A republican criticizing McCain for being inconsistent is like the pot calling the kettle black.
And imagine criticizing McCain for his biography. Now that the Republican Party is the white identity party. Biography is all they've got! And the party that doesn't believe in science complaining about facts? The hypocrisy is too much.
2
Sounds as though the mature McCain came to realize the errors of the young conservative zealot one and had the wisdom to allow his views and politics evolve. He didn’t become a lapsed Republican but a reformed one.
1
The only lesson he learned from Vietnam was opposition to torture. He missed the illegal war part, the lies (Gulf of Tonkin), the war crimes, bombing almost all of SE Asia, and chemical warfare. The geopolitical consequences escaped him and were soon repeated in the war he voted for, Iraq.
2
In other words, McCain was deeply flawed because he failed to slavishly follow the dictates of the "Freedom Caucus" some of the time. Thank you for sharing.
3
Had not Barack Obama not come out of nowhere to snatch the Democratic nomination in 2008 from Hilary Clinton, McCain would have been elected President in November.
Buskirk makes some valid points, but he misses the forest for the trees. McCain's uniqueness and value as a legislator is precisely that he could get stuff done by making deals across the aisle. I understand that Buskirk would prefer to have a card-carrying Barry Goldwater-esque Senator represent him and his state, but --guess what?--democracy is not a 4 letter word, and neither is compromise. One day, when Dems have one chamber or there's a Dem President on one chamber is Dem, Buskirk is going to recall the value of deal-making, which John McCain was good at. On top of that, I'm a voter who values integrity and commitment to rationally considering policy and legislative issues and voting one's conscious in an elected representative more than I value adherence to the party program. Buskirk's op/ed makes him sound like a political dinosaur to me, and I have full faith that his type of thinking will go out of fashion again after the likes of Gingrich, Ryan, Trump, and McConnell names are long forgotten.
4
This writer wants total adherence to the party line. Any deviation should be condemned. This is leading to the fracturing of our governance. Some of John McCain’s policy’s such as supporting endless war have harmed our country. Yet our political system would be better off if there were more politicians, Dem and Rep, like John McCain.
3
Thank you, Mr. Buskirk, for inadvertently in the course of trying to diminish John McCain, for making the case why your president, Donald J. Trump, is so unfit to lead America: "Aristotle describes the primary virtue needed for statesmen as prudence, what might be better described as practical wisdom," which you find lacking in McCain. If McCain is your benchmark for a lack of "prudence," where does that leave Donald Trump? This not "what-aboutism," it is about the narcissist in chief whom Woodward's reporting tomorrow will render unpresidential--as if America needed incisive journalism to show what we have been witness to ever since Trump floated down that escalator in Trump Tower, or from the moment Trump used the birther lie as his calling card to the GOP.
4
Thank you for having the courage to challenge the John McCain hagiography. McCain betrayed his own reputation as a maverick when, in a close primary in 2010, he declared '“I never considered myself a maverick,”
No one can deny his military legacy but a more accurate biography would be better titled 'From Hero to Zero'.
1
Well presented. Thank you.
Thank you for the sorbet needed from the anti-Trump Strawman.
I voted in the MA primary for McCain in 2000 as an alternative to Bush Jr.
If McCain was such a good man, he would have gone straight to the media about the way Bush's campaign attacked Kerry's military service.
It was horrible that McCain stood by as Bush (with questionable service) approved the attack on a true hero.
There is no way that he should have been put on a pedestal when he clumbsibly told a woman calling Obama a Muslim. "No, ma'am, he's a good man (implying that Muslim's aren't) a Christian who I disagree with."
After that I could never take seriously his being touted as America's Soul.
4
(McCain) ...cast the deciding vote against reforming Obamacare —
Reforming Obamacare? This reader has no recollection of any proposed fix for the ACA beyond the immediate removal of its vital organs and leaving it, and millions of Americans besides, as good as dead. McCain knew this and acting upon it proving he had a heart and a conscience - attributes Mr Buskirk so obviously, and tellingly disdains.
9
In the US Air Force, John Mc Cain bombed peasant villages, killed and maimed farmers and their families ( including the use of napalm ), and probably strafed the occasional water buffalo, in our savage, expensive, and ultimately futile war in Vietnam. He had the option, at any time, to resign his commision, but chose not to do so.
Thanks a lot, John, for your service.
3
@Thomas Engelsing MD USAMCR
McCain was in the Navy. Military servicemen and women do NOT always have the option of resigning any time they want. He was fulfilling the mission he was trained for. He was attacking assigned military targets. I served in Vietnam as an officer June1966-67. I believe our intentions were honorable, but our strategy was faulty.
1
My recollection is that McCain was a reliable vote for whatever Republicans wanted to pass. George W. Bush could depend on him to vote Republican. And he was one of the obstructors of Obama's agenda.
When the financial crisis hit during the campaign of 2008 and he briefly suspended his campaign, he had no ideas about how to fix the problem. When the two candidates met with Bush to discuss the problem in the White House before the election, Obama had plenty of ideas about what to do. McCain had none and said little in the meeting.
Sometimes a person gets a reputation for having done something once or twice, and it sticks to them. That's how he was labeled a maverick. But he seldom lived up to that reputation. His time in Vietnam is to be respected, but as politician who nearly always followed the Republican line, not so much.
5
I disagreed with his politics, but John at McCain was an open minded realist on many topics. He was willing to discuss bipartisan solutions to campaign finance reform, immigration, environmental regulation and a host of today’s complex issues. He spoke out on many serious problems most conservatives of today stubbornly refuse to acknowledge even exist. The nation was specifically designed by its founders to run in a political environment of forced political compromise. John McCain didn’t fail, it is today’s anti-compromise republicans that have all failed John McCain.
2
As a progressive Democrat, I can relate to Mr. Buskirk's frustration with McCain. His vote (along with Susan Collins's) against both the ACA and it's repeal don't say political courage to me so much as a failure to take sides in a hard fought battle. It was clear when the ACA was being formed that Republicans idea of reform was something that made healthcare more affordable for tax payers - as opposed to sick people. Their opposition to the mandate was based on the "unfairness" of healthy people being forced to insure sick ones, and it was clear that insurers could not ignore pre-existing conditions if people could game the system by waiting till they got sick to buy insurance. Anybody who pretended otherwise was simply engaging in childish wishful thinking. A No vote against repeal, unaccompanied by the admission that they shouldn't have opposed the ACA in the first place is not courageous. It is petulant - a vote for "none of the above".
So too was the refusal to endorse Hillary Clinton rather than the con-man in the White House, and the refusal to caucus with the Democrats in the face of the blind eye Republicans are turning towards Trump's abuse of power.
McCain was lauded for symbolic gestures at a time when symbolism is inadequate and completely wasted on the occupant of the White House.
4
Thanks for the hatchet job wrapped in the mantle of even handedness. It is say to kill the dead, isn't it? Since I more or less detest both parties I can't get on board with a hatred of McCain as less than a party man, I see that as an attribute of some merit.
Ohhh the Democrats USED HIM! He spoke with them and voted with them on occasion. Did he drink with them as well? Shocking stuff.
Moderation in pursuit of public policy is no vice.
2
I’ll never forget how this grown man publicly savaged a shy, teenage girl for her appearance in front of the Senate.
And of course there was the Savings and Loan scandal. And the way he dumped his faithful first wife after she was crippled in a car accident.
John McCain- what a guy.
6
Mr. Buskirk fails to mention that Mr. McCain voted for all conservative justices and judges. he did not object to Supreme Court meddling in 2000 election. Mr. Buskirk is an ultralight commentator, supporter of Trump who has mild manners but he belong to Fox News and not write regular opinion pieces for New York Times.
4
I am a Republican, but first and foremost I am an American who wants the best in its leaders. As such, unlike the author, I view blind loyalty to party to be the absolute WORST characteristic for a politician, regardless of party. When I vote for an individual, I expect and certainly hope that he/she will carefully examine each issue to be decided and will then act in accordance with what they think is best, NOT necessarily what I or other less-informed individuals might support, and certainly not guided by what the Party wants. If over time I come to question their independent judgement, I simply won't vote to reelect.
Similarly, I reject the disparaging label of "waffling" when what it actually reflects is a healthy amount of open-mindedness to changing conditions or simply personal growth, both of which are entirely admirable and desirable in a politician.
