Which McCain?

I know at least one person whom I respect greatly who is leaning McCain. His eyes haven't been glued to all the recent political news, however he is old enough to remember the "maverick" McCain of the past. Whatever you say about the McCain of today, with the exception of the Keating Five scandal (which is a big issue don't get me wrong) McCain really was a maverick in many ways. However, when push came to shove, he would depart from his maverick ways. That's how politics is. When he was a maverick, he would get less support from Republicans, more support from Independents, but still not much support from Democrats. It would add up to less votes, and when your up for re-election a lot, like senators are, they often spend much of their time pandering to voters.

Here is one example where McCain turned on his own beliefs to pander to his voters. In 2000, a confederate flag was being hung in South Carolina and it was angering many residents. When asked what the best course of action would be, McCain initially said they should take it down because it is racist. There was an uproar among Republicans, and 3 days later McCain gave a press statement saying "Personally, I see the flag as a symbol of heritage."

Today when asked, he will simply say that it was the states decision, and will not give his own opinion about it. What happened to the old McCain? Now many of us might believe that the maverick McCain is still somewhere inside him, and that if he can only win this election, maybe his maverick side will come back. But is that a gamble we want to take, with the country in the state that it is in now? And even if that is a possibility, do we still respect a man who will lie and pander to get where he wants to be? I cannot guarantee this is fact, though it has been repeated so much by many in the media that I think it must have at least some shread of truth, but McCain supposedly did not want to choose Palin, but wanted Romney or Lieberman instead. Maybe he changed his mind at the last second, or maybe he isn't in control anymore.

Speculation aside, The Daily Show had a piece last night, where they poked fun at McCain's introduction video by making their own, and I think the video has many true examples of what I have been discussing.



More proof of my point from The Daily Show, comparing McCain and Bush's speeches.