McCain: All Black and White and Dishonest in Las Cruces

I was offered press credentials for today's town hall meeting with McCain in Las Cruces but decided it wasn't worth the gas money to hear the gas bag insist, once again, that he's not who he really is. Awe shucks, McCain would like us to think he's just one of the people and moderate to boot. But let's face it, McCain is a pandering rich guy who's grown long in the tooth in the dark heart of Washington. He's surrounded by syncophants and lobbyists for corporations and foreign powers. He owns, what it is, six houses? He can't quite grasp that the surge hasn't "worked" because the stated goal of the surge has not been met -- political reconcilation in Iraq and its government.

The vast majority of McCain's positions are to the extreme right -- not in line with the mainstream of the nation. He voted in favor of Bush policies more than 90% of the time. And yet he has the nerve to claim he's an independent, a moderate, a maverick. If by maverick you mean a stubborn old bull that runs wild trampling truth, then he's a maverick. Get this quote by Johnny about Obama rightly accusing him of questioning his patriotism:

“Let me be very clear: I am not questioning his patriotism. I am questioning his judgment. Senator Obama has made it clear he values withdrawal from Iraq above victory in Iraq,” McCain said. “He has made these decisions not because he doesn’t love America but because he doesn’t think it matters whether America wins or loses.”

Earth to McCain: America has lost and there is no "victory" to be had. There is only getting out in a manner that mitigates further damage, as much as possible, to all involved. I know complexities and ambiguities like that don't jibe with the game-day rah rah mentality of black and white thinkers like McCain, but the days of America winning anything by invading and occupying Iraq for years -- at a cost of $2-3 BILLION a week -- is long past, if it ever existed.

This isn't a football game. The situation in the region isn't cut and dried or uni-dimensional, so the only reasonable way out seems beyond McCain's ability to comprehend. You either win or you lose in McCain's world. He sees foreign policy like a body-contact sport, where grunting willfulness can win the day. Except that this is at least a three dimensional chess game.

McCain likes brute force, not nuanced strategies and diplomacy. He doesn't get the big picture -- only the scrimmage in front of him. It's one of his biggest weaknesses. An ability to focus only on what's directly in from of you can be a big help to a person in a prison cell -- but it certainly isn't what we need in a leader at a time like this. This is an era when swirling complexities mean that fine lines and artful analysis may well make all the difference. Those aren't McCain's strong suits, in any way, shape or form. He reads his note cards. He mouths the buzz words. He blusters and winks. He panders and smirks. But he doesn't really know jack about what's going on in the world today, what it means or how to fix it.