The author is correct that Senator McCain was less than perfect. But he had more integrity and personal courage than almost any other Senator. Senator McCain deserves our thanks and admiration.
3
“...was he just another senator with presidential aspirations and a flare for fraternal invective...
AG, publishing AG’s publisher publicly pummeling our proudest publicity-seeking public hero posthumously in your publication – nothing good can come from something like that...
A bipartisan “gang of 21” – lurking in the cloakroom, behind the cloak-check counter – now seething at you and your acronymically analogous doppelganger, with your flouting of feminism...
Your scorn of sisterhood...
Their ranks include past (anywhere from 1/32 to full-blooded) warriors and assassins – who could spring back into action at the click of a camera shutter or the fickleness of a focus group...
You could dig up a respected former US Senator – before the ground freezes over in Minnesota – and ask him yourselves...Hear they brought in someone from the coast, to do the job...
On the other hand, AG/AG – they might just be a couple of dozen other senators with presidential aspirations and a flare for sororal invective...
I liked McCain and thought he did some remarkable things.
also the opposite.
however, as a non resident of the always self described greatest country in the history of world--for example in sports, how many foreign teams/countries have won the world championship of the national football league!?--there is one thought that always sticks in my mind.
McCain was incredible as a POW especially when he refused to jump the queue to get out years early--can you imagine the present potus doing that?
I've heard americans speak reverently how mccain was tortured and never seemed to hold it against the Vietnamese.
my thought is always....how many Vietnamese did his planes kill in the first 22 missions.
there might've been a reason he was attacked when his plane was shot down.
and what did Vietnam--a poor country which did no harm to the usa--do to deserve being attacked by the most powerful military in the world?
finally, 'my country right or wrong' can justify anything.
and the usa isn't a bad example a country justifying something unjustifiable.
5
Wow, what a diatribe. Looks like somebody has been carrying around frustrations with John McCain for a long time. In my opinion Mr. Buskirk should have waited longer. Much, much longer.
1
It is false to state that McCain cast the deciding vote against Obamacare “reform”. He bravely and rightly voted against Obamacare repeal.
7
The man is dead so what't the point of this column?
He had his moments, saving the ACA, and others so I'd like to just remember him for that, and the fact that he would not join in trashing Obama in his attempt to become prez.
Hang it up Chris.
2
Did Team Trump send you out to write this editorial, Mr. Buskirk, or are you just a right-wing Trumpie trying to take a gratuitous shot a week out from McCain's death? You call McCain's behavior during the 2008 election as quirky to the point of being erratic. How would you describe your Dear Leader's behavior? Are you nervous about the midterm elections, and the stain that Trump's treatment of McCain left on suburban voters' minds? Please go back and read your conservative manual on trade and immigration, maybe considering Reagan's approach to both issues, and then consider the current state of conservatism, aka Trumpism.
8
Man, the guy is gone. Why rake up old rubbish on him?
While I admit that I can never forgive McCain's unleashing of Sarah Palin upon the land, still she guaranteed his loss in that election, so no harm done. Much.
Let him go.
1
McCain's war experience got him into the Senate and kept him there arguably longer than he should have stayed. He wasn't a successful Presidential candidate because he lacked the necessary charisma and wasn't a particularly good politician. Obama would have crushed him Palin or not. That he so relished the "maverick" label and enjoyed preening in the spotlight (admittedly a quality apparently mandatory for a Senator) indicated an unhealthy self-regard that reached its apotheosis with the four-day swan song he inflicted upon us.
6
Sour grapes from someone who couldn't stand the fact that a politician can have a mind of their own. His defense of Obama's love of country and his thumbs-down in the ObamaCare vote were two of the most virtuous and courageous moments in U.S. history.
2
McCain picked Sarah Palin as a running mate. McCain refused to call Barak Obama by name during the debates. McCain suspended his presidential campaign to go to Washington to fix the financial crisis but contributed nothing. McCain did a lot of things right, but too many things wrong. I prefer politicians who are consistently smarter, not just sometimes right and sometimes wrong.
5
McCain's flaws certainly look different to a right wing zealot. John McCain's principled stands against Republican excess were not flaws. They were markers of his personal integrity.
If the writer really wanted to address John McCain's failures, he should start with the selection of woefully unprepared Sarah Palin to share the ticket with him. Unfortunately, Mr. Buskirk is unable to withstand the fury of the dim right if he were to be this truthful.
This op ed should be filed under the heading of "We needed to somehow balance coverage, and this is the best we can do."
5
Astounding that a purported chronicler of "American Greatness" somehow missed the morning class on character.
Everything else in life flows from Authenticity of Character - read some Lionel Trilling for more - the fact that Mr. Buskirk either neglects this or simply doesn't understand this is bizarre.
2
Mr. Buskirk, I'd vote against you for being so partisan. I wish we had 10 or 20 parties like everywhere else, and coalition governments that are forced to compromise. Then change might actually happen, and people would not have to vote for only one of two platforms, both of which are so diametrically opposed that few people identify with even 2/3 of the platform they favor.
Most Americans espouse a blend of Dem and Republican principles, I think. I love the idea of small government, but I am also a very strong supporter of female choice, which creates a conundrum for any conservative Congressperson. Oh, and I own probably 20 guns (all for hunting, no pistols, no assault rifles ), but I also support a strong and efficient safety net for the less fortunate. What am I?
When pressed I vote Republican, but the abortion mandate makes me sick. And the extreme socialism touted by the Dems is also a recipe for the bankruptcy of our country.
I chose not to vote in the last presidential election for the first time ever, the choices were so stark, with platforms so unwavering, and so far apart. The Middle is where most Americans are; maybe if Congress and Senate got out and met with people NOT from their own party, they'd realize that most folks are a mix of both.
Great leaders know when to channel both sides.
McCain was unafraid of losing his seat if his constituents disliked his political flexibility - the sign of a servant of the people.
Term limits fix these issues.
I, too, am mostly moderate, favoring positions from neither party exclusively.
However, if you didn't vote for president in the last election, you are one (among millions, I grant you) of the people responsible for putting the current dangerous, self-serving tyrant in office. I was never a fan of Clinton, but voting for her was the easiest decision I've ever made.
2
The fault is not with voters. It’s with conservatives and the Republican Party and their partners like Fox (all of which together I’ll call “your people”). Witness the current brouhaha about the national anthem. Your people have made it kryptonite to do or say anything that your people consider, earnestly or disingenuously, to be even tangentially critical of the military. That taboo is exactly what sustained McCain and enabled him to exceed his expiration date in politics. This kind of imposition of conformity is undemocratic, and you got your unintended consequences.
5
Human beings are complicated. McCain is no different.
There were a lot of things I did not agree with over the years.
I was appreciative of his vote for the ACA last year. He managed to have a conscience regarding people having health insurance who would otherwise not have any. I disagreed with his selection of Sarah Palin. She is every bit the scourge that Trump is to this country.
All of this said, he does deserve the accolades he received during his battle with brain cancer and his subsequent death.
I question why you felt the need to write this somewhat disturbing editorial. How does this serve you or the public?
I do not expect our Politicians to be saints and pure. What I do expect that they vote sensibly and remember that they represent all Americans, not just their donors.
It would help also if they did not engage in corruption or harassing women. They owe this to the country.
Why not write an Editorial calling out the Republicans in Congress who have callously refused to have a hearing for Merrick Garland when Obama was the President.
Call out the two Congressmen who are indicted for insider trading or misusing their Campaign funds for personal use.
Call out the Senator who voted against Abortion Rights, but texted his mistress to get an abortion,
Call out the Cabinet members who have abused their office using the taxpayer money to fund personal expenditures.
It is useless to call out Senator McCain at this juncture.
Use your bully pulpit to do some good.
5
Congress wouldn't be able to mount a forum if the prerequisite for office was legislative accomplishment.
Where are you, @Richard Luettgen? This one is right up your alley! I am at the edge of my seat, keyboard at the ready, poised to compose a rebuttal! Can't wait forever, things to do, people to see...
What a shameful op-ed. Essentially, "I don't like McCain b/c he wasn't a rubber-stamp vote for the repub party." Well, McCain was elected by the citizens of Arizona to represent them, not to be Trent Lott's or Mitch McConnell's or Rush Limbaugh's or the Koch Brothers or Donald Trump's lapdog. Contrary to what you seem to want, most Americans (and evidently most Arizonans) want independence of mind and a willingness to rise above party. I fully agree that biography can be overemphasized. But everything past that was just lamenting McCain's "principle over party" mentality.
