…or perhaps it could be called the McCain mantra. Just ask him what the difference is between Sunni and Shiite, and watch the blank stare and mental scrambling begin.
When I sat down to write my book on McCain, I spoke with many figures who one could fairly say know a bit about this arena. This list included three-decade Hill Staffer Winslow Wheeler (worked for Sens Pete Domenici and Nancy Kassebaum, among others), who fought for years to reform military spending, and Iraq War vet and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paul Rieckhoff.
Both are political independents, and Wheeler was a longtime Republican (forced out of his job by McCain, when he opposed him). Yet, what they had to say about McCain in my book, The Real McCain, should tell you all you need to know about the danger a McCain presidency presents.
Rieckhoff when talking about McCain’s Iraq policy, had this to say:
It’s half-assed, it’s not going to work, he’s being inconsistent in supporting it, and yet still seems to support it for political reasons.
Ouch. So not so much “straight-talk” from McCain on Iraq. We knew that. But hearing a nonpartisan military expert, and one who fights for veterans every day say this, well you can guess how truly bad Mr. McCain must be.
Wheeler’s quote was even more foreboding:
It’s frightening to think of a man with his temperament with all the things a president has at his fingertips–the IRS, CIA, FBI…
Wheeler is no conspiracy theorist. He now resides at the Center for Defense Information. Not exactly a countercultural outfit. As George H.W. Bush would say, message: Be afraid, be very afraid…
NOTE: Just a short pitch to pick up a copy of The Real McCain. Only $10! You’ll make the birds sing, me smile and you’ll help push the message out into the media about McCain, so people get to know The Real McCain. Already the response from progressives has been overwhelming, and has led to coverage at US News & World Report, Fox (who asked McCain questions directly from my book), Vanity Fair and Glamour, to name a few. But let’s keep the momentum going, so when we finally choose a nominee, the battle will be already joined…
Filed Under: Republican Hypocrisy, Republican Party
Tags: Cliff Schecter, Foreign Policy, Iraq, John McCain, Paul Rieckhoff, The Real McCain, Winslow Wheeler
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I think that McCain is all set. Since he now champions the neocon cause, I’m sure that the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) would be glad to lend assistance with the pesky details.
Cliff, you’re a friggin’ rock star, we need you on the tube WAY more often, and I’m going to order this book.
Thanks!
Once again, the “liberal” media gives the neocon a pass. If this had been a Democrat, they’d have this on TV 24/7.
Love the picture on the cover!
Crazy fucking train McCain!
Gotta luv this turd……
Fuck McCain. He surrendered to the VC. He’ll surrender again.
Interesting how the people protesting the treatment of Tibetians by Communist China are being beaten by the police of ‘free’ democracies. I guess the Capitalist want to show we can be more brutal.
If this guy gets elected, than we are truly a nation of dumb-asses. It’s bad enough how Bush screwed us over, another four years of this crap. Then we will not only the laughing stock of the world, but doomed to be peasants.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Al Qaeda Sues McCain for Defamation of Character
McCain is so obviously going for political expediencey to become President even Republicans can see it and oppose him. I hope they continue to do so on election day. This country needs a lot fewer shallow thinking Presidents.
They like ‘em easily controllable.
Trying to sell your book Cliff? Nothing wrong about that, but using C&L seems
a bit off base since almost all who post here agree w/your conclusions. You should
be out publizing it w/neocons and right wingers…like going on Faux Noise, IF they
would allow you to appear.
Americans knew Bush was stupid, they knew he only got into Yale because of his father, they knew he was a drunk, a snorter of cocaine, a dropout in the National Guard and loser in business, yet they voted for him. And they’ll vote for another dummy in McCain, because all they care about is the Reich.We as Americans never learn from history; All we ever learn is that we never learn. The rest of the world has given up on America. Bush has ensured that the disrespect is deserved.
Doggiebobo @ 11:
Plug it everywhere. :)
watch obama’s grilling of petraeus and crocker again:
part one
part two
obama didn’t give the msm any soundbites, but watch him cut to the chase with these guys.
mystic @ 12:
You would be downright flabberghasted at how ignorant your average American can be. And i am sure you are well aware…
Never mind.
Based on his own words and things you’ve noted I could add to your song…
Don’t know much about history, don’t know much about the economy, but I do know how to cuss my wife, I know how to never treat her nice…
well president mccain hows it feel winning by only 500 votes, we,ll its great !dontcha just love them diebolds?
McLame is unelectable. America is sick to death of rethug policies, lies for an evil invasion of another nation, a very painful recession possibly depression. After Bush the rethugs will go into retreat for at least two generations. The weak candidate they chose this cycle after a joke of a primary season is guaranteed to be a big loser, like Bob Dole and fade into political junkie history.
mcAsshat has one important ally - DIEBOLD!
This must be an objective look at McCain - an “analysis” conducted by a Democrat. Most of the people that participate on this website would reject an analysis of Hillary Clinton that was conducted by Mary Matalin.
