44 PM

Yes, all well and good. Boo McCain -- but why, oh why, did Michelle Obama have to say that she wasn't proud of her country? I live in red Arizona, and I can tell you that any more of that, and nobody around here is going to give Obama the time of day. His message is hope, and she just needs to stop with the mixed messages.

Posted by anon | February 19, 2008 9:46 PM

McCain appears to be running exactly the campaign against Obama that Hillary Clinton is.

Posted by Korha | February 19, 2008 10:01 PM

I agree, anon. It was a definite slip. Michelle isn't a politician. But I still think Cindy McCain came off like a sidekick in Heathers.

Posted by Ted | February 19, 2008 10:02 PM

McCain is a lock to win it all. He's an empty suit, barely capable of answering even the simplest of questions. He's old and creepy looking. He doesn't speak well (I guess that makes him Reaganesque). But wait until the debates and he answers every question with "Kill the bastards" and Tweety et al swoon. Couple that with the endless discussions on Sunday talk shows about whether or not Obama is a Muslim/Commie/America Hater (a la "views of Earth's shape differ"), and, well, it's curtains for Obama (or Hillary). I'm not concerning, just calling it like I see it, same as Larry Wilmore. We're fucked.

Posted by ed | February 19, 2008 10:16 PM

"Tightwide"? That's bizarre even for you, Matt.

Posted by hello | February 19, 2008 10:18 PM

McCain reminds me of Smeagol. In 2000 he was an interesting "moderate". But he's totally corrupted himself in pursuit of the Ring. I couldn't tell you what he's all about these days - except the pursuit. Seems to be a lot of hate in him too.

He even looks a little like Gollum.

Posted by Still Undecided | February 19, 2008 11:24 PM

I think we have to start checking to see if McCain is wearing an onion on his belt (which was the style at the time).

Posted by Delicious Pundit | February 19, 2008 11:29 PM

Ed, you probably are right.

Never underestimate the human penchant for ALWAYS - ALWAYS - taking the wrong choice - especially if that choice clearly and unambiguously means that you will not achieve whatever goal you set out for.

As someone once pointed out, you put a piece of cheese in a maze, both rats and humans will go for it. You remove the cheese, eventually the rat stops going for it.

Not humans. They'll go through that maze forever because they absolutely KNOW that cheese is there, dammit, and they're going to get it!

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | February 19, 2008 11:29 PM

Yglesias is dishonest, a rather frequent fault of his in his posts, in saying McCain is talking a 100-year occupation or in other posts a 100-year war.

McCain is talking a 100-year presence.

Like we had in the Philippines, the Panama Canal Zone. Or our more discrete long-term bases in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bermuda. Or co-basing, like we do in Canada covering N Atlantic air and naval routes. 100 years.
Other bases and presence that are not occupation, not war - are likely to exceed 100 years presence. Like Australia's Perth, Singapore, Ramstein & Landstuhl in Germany, Rota, intel facilities in UK, Okinawa, Qatar, Bahrain. RSA facilities. 60 years in Iceland, Greenland.

Nothing new. McCain is saying if Iraq calms down, as the Philippines did after a brutal insurgency and some flareups, we could be in a productive mutual relationship for 100 years or more.

Posted by chris ford | February 20, 2008 12:14 AM

Awesome and insightful reading, chris ford. And what pray tell does McCain suggest if Iraq doesn't calm down? Perhaps you are the dishonest one...

Posted by z adura | February 20, 2008 12:29 AM

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

McCain also said the Iraq War would be easy. It wasn't. McCain says tax cuts increase revenue. They don't. He also said that Jerry Falwell was, "the most righteous dude." Falwell was, in fact, a world class douche bag.

The first five years of McCain's "presence" in Iraq have sucked rhinos. Rhinos, dude. Rhinos.

Posted by ed | February 20, 2008 12:41 AM

"a holiday from history"

That's a definite neoconservative meme. They believe firmly that History (capital H) has a clear path and direction (towards US-style liberal democracy), and that the US has a unique and active role to play in fulfilling that Historical destiny. One of their criticisms of the Clinton I Presidency post-Cold War is that the US under his watch took "a holiday from history".

So yes, different from Hillary Clinton's attack.

Posted by Neil H | February 20, 2008 1:04 AM

Yglesias is dishonest, a rather frequent fault of his in his posts

Pot, meet kettle.

, in saying McCain is talking a 100-year occupation or in other posts a 100-year war.
McCain is talking a 100-year presence...

(snip crap)

McCain is saying if Iraq calms down...

And, if Iraq doesn't calm down, he'll do what?

You're a pathetic dissembler, ford.

Posted by Kevin | February 20, 2008 1:11 AM

Anyone can read history and most people can spin a couple of anecdotes from it to support their particular worldview.

But any student of history who is worth a damn studies history for the insight it gives you into where the world is going NOW. And if McCain and his Republican pals believe that American-style democracy is inexorably headed anywhere but downhill at this moment, they are not very good historians.