I'll take McCain anyday.
5
McCain may come to be known for nepotism and incompetence more than anything else. He finished 5th from the bottom in his class at the Naval Academy, crashed 2 airplanes and seemingly never saw a foreign war he didn't want to stick his nose into. Some biography.
8
If this had been written before 2016, it would have been a great observation about how easy it to cover political mediocrity with a history of military service and bravery. After all, why else was John Kerry nominated?
But this was written after 2016. And it was written by someone whose chief interest in politics is "American Greatness". It is obvious that Mr. Buskirk's real purpose in this essay is to defend Donald Trump.
Mr. Buskirk's chief political argument since 2016 is that many Americans dislike people lecturing at them about morality, and they like Trump because he doesn't care if people think that he acts selfishly, dishonestly, and cruelly. From that point of view, Mr. Buskirk's critique of those who conflate military honor and political ability makes a certain kind of sense.
Maybe Sen. McCain's heroism was not enough to make him a great politician. Mr. Buskirk finds greatness in Trump, a man whose chief characteristic is that he has no fixed character, and whose only compass is his own self-interest and comfort.
Mr. Buskirk has taken the Republican Party to a strange place. He is suggesting that because Sen. McCain's particular character was no guarantee of political success, we should now assume that political success will come from men and women with no character at all.
1
The points the author makes are valid ones. However, whether Republicrat or Demolican, support is really a matter of a balance of views and convictions. The author appears to be far more a rock-ribbed Republican than I, because I liked the positions that McCain took -- supportive of defense, national security, enforcement of our immigration laws; but also the moderate stances he struck on social issues, such as abortion (of late and despite earlier strong opposition), healthcare generally, rational gun control, inclusiveness and willingness to parlay with Democrats -- which necessarily required compromise and a loss of purist objectives.
Indeed, his "thumbs-down" on the repeal of ObamaCare may have saved the Republican Party -- you don't allow your adversaries to legislate then implement an entitlement, watch as millions become dependent on it, then simply repeal it without replacing it with equivalent benefits. Not if you want to survive politically.
The author obviously believes that it's a bad thing that McCain was able to cobble together coalitions of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Frankly, I believe that this was his greatest political strength and contribution. We need a LOT more legislators who can do the same thing.
2
John McCain stood up against his party and against the worst of Trumpism by voting against the repeal of Obamacare. As a Democrat, I think he should be regarded as a JFK-style "Profile in Courage."
As a resident of New Hampshire, I wrote to John McCain about his work to try to reform cable t.v., allowing subscribers to select and pay for only the programs they wished. To my surprise, as I was not his constituent, I received a long letter of reply outlining not his position, which I already knew, but details of the issue.
This harkened back to Hubert Humphrey, who would answer the most humble reply with a tsunami of information.
McCain's chief flaw, in my view, was poor judgment of people. In addition to his mistaken judgment of Sara Palin he placed his trust in Lindsay Graham, who betrayed him by using McCain's funeral (in my view) to curry favor with the Trumps by asking Mrs. McCain to include Ivanka and Jared. With "friends" like this Sen. McCain didn't need enemies, and his funeral will forever be marked by the disloyalty of Graham and the insertion of the typical bad taste of Trump/Kushner. Too bad to treat a war hero as a political football for personal gain.
3
I have always been confused by John McCain's reputation as a maverick. Like most people, Mr. Buskirk seems willing to overlook that over 85% of the time John McCain voted with his party. He might make a hugh fuss over a particular bill or issue, but, with rare exceptions, when it came time to push the voting button, it was generally the same one most Republicans pushed.
I believe that John McCain was a conservative, however, unlike the Buskirks of the world, he also had compassion. Therefore, at those times when Republican orthodoxy called for discompassionate measures in the name of conservativism, John was not on board. And I admired his for that more than anything else.
6
If Mr. Buskirk is truly concerned about American "greatness" and especially about great statesman -- those who actions have been in the interest of all Americans -- then he should acknowledge McCain is about as close as the Republican Party has come in recent history to such a statesman. Rather than making America great, virtually all other Republicans holding national office have merely succeeded in grating on America.
2
Funny how you didn't mention his 2008 choice of Sarah Palin as running mate. That choice cost him the election.
7
So in the case of John McCain, Arizonan Republicans were (mildly) hoisted on their own petard of military fetishism? That and more seems richly deserved.
3
Just a point of clarification. McCain's vote didn't kill Obamacare "reform." It killed Obamacare repeal.
15
@KAN
Well done! Concise, precise, and devastating!
Communicating with precision is a lost art, now smothered by deliberate obfuscation to serve ideological purposes. Buzzkill - I mean Buskirk - is a refined practitioner of the latter.
1
McCain had integrity. No mention of this in the article, which seems to criticize him for not being blindly partisan.
It was the integrity which caused Trump to hate him. Trump hates anyone with morals, because his entire world view is based upon the assumption that no one is moral, and that it is not only ok, but important to lie and cheat to "win".
I did not agree with McCain on many issues, but I understood that he was sincere and meant to help the country.
44
It's the usual "no TRUE scotsman" argument, and who cares?
The important point is David Leonardht's :
"But McCain pursued his conservative ends through means that are depressingly rare in today’s Republican Party. McCain believed in the American ideals of pluralistic democracy.
"He despised autocracy. He was willing to accept defeat when his side lost a political battle. He pushed for an election system not dominated by the wealthy. He came to reject racism as a political strategy."
4
One striking thing about John McCain’s military history that has stayed with me: there was a horrific accident on his carrier, involving the explosion of quantities of napalm, killing and maiming McCain’s fellows. McCain was a witness to this and for the first time saw what napalm does to someone up close. He was undeterred in continuing to serve and bomb Vietnamese. I get it: he was a good soldier, he was following orders, he was a “patriot”. But just as his refusal to talk when imprisoned displayed great moral courage, this chapter displayed moral cowardice, in my opinion. Like all of us, he was part saint, part vile. That he is lionized as a maverick for “only” voting party line 90+% of the time strikes me as absurd.
36
@Dagwood I believe McCain actually did "talk" during his captivity.
No criticism meant - I'm sure the Vietnamese tried their best with him. But...facts.
Mr. Buskirk, I have to disagree. At a time when precious few who call themselves Republicans stand up for reason, and more importantly stand as a bulwark against profound unreason, Senator McCain did so. Perhaps knowing that he was approaching the end of his life gave him the steely courage to do so despite criticism from the party he served for decades. As someone who has voted for candidates from both parties, my only complaint is that it took that situation to bring out the best in him, but that is true of most of us. Better late than never. May he rest in peace.
109
The purpose of this article is ostensibly to poke holes in the hagiography that surrounds Senator. McCain. Mr. Buskirk's observations that McCain stood as a bulwark against a united juggernaut Republican party and served to derail it's agenda should instead sound to our ears exactly the shrill piece of partisanship that it is, and that, quite frankly, Senator McCain would have decried. I would recommend that Buskirk look within--within himself, within our traditions, within the halls of science, within the workplace itself. Reality does have a liberal bias and the best of us know it when it matters. Get off your high conservative horse, Buskirk. You are only posturing.
9
So Mr. Buskirk doesn't agree with the former senator, that warrants an op-ed? The author's biases are clearly evident and the argument is weak. Everyone involved in the memorial acknowledged McCain's own acknowledgement of his failures, that is part of what made him honorable.
As for his O'care vote it has been exhaustively discussed that his disagreement was not with the repeal part but with the failure of a reasonable replacement. That makes him judicious, not a failure.
5
Since Regan the Republican party has become progressively anti-democracy, anti-voters rights, anti-minorities, anti-sensible gun regulation, anti-women's rights, anti-freedom from religious meddling in government, anti-science. John McCain supported the party of anti more often than not. Although he was a war hero, he was not someone to be admired because of his political actions.
8
And a weakness for Palin and publicity.
3
McCain was often strange and erratic. He could also be ill tempered. Of course when assessing these flaws, it was aways extremely difficult not to question the extent to which they were caused or inflamed by his years of deprivation and torture. And, he could also admit failures and laugh at himself. That’s what inspired a certain degree of faith and a great deal (too much???) of forbearance.
