Wednesday,
May 25 2005
JOHN "MECAIN" & THE GANG OF 14: First let
me say I'm not nearly as apoplectic over the Senate compromise
as some.
The conflict over judicial nominations is not going away, and
I'm inclined to view what happened Monday night as round seven
or eight in a heavyweight bout that is scheduled to go fifteen.
To extend the metaphor, I'd say the GOP went into the round hoping
to land a knockout, but thanks to John McCain and the Gang of
14 they ended up losing it on points. But there are still a few
rounds left in the fight, and the GOP remains in the stronger
position.
Still, I
want to retch over the press' fawning coverage of the compromise,
and of John McCain's leading role in particular (Exhibit A is
David
Broder worshipping at the altar of McCain in this morning's
Washington Post). All of this "we saved the republic"
stuff is too much to take.
I don't question McCain's motives or his belief
that he was doing what he thought was right. What bothers me is
the combination of high-handed arrogance, naked ambition and all-consuming
egocentricity with which he comports himself. You'll find these
qualities in most Senators, it's true, but it's hard to think
of anyone in which they're more pronounced.
Here's another small yet telling example: yesterday
McCain
introduced legislation that would require stricter steroid
testing in professional sports by saying:
"Despite my clear warning and the significant
attention that I and others in Congress have given to this stain
on professional sports, baseball and other professional leagues
have refused to do the right thing."
God forbid
someone should dare ignore John McCain's warning. There is a sense
of imperiousness in McCain's language here - as well as on the
judicial compromise and other issues- that is tremendously off-putting.
It seems
clear, as Hugh
Hewitt notes this morning in a quote taken from this week's
New Yorker magazine, that McCain has once again fallen
prey to the narcissistic no-no of reading one's own press clippings.
One last
observation. The compromise we witnessed on Monday is a good example
of why Senators don't get elected President. Inevitably they are
put in tough spots that bring into conflict personal views, party
loyalty, electoral ambitions and the obligation to represent their
constituents. The compromise damaged the presidential hopes of
Frist and McCain. George Allen is the only potential candidate
who seemed to have escape unscathed (if not strengthened) by the
ordeal so far. - T. Bevan 10:35pm Link
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