Posted by T.K. | February 20, 2008 1:13 AM

Kevin and Z adura appear heavily invested in defeat. Much of our overseas basing is in countries that experienced past turmoil and clamed down to the point that US presence was beneficial to us and the host country. As a sailor, McCain put into naval bases in a dozen and a half such countries and is correct that the odds favor Iraq calming down in similar manner.

Lefties craving defeat believe it is impossible that any war truly ends unless it is noble brown people defeating the white or yellow Opressor Race.

Adura huffs, "well WHAT 'if' Iraq doesn't calm down??" Well, then we won't be there. Perhaps we will switch back to Iran in a decade - something the Iraqis know is quite possible if the Islamic Revolution there is moderated or overthrown.

"What 'if' the noble freedom-loving Germanic people want the US out?

Well, we'd leave and set up shop in Poland, France, or Romania instead, something the Germans would grouse about enormously, so they keep us handy against the revanchist Russia that all Europe is now concerned about.

And, a pal of mine who stayed in the military is now back from Vietnam after discussions of basing US radar in the country - prelim stuff, but Vietnam wants us in region as a counter to China.

Lefty love of American defeat meets reality...that most countries find us a valuable ally or partner.

Posted by chris ford | February 20, 2008 1:54 AM

McCain is going to loose, and loose bad no doubt. But before he goes away, I'd like to know how he got such a hot looking wife looking like he does? Talk about a MILF - Wooowzers!

Posted by Maybe We Will | February 20, 2008 2:20 AM

Rhinos, dude.

Posted by ed | February 20, 2008 2:21 AM

"And what pray tell does McCain suggest if Iraq doesn't calm down?"

Either way our involvement with Iraq is probably not going to end no matter who you vote for. Even viewed cynically Iraq is a major source of oil that is centrally located in the region. If you think we'll be uninvolved in an unsettled Iraq you're being naive at best.

Life sucks sometimes. After you screw up you don't always get to play "do over" or get what you want. We're going to be involved in Iraq for a very long time. What that involvement means will depend on who's elected, but it's not going to end just because we wish it could.

Posted by Thomas R | February 20, 2008 2:42 AM

Well, she wasn't a MILF when he scooped her up. When they met, he was a 43 year old Navy Captain (with, umm, a wife) and she was a 25 year old Phoenix heiress. He only went into politics in Arizona because that's where her dad made his beer money.

She dramatically amped up her looks when she grew her hair out (Annie Lennox fans will no doubt differ).

Posted by beowulf | February 20, 2008 3:30 AM

Maybe Hillary and John will announce they will fore go naming a vice-presidential candidate, join hands, and agree that whoever loses the race between them will be VP.

Bipartisanism at its best!

Posted by Jimm | February 20, 2008 6:40 AM

I love the snide little "litle knowledge of" domestic policy bit.

Does McCain know enough about domestic policy to be able to promise both a fully-auctioned cap on carbon emissions and lower gas prices? No, only Obama knows how to pull that one off.

How can MY discern knowledge of domestic policy when, like everyone else on the left, he doesn't have any of it for himself? If he can listen to that Obama speech last night without thinking, what have I signed up for?, then there's no hope.

Posted by Thomas | February 20, 2008 9:30 AM

I'd like to know how he got such a hot looking wife looking like he does?

He got her by screwing around on his first wife, who stood by him while he was a prisoner in Vietnam.

Posted by croatoan | February 20, 2008 10:46 AM

Well, his signature domestic achievement was campaign finance reform.

Which, uh, Mark Schmitt has found he totally undercut when he secured a loan by promising to perpetuate a fraud on the American taxpayer if he didn't win.

Kind of makes you glad he didn't do more domestic policy, since it seems he's apparently used his knowledge of the campaign finance laws he wrote (and ostensibly supported) to exploit loopholes that violate their spirit in an absolutely shocking way.

Posted by anonymous | February 20, 2008 11:33 AM

McCain's victory speech was a study in self-immolation.
.

Posted by Grand Moff Texan | February 20, 2008 12:11 PM

Chris,

You have to admit Iraq is no Germany, Australia, or Greenland. Our very presence there is reason for strife. The infidel in 'holy' lands simply pisses off large portions of the local population. This will not stop being the reality of a religion that has held this tenant for over a thousand years.

Posted by gman | February 20, 2008 12:12 PM

"He got her by screwing around on his first wife, who stood by him while he was a prisoner in Vietnam." croatoan

Basically correct. It's unreasonable to argue against the "screwing around on a supportive first wife" as he says that's what he did. However she seems to have forgiven him and is supportive. (And I don't think she's required to, Giuliani's spouses and kids were not so forgiving)

I do argue with a couple parts though. The main one being that I don't think Cindy McCain is "hot." To be honest I think she's kind of odd looking. She's too made-up and unnatural looking. He's a goofy looking guy in his own right, but still she's not that out-of-his-league from what I saw. The other is that his first wife, as I recall, was also a model. So there must have been some quality to begin with for him to get women like that. Even if that "quality" was just having a famous father and grandfather.

Posted by Thomas R | February 20, 2008 7:56 PM