Admittedly, I look at McCain’s career from a different perspective than Mr. Buskirk. As a liberal who votes Democratic, I am pleased that the final memories of this man will be associated with saving ObamaCare and rebuking a president* who’s erraticism and ill temper make McCain look positively saintly.
McCain, for all his foibles, valued honor very highly and no legitimate criticism of the Senator would question his reputation or character on that score. trimp, on the other hand as Bret Stevens so accurately characterized him is “bottomlessly dishonorable”.
5
When you consider how Democrats (and Republican voters, if not Republican politicians) are ideologically all over the map, the totalitarian group-think in Mr. Buskirk's essay is creepy.
4
I was an Eisenhower Republican in an era when republicans were almost non-existent in Dixie. Today’s republicans emulate the KKK and are serfs of the oligarks and the NRA. Mitch Mcconnell is a traitor, willing to destroy the US for political expediency.
As a Vietnam vet, I feel McCain’s heroism wipes the slate clean of most of his shortcomings. Buskirk should be concerned with the gangrene in the White House.
8
Biography represents character. John McCain stood up to his captors despite torture and the easy way out. Today's Republicans take the easy way out and torture the Constitution. They have no character, and they have failed to learn from history. McCain represents American Greatness. Republicans, led over the cliff by their leader Donald J. Trump, represent sycophancy, groupthink, cowardice, and American Ugliness. May they pass the way of the Dodo bird, the dinosaurs, and the Know-Nothing Party.
36
1) I agree that admirable strength of character doesn't necessarily mean political wisdom or effectiveness.
2) "The vote that killed Obamacare reform" has undoubtedly saved quite a number of lives already.
5
When the accomplishments and failures are all laid bare in the tableau of history, very few will achieve lasting greatness. Most will likely strike a balance of "fair-to-middling," with some falling out in disgrace altogether. This is only to be expected. But often so many of these failures are at the hand of the would-be candidate themselves.
For example, one can reasonably say that John McCain's biggest gift to the Obama presidential campaign was the "gift" of Sarah Palin. As H. Ross Perot doomed his chances in the 1992 election with the selection of Admiral James Stockdale for his running mate, the selection of Ms. Palin to be McCain's running mate, probably more than anything else, undermined his credibility, particularly with independents. Two "mavericks" were too wild for the country as a whole to ride.
Was he perfect? Are any of us? But he did serve his country, far more than the current White House occupant. Perhaps his legacy will be to show that the way to serve the country is through compromise and accepting change, rather than rigidly holding the "party line." A lesson we can all use more of.
7
Mr Buskirk:
In your article you said John McCain "cast the deciding vote against reforming Obamacare." I don't remember any Republicans at the time had any intention of "reforming" Obamacare. It was "repeal and replace" presumably simultaneously, "repeal" and replace later, and now, finally undermine Obamacare. Republicans have been, and are still the party of no ideas on this issue. John McCain for one glorious moment of political courage in his Senate history recognized that Republicans had no plan for people who really needed comprehensive health insurance.
21
That the senator agreed with Democrats speaks of his willingness to work with everyone, which is one reason anyone should be elected/re-elected. Perhaps being a maverick is just good thinking. As for how often anyone was re-elected and by what margin, all that matters in this case is who has the most votes even if it is just one more vote. The people of the great State of Arizona chose John McCain to represent them over and over. To second guess the electorate and its motives speaks against our form of government. Is the suggestion that the voters of Arizona intelligent enough to make an informed choice? My belief is that they are and that they made a good choice when they selected John McCain.
3
Considering that we think of Donald Trump as the reality show star, it is often over looked at how masterfully McCain was able to play the mainstream media to his advantage.
I agree with what is written here about McCain. Except the part where the author blames Democrats for the problems life long Republican McCain caused the Republican Party. I'm not sure how 16% of Democrats voting for McCain caused 100% of the GOP's problems regarding McCain. In Arizona 2/3rds of independents are Republicans by another name.
I've asked many conservatives in AZ to name something, anything, McCain has done for his state. Still waiting for an answer.
McCain always seemed more concerned about the plight of the Russian dissident or the people of Iraq or of Darfur or of Crimea than his own fellow Americans.
I cannot think of another politician who traded on his military experience more than John McCain. A half century later we are still describing him in terms of his POW experience.
Of course, Martha McSally, who has spent literally one half of her life on earth (26 of 52 years) in the enlistment-to-retirement socialism of the US military, will be a close second, so thin is her record not just in politics but in civilian life also.
3
@Paul
Generally, I agree with you.
McCain said some great things, and seemed to have made some admirable friends (Obama, Feingold, etc.) There were times I was ready to vote McCain, but then I looked past the words, past the "maverick" bluster and his actual voting record made my support evaporate.
The desperation to achieve the highest office and the willingness to acquiesce to any stunt for it was sad to see. I don't know how he talked himself into accepting Palin as a running mate.
Nevertheless, RIP Senator.
1
@Paul
Military service produces better citizens. Service is not a free ride. Promotion at various phase points is required to remain in the service. I had 12 different assignments in my 22 years of active service. Slackers don’t last. Our country would be better if we still had the draft.
1
@James S Kennedy
No, military service does not produce better citizens. In my job I worked every veteran under the table. Their years of government work trained them to do what they were told, and no more.
And Trump has put the final nail into the coffin of military "honor," given what we have seen of the former high ranking officers who work for him.
What you see as Senator McCain's political failures, others see as successes, i.e. ACA. And no one said compromise was a failure of holding the the party line.
The senate is all about negotiations and compromise, at least that's what it used to be. Today partisanship may be in vogue but that has to change or we fail as a Democracy.
John McCain served his country well, both in the military, and as a politician.
4
John McCain was a master at playing both sides of the street - angering Republicans, then toeing the line. Energizing Democrats, then pulling the rug out from under their feet.
He surely was no maverick when it came to honoring a president's rightful nomination to the Supreme Court. And that's the accomplishment that I will remember him for.
8
Great points. I admired McCain's service to our Nation, but not his political antics. This is a balanced commentary. There were numerous occasions when McCain came to the "mike" (frequently), giving hope for a reasonable resolution to a particular issue, then vote the party line, opposite of his speechifying. I would not have voted for him.
8
Sarah Palin says it all.
3
How appalling Mr. Buskirk finds it that McCain won his last election by attracting 16% of Democrats and 50% of independents. A politician such as that might occasionally be tempted to represent his entire state, not just right-wing Republicans.
28
Totally agree with Mr. Buskirk. And it certainly was personality, albeit a terrible one, that brought us Trump. He had no ideas or commitments of note to grant him the Presidency, and yet....here he is.
4
Both parties can criticize him from their viewpoint. How do you define 'reform of Obamacare'---improve it, or destroy it? Both media and politicians exploited his death and funeral coverage all out of proportion to reality.
No mention here of picking Palen as his running mate. Steve Schmidt his campaign manager has said he regrets that. And Schmidt has left the Republican party.
5
What Mr. Buskirsk doesn't understand is Senator McCain served the people of Arizona, and this country, and not the false ideology of Conservatism. Which only serves the wealthy and if left unchecked would bring us back into the depths of the depression.
5
If war heroism really could blind us to political failure, then Randy "Duke" Cunningham would be in Congress instead of prison.
No, it was McCain's flinty honesty and political moral compass that gave him gravity in the discourse.
Qualities which Buskirk, aka Trump's fluffer, seems unable to understand.
4
Thani you for this!
As a therapist, I often had to remind myself that no matter how much a person might have suffered or been abused, that did not give them leave to be a bad actor themselves.
People make choices. Sometimes those choices are poor. You don’t cut them slack simply because they’ve heroically survived.
You walk past people who have survived every day. They don’t all use it as a calling card.
6
However bad McCain’s temper might be, I would have preferred his hand on the nuclear button than Trump’s.
6
Buskirk claims McCain was not conservative or Republican enough.
Buskirk supports Donald Trump, who is also neither conservative nor a Republican (he's a party of himself).
Please explain.
8
Ok, this article gets a lot wrong and clearly demonstrates the author's bias and the narrow prism through which he sees the world. Let's give one example: To say that McCain said to complete the fence at one time and then during the time of Trump as "the same person" mistakes his genuine concern for the context of and source for these same positions when coming from Mr. Trump. McCain never hid his disdain for the "crazies" in his party, and this author only sees the accomplishments worth noting as legislative ones! President Kennedy accomplished very little legislatively, but the amount of people he inspired in America and the world over is legion (still to this day). Similarly, Senator McCain restored faith in many of the goodness of our nation by his concession speech in 2008, his not giving into bigotry, and in his willingness to reach across the aisle for the good of the nation. While the author is correct that his lioniztion at times was unwarranted, he should be measured by more than official legislative accomplishments. After all, we all know that the legislator whose name is on a bill is often not the primary driving force behind a bill only. Lastly, McCain's vote of "NO" on repealing Obamacare was an act of courage and compassion.
42
What Mr. Buskirk calls "Obamacare Reform" was never about reform. From the first day to the last day it was about destroying a health care initiative that would bring credit to a Democrat president. There was no conservative principle in it. It was partisan malice.
101
About the “danger of electing — and re-electing — politicians based on their personal story rather than on demonstrated political accomplishments”: there are two problems with the logic of it.
First, whether McCain was initially elected due to his personal story or not, he like everyone else had no political accomplishments the first time. President Trump had none before 2016. So Mr Buskirk should have removed “elected” from his statement.
Second, there are productive “political accomplishments” and there are damaging ones. The argument about a candidate’s fitness for office should be about if he/she made the town /county /state /country better or worse during his/her past term. Despite my opposition to much that he accomplished, I think McCain made the country better. Buskirk’s man Trump is on track to make this country far worse, with cruel disparaging Twitter-bombs toward his opponents, giving huge tax cuts to the wealthiest that juiced up an already good economy handed to him by Obama but really is creating a bubble, taking away civil rights from women, LGBT, and people of color .. I could go on.
John McCain’s career was long and fruitful, though as a liberal I often disagreed with it. I think we should acknowledge that, even if disagreeing about his accomplishments, because he treated human beings well personally. Our current president does not do so, so a record of his accomplishments will always be stained by the tawdriness of his character.
6
@Robin Underhill
But McCain has no legislative record to speak of. How did he make anything better?
He did not treat people well. That is why he was known around the Senate as "Senator Bang."
Using the aberration known as Trump as a yard stick for anything or anyone is to set the bar so low as to be a meaningless comparison.
3
Agreed.
That he had MOMENTS of backbone during his Senate tenure and breathtaking grit as a war hero does not make him the great American the sheer volume of press would imply. Let's not forget the rabbit hole his choice of Palin sent the country into; will we ever dig up out of it?
At least we are now recognizing true greats like Ruth Bader Ginsberg. May we please shift our attentions to her like while they are still alive and still being actually heroic?
13
Biography is enough! I never voted for John McCain, because in many instances he did not support policies I favored. But McCain was the last of a political breed that valued country and honor first, political advantage as 1A or 2. His funeral was an opportunity for this increasingly divided and bitter country to take a hard look at where we are. We should all prefer in public office an opponent with whom we disagree like John McCain to a Donald Trump if he supported ideas with which we agree.
4
This was most eloquently stated. The "maverick" and "war hero" parts of McCain's reputation are treated with kindness and restraint. The lack of any real guiding principle or political innovation and the flair for the dramatic gesture also only tactfully and gently pointed out. The overwrought posturing at his funeral did not change anything: Most Republicans outside the beltway remain unimpressed, despite the hoopla whipped up by Democrats and Washington Republicans, in a display of "solidarity." Today, aside from his family, all is forgotten. Except that I, for one, was very surprised that they would go along with making this painful loss for them such a political event.
6
Mr. Buskirk doesn't understand that most Americans--Democratic and Republican--don't want leaders who are all-partisan-all-the-time. Most Americans are pragmatic, they want problems solved. Usually that involves negotiation and compromise. I wasn't a fan of McCain politically and, yes, he lacked prudence, but he at least put country above party.
12
The problem with a piece like this is that it comes from a political point of view. One can look at Ted Kennedy from the left or from the right and come up with completely different assessments of his policy stances, but one thing remains clear to anyone who is thoughtful about politics - Kennedy had a strong core and fought for his beliefs. The same is true of McCain - McCain was flawed for sure, but he had strong beliefs. We tend to conflate political assessments with personal assessments.
4
Thank you for having the courage, a word used often in the life of John McCain, to write this piece, and for the NYT to publish it. The text in large measure will irritate many. Yet. the factsand circumstances of the Senator's politics, the dearth of accomplishments, his mercurial personality, and his wanton disregard for interests of this country in the choice of a 2008 running mate, ring just as true as the sad facts of his imprisonment.
6
In noting the things John McCain would be remembered for - both good and bad - there is no mention of his injecting Sarah Palin in the country's consciousness. That was one of the most ill thought actions for which we, and by that I mean the whole country, are still paying.
17
Sen. McCain was the single largest recipient of monies from the domestic terrorist organization known as the NRA.
NRA peddles in civilian death.
(note: I am not a D and I am not "anti-gun" - my dad had a licensed gun in the house. If he was alive, he would agree with most Americans- that no civilian needs or should have a military grade assault weapon. (Nor does the "well regulated militia" allowed by the 2nd Amendment allow for such insanity))
If his family wants to truly burnish and preserve his legacy, they should give 100% of that blood soaked money to a worthy cause.
13
In what awful world do we live that winning votes from members of the opposite party is a bad thing? This is why we have runaway polarization. Going across the aisle is seen as a political sin.
12
McCain's fault was that he was not afraid to fail. He was not willing to play it safe and that put him in a no man's land. That's what made him unique and great. Politicians talk tough but act weak. McCain talked tough and acted tough. In a sense, he was the Jerry Maguire of politics.
8
Christopher Buskirk continues to amaze with his sophistry and incredibly honed skill at carefully selecting facts and hammering them into pillars of support for the point he is intent on shoving down our throats. At least there seems to be no attempt to be cute in today's diatribe.
It is quite a surprise to anyone who read him while Mr. Leonhardt was vacationing to see Buskirk decry McCain's "dangerous" temperament as a disqualification for President. He certainly was dismissive of Trumnp's continuous demonstrations of disastrous behavior, past and present. He posited the notion "How can Trump be so bad when he is accomplishing so much good?" directly and indirectly. Nonsense! While both Trump and McCain are/were grand standers, McCain was clearly a patriot, proving it again and again --not least of all when casting the vote that makes it more difficult to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Through which millions of Americans (including some who live in Arizona) manage to get the healthcare they need.
McCain tried to address the realities he saw. No matter how hard Buskirk tries to build a career on Trump support, he will never get past the reality of Trump who will never be mistaken for a patriot or an honorable man -- or for interest in anything that does not fill his pocketbook or stroke his ego.
Unfortunately, Buskirk need not worry about biography unduly influencing American voters. 60,000,000 of them certainly ignored Trump's.
21
Lest anyone forget that McCain supported our entrance into GW Bush's lie-based war with Iraq, this link may serve as a reminder:
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/aug/21/barack-o...
Yes, he expressed regret for his position in the last months of his life....long after the damage had been done.
22
Enough about his failure to Republicans. What about his choosing the incompetent Palin as running mate, one step from the Presidency!
11
Mr. Buskirk,
In case you forgot, it's spelled S-a-r-a-h P-a-l-i-n. John McCain paved the way for the current disaster by inviting that know nothing onto the 2008 Republican ticket as the Vice Presidential candidate. And, oh yes, among other things he voted for the 2017 tax cut that adds massively to present and future deficits. I thought you conservatives were opposed to such reckless fiscal policy.
29
McCain was a character, a heroic soldier-survivor and not your usual talking-points politician-for-life. Period. He did little with his opportunity for working across the aisle. Best moment for Americans he served? Defeating Republicans attempt to end the ACA. Followed shortly by supporting the same Republicans tax-reform hoax for the wealthiest and big business. All drama, all Republican.
10
As a liberal Democrat who was beginning to suffer from McCain Funeral Fatigue by the end of a week of memorial services with their sometimes inflated rhetoric as well as political jockeying, I wondered how long the admiration (& adulation) would last. As Mr. Buskirk's article would indicate, not very long. Setting aside the arguments of what Sen. McCain did - or did not -do, the article and comments illustrate again our need for celebrities and our need to expose celebrities.
That this "shift" occurred seems inevitable. That it occurred so quickly is surprising.
4
Sen. McCain was well regarded in his best moments precisely because he abandoned what has come to be called “conservatism” these days by the Republican Party’s radical wing as exemplified by Mr. Buskirk. Most Americans, of either party, recognize how far astray this mean-spirited bunch has roamed, and I believe the mid-term results will verify that. There’s plenty to criticize Mr. McCain for, but his failure to surrender himself to the darkest corner of what we all once recognized as fringe politics is certainly not one of them.
15
Those GOP members running for election in 2018 should be extremely grateful for McCain's voting against the replacement of Obamacare with nothing.
It is bad enough that the GOP and Trump want to effectively reintroduce pre-existing conditions into American Healthcare for those who aren't covered by their employer. Without McCain, millions, many of whom don't tend to vote would discover they went from Healthcare to no healthcare. Taking away something from people is much more likely to get a response by voting out those who took away their healthcare than saying you will take away something in the future. The GOP should be grateful. They probably are grateful, but don't risk saying so. You can tell that they are, because the GOP are doing whatever they can to keep healthcare out of the 2018 election campaign.
18
Thank you for this analysis Mr.Buskirk. It shows balance and insight into a complicated American war hero. He served his country during the war with fortitude and bravery. Subsequently in politics he largely served himself. Nothing showed this more visibly than the indulgence he evidenced in organizing his own funeral, a completely over the top tribute to his own life. He was no sinner but neither was he a saint. You have bought some much needed perspective to the review of a fascinating man.
1
Under the US system of government, members of the US Congress get to pick and choose which bills they will support and which they will oppose. They can gang up with other members and create a caucus of those with similar policy views and under the Hastert rule, coerce the party leadership so that their particular and sometimes extreme views, opposed by a majority of the Congress, become law. Without the pressure of the extreme caucuses in the House, there would not have been as ludicrous a bill to repeal Obamacare.
The author is upset that McCain didn't vote for every policy and bill he liked. Tough. Under the American system, McCain actions were as legitimate and proper as those of the so-called Freedom Caucus in the House.
13
Despite his "friendliness" to the Democratic party MCCain stood firm in Republican opposition stances on many occasions, especially, when it came to Obama's Supreme Court pic. His vote to repeal the ACA has several possibilities with respect to his conscience. His stated opposition was supposedly because he felt strongly about the way Republicans hid in a room while drawing up the bill, refusing to include the larger body of representatives to weigh in. Perhaps he was listening to voters who did not want to see the repeal because its true impact had been misrepresented to them. Or just maybe, because he was the victim of a life threatening illness, he has second thoughts about what the ACA might mean to those less fortunate than himself. And if we are talking bout voting with respect to a person's history or mythology, just look to the White House.
11
During the McCain funeral I had this stranger fantasy. John enters heaven trailing clouds of the glory of his eulogies. He is met b a line of hundreds of people killed and maimed by his 23 bombing missions over Viet Nam, each waiting to tell him their biography and then asking, "Why, exactly, did you have to do this to me?"
12
I agree wholeheartedly but not for the reasons stated. For when all is said and done, John McCain was given a chance to be a true hero in the days leading up to the 2016 election. He could have, but did not, urge all Americans to vote against Donald Trump and save the country from his disastrous leadership. Given that Trump had literally called him a coward, and that McCain knew the clear danger Trump presented to our country, it shouldn’t have been a difficult decision. But he didn’t. He stood mute. And why? To protect his own chances for re-election. A victory that would allow him to accomplish little other than the opportunity to die in office. For that, despite all of the richness of his “personal story”, he should hardly be canonized.
12
What a ridiculous piece. When you start off quoting Aristotle about how it is PRUDENCE that makes a great statesman, who in the world could read further without guffawing as this Trump apologist makes his risible case against John McCain?
37
A true patriot wouldn't saddle the country he loves with $1 500 000 000 000 of needless debt
13
You certainly picked an interesting outlet for this piece.
2
twisted, deceptive, dishonest 'logic', Buskirk.
actually he prevented Obamacare reform from being killed....
5
Two words: Sarah Palin.
15
Mr. Buskirk gets his mojo from twisting reality to serve his confused beliefs. It's all about spin to serve his small-minded interests.
I'm no fan of McCain, but he was a true Republican. What separated him from Buskirk and many contemporary Republicans is that he tried to think through issues. I disagreed with many of his conclusions, and most of his assumptions. But he was a serious Republican.
Buskirk only appreciates the hacks who tow the line of the corrupt business class -- non-patriotic, un-democratic, self-serving, people like McConnell and Ryan.
McCain's faults were simply the faults of true "Conservatie/Libertarian" policies, not straying from them.
1
Too soon.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
1
After learning that an enemy of his had died, the great French Enlightenment writer Voltaire said:
“He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead.”
Mr. Buskirk and Lindsey Graham might have been having similar thoughts last week when they were mourning John McCain.
They certainly aren’t mourning McCain today.
6
I don't think Mr. Buskirk really understands McCain. Because a good part of that biography actually dove-tailed really nicely with McCain's vision for America.
In short, it was a philosophy of invade the world, invite the world. As a young man, he went to Vietnam. As an old man, he encouraged others to go to Iraq. In public life, he advocated for opening our borders. In private life, he adopted a girl from Sub Saharan Africa.
As Democrats came to embrace the same philosophy of invade the world, invite the world - from Obama and Clinton's drone wars, to interventions in Libya and Syria, to opening our borders to migrants from Central America and pushing for freedom for global finance and manufacturing - it was only natural that McCain would be outdone by candidates from the left, so it's not unusual that he was criticized in 2008.
But at the end of the day, he was a creature of justice, higher morals, and compassion - just like anyone else who embraces the philosophy of invade the world, invite the world. Because America is about more than just Americans. It belongs to the world. And it is Americans' duty to intervene overseas, and to let others come here if they want to!
6
Not a word about McCain's true legacy: introducing the world to Sarah Palin. No matter what else you can say about McCain, this was truly unforgivable.
9
I see no reason for this article. The man is dead. He wasn't perfect. He never suggested that he was and even both presidents who spoke at his service admitted that they disagreed often on policy. If the Times were going to print a piece tearing down a supposed legend, or questioning a status, do so when a man is alive and able to defend himself. This is just rude, whether truth or not. I thought the Times had more class than this.
15
McCain's biography mirrors Donald Trump's:
- Born on third base. McCain leveraged his father's and grandfather's admiralty to be given an aviator slot for which he was ill-qualified and ill-tempered.
- Adulterer. McCain met his second wife in Hawaii and proposed to her while still married to his first. Shades of Trump and Marla Maples.
- Corrupt. A contemporaneous column from Arizona's largest newspaper described McCain as "the most reprehensible of the Keating Five". Of course "Teflon John" escaped that scandal thanks to rehabilitative media coverage.
- Warmonger. Like Trump, McCain never saw a Pentagon budget that was too big for his liking.
13
Political? So, do we honor those who serve in government based on their political skills?
Or patriotism? McCain was a patriot. That is the whole story, not just the back-story-that electrified us at his funeral. God, please give us patriots. Not politicians.
3
The right side of the aisle is filled with politicians who espouse ideas they don't believe, because they'd rather be reelected than honest. Aside from his personal biography, or whether he was always right or even consistent, God bless John McCain for having the guts to stand for something just because he believed in it, and to denounce this naked emperor.
4
Having read many of Buskirk's convoluted, tortured expositions, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride here. I read this one quickly and I think his main point is that McCain didn't always toe the line when it came Republican dogma and the will of his constituents. What Buskirk doesn't mention or is simply not aware of is that some -a very few these days- GOP representatives actually put the founding principles and spirit of our democracy above party principles. Certainly John McCain relished the attention his "maverickness" brought -all politicians have monstrous egos - but on many occasions he was simply doing the right thing. Apparently Buskirk, heavy duty GOP theorist and intellectual, has a problem with this. I just don't know if I have the stomach to make it through another one of his dizzying columns. And I might add that anything called "American Greatness" is bound to be predictably weird.
7
Too soon. Should have been written when he was alive and could defend himself... or sometime far in the future.
Any senator, war hero or not, deserves better than fresh grave dances.
9
Even a biography, as relayed to us by CNN,NBC, Fox, is not a full biography. A irresponsible, crazy, and wild guy, right up to the avoidable shoot-down.
Worthy reading: http://www.pythiapress.com/wartales/McCain-Shootdown.htm
What's your point Buskirk? What do you want to happen writing this op-ed?
Whatever the motivation, here is the kind of people gathering around you:
"He flew into a valley where he should not have been, got shot down, and then as a prisoner did anti-American broadcasts for the North Vietnamese. This makes him a hero in contrast to those who really did a good job?"
Is that okay?
3
No mention of Sarah Palin? Every article about the man's political career should address this massive political and American failure. I lay the current administration's deviancy at McCain's feet. His selection of her signaled that serious minds, wisdom, and compassion had been pushed aside by flashy celebrity in the GOP. He doomed American for the foreseeable future when he plucked her from the Alaskan outback and gave her a forum for her nonsense, and turned political journalism into reality TV.
44
Classic ultra-right piece devoid of substance, happy to point fingers of blame elsewhere, and flat out wrong in its assessment. Sure, Buskirk's buddies on the far right fringe agree with him, but this is another point of view that narrows the scope of what CAN be accomplished if only reasonable people engage each other. Buskirk is the LAST guy I would go to in order to find out "what the DC establishment needs to learn." One learned lesson, stop reading this guy.
6
He was a human being. Allow him to be that.
33
For an article whose premise seems to be that McCain was a closet Democrat running as a Republican on the strength of his biography, this piece is suspiciously short on hard evidence.
The main examples - his positions against the wall and his thumbs-down on Obamacare repeal - both come from his final 2 years as senator, and one at least is a questionable litmus tests for Republican orthodoxy. GOP leaders are pretty clear (if less outspoken) in their lack of enthusiasm for Trump's border boondoggle and their complete unwillingness to fund it. Furthermore, while Republicans still don't like "Obamacare," half of Republicans (and 64% of independents) *also* think a candidate's position on preexisting conditions is one of the most important to securing their vote. McCain stood up for that - the rest of the GOP is still trying to cut it both ways.
With the notable exception of the Obamacare partial-repeal vote, McCain rarely actually stood up to his party on anything meaningful, particularly in the hyper-partisan environment of recent years. This column certainly doesn't offer any compelling evidence to disprove that. It also leaves out compelling evidence supporting it - Sarah Palin's complete invisibility here is pretty striking, not to mention McCain's positions on taxation and gun control (or free trade and militarism, which used to be GOP orthodoxy).
20
For 20 years I admired the independence of John McCain. While I did not always agree with his political decisions, I felt he was not simply following the party line. The author of this piece suggest that McCain just liked “sticking his thumb “into the eye of the Republican Party . The vote that most quickly comes to mind is his vote in support of ACA and against the Republicans attempts to remove it. I personally am not convinced that he did this just to taunt his fellow Republicans. I think he did it because he knew there was nothing to replace it and it would leave millions of Americans without affordable health care. To me that is what is statesman is - one who considers the best interests of the entire state or in this case the nation. I think that is what drove John McCain instead of blind devotion to a party line. I had been a lifelong Republican until the age of Trump. What I see now is fear, unwarranted loyalty, and opportunism based on a cult of personality. My loyalty to the Republican Party is no more primarily because it seems to have lost its direction. John McCain embodied a sense of independence and thoughtfulness that I see lacking in today’s Republican Party.
9
John McCain has received more coverage in the NYT than anyone in modern history. The reason for this is not clear, since at best he was a rather minor figure in the events of his day. In any case, I would hope that at some point before much longer we could move on. May he rest in peace.
7
The elephant in the room is Sarah Palin, the gift of populism that keeps on giving. John McCain gave the GOP the beast whose back it has been riding since that day. Judging from the invitation list to his memorial, he rued his choice and understood the consequences of that selection. The author makes no reference to the Republican party's "conservatism" going from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde.
17
I am no great idolizer of Senator McCain but I take exception with this article on two points.
To say he was a POW is to miss the point. There were many POW's. There were fewer that suffered physically more than the Senator and fewer still that under those conditions would refuse to be sent home because it would be a PR coup for the enemy. He was the bravest of the brave.
Which leads to the second point, that biography, which will not reveal legislative skill, will demonstrate character.
Despite all my many political disagreements with him I knew for a certainty that McCain would always act on what he believed would be best for the country, as opposed to what would be best for him. The fact that I disagreed with his vision of what was best for the country about 98% of the time is the reason I voted against him. But the reason Obama gave a eulogy for him was based on the integrity of his vision, foreshadowed by the facts of his service.
For me the two most memorable acts of his political life were the time he famously defended Obama at one of his political rallies in 2008, and his vote to save Obamacare. In both cases he demonstrated the kind of personal integrity that is missing from the spineless, gutless heard of so called Republicans
27
@Herb Sevush
As a member of the Air War College class of 1974, our class was vastly enriched by about 30 recently released POWs from Vietnam.
ALL POWs were heroic.
1
I'm a Democrat. I always thought that Mr. McCain should have chosen to be a Democrat but like many other Republicans he was simply defined himself by Republican declared to be their values which it turns out for all to see that Republicans have no values or ethic worthy of respect. So I leave you with some John McCain quotes which show he share the Values and Ethics of Democrats.
“ The First role of government is to help people who are in crisis or need. That’s why we have government.”
“America didn’t invent human rights. Those rights are common to all people: nations, cultures, and religions cannot choose to simply opt out of them.”
“Depriving the oppressed of a beacon of hope could lose us the world we have built and thrived in.”
“I think that Fox News is a bit schizophrenic.”
“Thank God for our form of government. The media won’t let there be any cover-up.”
“We need a free press. We must have it.”
Being an American living in another country I choose to end with my personal current favorite:
“I’m sick and tired of only being asked about everything that Donald Trump says or does.”
35
finally an honest assessment of John Mc Cain.
I know that when a public figure dies,we tend
to engage in frenzies of praise and adulation,
but he voted with Trump almost 90 percent
of the time and in his personal life could be
an impulsive ,aggressive and nasty man.yes,
he was a war hero,but our jails,unfortunately,
are filled with ex military men who could not
control their violent impulses. let us praise
good men,but let us not deify them.
9
Questions:
1. "Throughout Mr. Lieberman's long political career, he was the Democrat most beloved by Republicans. The reason is simple: They often agreed, especially when it came to sticking a thumb in the eye of Democrats and undermining liberal priorities." Would Buskirk publish this or anything like it? If not, why not?
2. "In fact, Donald Trump's career is an example of the danger of electing — and re-electing — politicians based on their personal story rather than on demonstrated political accomplishments." Would Buskirk publish this or anything like it? If not, why not?
17
"In fact, John McCain’s career is an example of the danger of electing — and re-electing — politicians based on their personal story rather than on demonstrated political accomplishments." I can think of many other examples to make this point than John McCain and need I cite the most glaring on?
10
With only a few name and biographical changes, this article's "nugget" --that John McCain actually accomplished little in the way of important, meaningful legislation for Republicans-- is an accurate appraisal of the Senators representing Texas, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. TweedleDum And Tweedledee.
Sometimes, Mr. Buskirk, doing what's right for the country and the voters is more important than toeing the party line and memorizing talking points.
Sour grapes, anyone?
4
Quote from "former Senator Bob Smith... Republican: “His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger."
Why I voted for Obama.
5
Most of your commentary is plebeian. I could not resist the Annapolis-like reference. How must better off we'd be if the Senate was comprised of 99 others just like McCain. We live in a Republic. The nations itself is predicated upon compromise. Perhaps the fact that the "military" ensured that reality is also lost on you. Politics is the least bloody way to decide who gets what. Finally, I'd like to remind you that you make peace with your enemies, rather than your friends. Senator John McCain is a great example that every life has successes and failures. He made the most of each of those. To the benefit of us all.
9
Selecting Sarah Palin as him running mate in 2008 (not mentioned in this article) puts the biggest dent in McCain's legacy. You can draw a direct line from Palin to Trump.
12
McCain didn't let ideologues like you tell him what to think. He didn't toe the party line. He was independent. That seems to be your definition of political failure. It's my definition of courage.
19
McCain walked into the G W Bush White House to protest the torture of Islamic prisoners. He walked out declaring that the US does not torture prisoners. That was the end of my respect for McCain's maverick label. He threw bombs, sure, but he backed down time and time again.
4
John McCain verifiably wanted to undo Obamacare but justifiably did not vote to replace it with an ill-conceived, slapped on the wall concoction of healthcare.
The public is still waiting for the "beautiful" plan that was promised but like most of the President's superlatives it's a cardboard carnival pitch.
14
A badly-needed article about Senator McCain to provide some balance. I agree with the writer completely. McCain was a war hero, who sacrificed a lot for the country. For that, we should salute him! And we do. However, he has, in many cases, been harmful to our country.
There was no war he did not like! Remember him singing "Bomb bomb bomb Iran" imitating a popular song of the 60's (or was it 70s)? While he held military contractors to task for misuse of public funds, he was instrumental to our bloated military budget. He is also responsible for our unbridled military-industrial complex, which always needs an enemy to prosper, and McCain was willing to provide one, starting from Iraq, Libya, Syria and ending up with Russia. His unmitigated hatred of Russia is partly responsible for the renewed Cold War, which does no one on the planet any good. He, single-handedly, demolished Trump's ideas about trying to get along with Russia, instead of making it our eternal enemy. And of course, he used his war hero status unashamedly to win his current acclaimed status.
It is important to keep a balance in our Nation's affairs and not get too carried away. This article serves us well by reminding us about Senator McCain's shortcomings also, which have harmed the Nation quite a bit.
2
Mr. Buskirk’s critique of Sen. McCain’s public policy positions is also a comment on how public perception demands caricatures. Popular culture doesn’t like nuance. If you’re not going to be a hero or a villain, you need to be a weirdo, or, say, a maverick. Sen. McCain could slip from one of those roles to another, but even he was only allowed one of those roles at any one time.
1
You have argued against your own thesis. McCain put country before party. That is precisely what made him a great statesman. I often disagreed with the man, but I always respected him.
47
While I suspect that my politics are the opposite of Mr. Buskirk's, I must agree with his appraisal of John McCain: remarkable in terms of his wartime bravery and no doubt an exemplary person in many ways, but legislatively not all that much.
The near-perfect image invoked in recent weeks is mostly owing to Donald Trump, whose nastiness to McCain did more than anything to transform him from a losing presidential candidate to a revered statesman. Every tribute to McCain, especially by fellow Republicans, has been a rebuke of Trump. In the end McCain brought out Trump's worst instincts, while Trump brought out McCain's best. Let that stand as Senator and citizen McCain's final service to his country.
53
I think your article actually makes the point that McCain was a better man for having reached across the aisle. We need more, not less of that and I resent that you act as if Democrats are somehow "less" than Republicans. "Rock ribbed?" I've had enough of that. I want healthcare, I want a healthy planet for my grandchilden to inherit and I want a Congress that actually does something. McCain is a loss to your party whether you know it or not.
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I lived most of my life in Arizona and saw John McCain's career in much the same light that Mr Buskirk did. When he campaigned, his foremost message was himself and his heroism. There was little if any actual public policy when it came to issues or aspirations. It was, from start to finish, Mr McCain's individual greatness. When he ran for president in 1999-2000, he burnished that reputation as a "straight talker" who put Country First. McCain's roguish personality fit neatly into his mythology, a kind of bad boy/great senator amalgam. The national media loved him in a way they seldom loved anyone.
McCain's greatest moment of national service may, ironically, be in his death and the way his curated legend was used to counter the toxin of Trumpism currently threatening America. McCain's heroism was real but he had trouble finding political traction for his contrarianism. At the same time, our nation desperately needs an antidote to the tribal divisions unleashed by Trump. If the memory of McCain, no matter how tweaked and inflated, can serve that cause, then the late senator will finally have achieved something greater than his own hagiography.
23
So the publisher of a right-wing journal criticizes John McCain for not being right-wing enough, out of step with Arizona ultra-conservatives.
Why not criticize John McCain's political record for being out of step with the needs of 21st-century America, for not fighting hard enough for immigration reform and campaign-finance limits, for being too right-wing?
How can you criticize John McCain and never say "Sarah Palin," the gateway drug to Donald J. Trump?
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@David in Toledo.....right, no mention of picking Palin in this op ed. Steve Schmidt his campaign manager has said he regrets that choice. And Schmidt has left the Republican party.
And how do we define Obamacare "reform?"
Improve it to reach 20th century standards of health care rights in dozens of countries?
Or destroy it to block millions of citizens' access to health care, while millions in profits pile up for insurance/pharma and the politicians they subsidize?
I agree with your general theme, indeed. I would like to highlight, however, 2 unrelated ideas:
**"he patched together 53.7 percent of the vote (down from 58.7 percent in 2010) by winning 16 percent of Democrats and 50 percent of independents" -- wouldn't it be nice if we had this more often? Less polarization would mean people were willing to compromise. We desperately need people to see each other's point of view. These days it's too much "us vs. them". I think it is normal for people to hold some conservative AND some liberal AND some independent views across a range of issues.
** People chuckle about his infamous temper. Maybe I'm just too midwestern, but to me having a temper is not a virtue. In my experience, it shuts down dialogue.
14
Our politics depend on celebrity. There is a persona created, image that is carefully built and nurtured. The real person is different and we don't know that person.
It was probably always so, but the tools of modern campaigns magnify the ability to create that image, that "brand." John McCain personifies that truth.
The news media loved him. He was interesting and made it easier for them to entertain audiences. Even when they responded to his campaigns with criticisms, they did not challenge the myth of the person.
Maybe McCain was a war hero. Or maybe he was a foolhardy young man trying to prove something to himself and his family.
Of course he pandered to the conservatism that has dominated Arizona politics. He wanted to win elections. He depended on his status in Congress to nurture his myth.
He was able to use his celebrity to advance whatever agenda appealed to him. Frequently that came down to military responses to difficult problems.
The Democrats need a John McCain who can bring charisma and a great "life story" to the task of ending the pull of the nation to the right. That's sad, but true.
6
I don’t agree with the analogy equating success to signature legislation any more than I equate a professor’s teaching prowess to being published. What I see in this article is a legislator’s selfless service to his constituents, who confidently re-elected him.
6
Mr.Buskirk could take a note from Mr. Roosevelt. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
62
Nice quote from tr. also used in resigning by Nixon
McCain also turned tail on his early leadership on climate change when it became more politically costly. He went from a leading role promoting a legislative solution to dismissing the issue completely.
31
Yes of course, McCain triangulated for votes and played both sides against the middle. However, one of his most courageous stands was his admission that global warming exists and is human caused - something that should be universally evident to all adults who are sentient and can reason. But he also gave us "Drill baby, drill!" Sarah, turning the second iteration of his "Straight Talk Express" campaign into a national joke. In summary, whenever he catered to conservatives, he made a fool of himself. If he had just gone all knave as this author suggests, he might have won - like Donald Trump.
18
Just as much a curiosity is his reputation as a war hero. A lot of people flew planes and, more dangerously, helicopters, in Vietnam. Are they all heroes? He flew into a valley where he should not have been, got shot down, and then as a prisoner did anti-American broadcasts for the North Vietnamese. This makes him a hero in contrast to those who really did a good job?
4
@Jerry Hough yours is an awfully selective view of Sen. McCain's time in captivity. It leaves one to wonder if you're blithely ignorant of the larger story, or cherrypicking for rhetorical reasons. Neither is particularly qualifying, though it's certainly a Foxian approach.
2
To us, this plaint about McCain somehow "not being GOP'er enough" doesn't diminish him :)
23
McCain crossed the aisle and worked with Democrats to create legislation that transcended partisan politics. The rest of the senate could learn from that, Mr. Buskirk's partisan complaints notwithstanding.
59
The important point from this is that NO elected official is perfect. All of them will make "mistakes" in the eyes of someone. That's why we have to stop voting for heroes and start electing people. When we accept that they won't be perfect, we're that much closer to being mature about government.
33
@Jenna Nicely put and I couldn't agree with you more that "we have to stop voting for heroes and start electing people". If we were to follow your advice we might start judging our elected officials for how effective or ineffective they are overall as our representatives and less susceptible to the "gotcha" politics that reveals they have flaws just like the rest of us.
4
The damage McCain did to our world by voting the GOP agenda time and time again is not lost on many of us. He was more often than not a team player, not a maverick.
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