Do you really expect anyone on the Republican side to take this seriously? Or does this serve as a means with which Democrats can continue to give themselves self-congratulatory pats on the back?
Doggiebobo @ 11:
Cliff will be on Fox next week, as a matter of fact. We need to catapult him there from here. That’s what this is all about!
He adds: so buy 10 copies of the book now and give them to your WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS gop/hardworking friends who need to at least get purple enough to vote Dem this fall.
Rock on sir.
X @ 20:
Mary Matalin is a secret squid and you, buttnut, should get bent.
Gotta love the liberal dumbass who reviewed the book before it has even come out……..
X @ 20:
Not really sure if there are many Republicans left to take anything seriously. The few that remain must be a bit too humiliated with the abject failure of every single one of their policies to make too much noise.
Objective analysis can be accomplished from an opposing viewpoint. If Mary Matalin were to back up her analysis with accurate quotes and records of votes, it would seem irrelevant that she was a political opposite of her subject. Unfortunately, the right seems unable to even attempt such analyses - one of the results of their failed world view. Reality does have a liberal bias, and seven years of conservative dominance of all branches of government has proven it.
We’ll save our pats on the back for when the Republicans officially go the way of the Whigs.
Thanks for the post, Cliff. Keep up the good work.
chris @ 25:
Golly, you’re right! How would the author know what the book was about?
How did you describe that large-mouth fish?
I posted this on an earlier McSame thread:
The Democrats, if they’re smart (and that’s a HUGE if), will use that devastating photo of a beaten, pitiful, sycophantic, emasculated and obsequious McCain hugging a triumphantly contemptuous Shrub, who’d just as soon kill McCain as embrace him. To think that Johnny Boy would have anything to do with Bunnypants after he dragged him through the mud in 2000 is simply incredible.
It’s a classic tableau. Disgusting, creepy, unsettling — and classic.
Oh, and Chris: I thought I told you to either shut up or go away. You’re tiresome, childish, illogical, myopic, borderline illiterate — and 100 percent wrong 100 percent of the time. You’re totally out of your depth here, a website that consistently reinforces the truism that facts have a liberal/progressive bias. Please: Go back to FreeRepublic or wherever it is you receive your reich-wing prejudices and misconceptions about the world.
Why does Crooks and Liars allow illiterate trolls like “chris”? It is time to ban him for good. Please do.
Allowing trolls like chris to post here simply shows that liberal sites like this are inherently more open-minded than typical right wing sites that only want to hear echos of themselves online.
Free speech is totally anathema to right wingers, unless of course it means pushing the Christianist agenda in public schools.
Don Davis @ 8:
Al Qaeda should sue McCain for defamation: Continually confusing al Qaeda with Shiites. The nerve! Doesn’t McCain realize al Qaeda wants to bomb Iran too?
chris @ 25:
Chrissy,
Cliff Schecter isn’t reviewing his own book, he’s promoting it. LOL.
chris @ 25:
chris…girlfriend…copies of books are sent to reviewers before they come out ALL THE TIME. I’ll spare you the “This is the author doing a PROMO OF HIS OWN BOOK” spiel, since some one already did that, but I’ll leave you with this one thought-hope it’s not too much for you:
C&L is a respectable blog and we don’t need that here, now if you can’t contribute to the conversation intellectually then move on…
Been saving that one for a rainy day Ms. Kitty? :-D
Got an umbrella handy, Chris?
fiver @ 34:
No he said that to me, and I won’t let him forget it. I’m pulling it out at every chance. I think when someone continually acts like a pissant and hypocrite, they should be reminded until they stop
:P
As a counter to “Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Iran”, your “Don’t Know Much…” is brilliant!
Snerd
Bowman: “… Oh, and Chris: I thought I told you to either shut up or go away. You’re tiresome, childish, illogical, myopic, borderline illiterate… ”
SG: ‘Borderline illiterate’ … I guess they haven’t finished the fence yet!
Snerd
Chris: “Gotta love the liberal dumbass who reviewed the book before it has even come out……..”
SG: Why … who (R)eads, Ch(R)is!?
Anywayz, for you clearly ‘pre-release’ is synonymous with ‘pre-mature ejaculation’ … quite a hand-full, as it were!
Snerd
Can somebody name the song where it goes something like: “I don´t know much about geography, I don´t know much about hmm,hm,mhmh….” (cant remeber) “..but what I do know, is that I love you, and I do know that you love me to, what a wonderful world this could be” ( I think).
I think it a fiftees or sixtees song.
I think there is good spoof here to point out McCains ignorance. Change geography for foreignpolicy or economics and change the object of the affection for war - instant hit :)
Finland is no for nato,
Sam Cooke, Wonderful World (Don’t Know Much)
Geo @ 18:
never underestimate the stupidity of the american people and the power of rigged electronic voteing machines , its not who votes its who owns the counting!
“bomb, bomb Iran” was enough for me. McCain, like Bush is does not deserve the privilege of holding the highest office in the land.
Americans can’t afford another senile and ignorant asshole in the White House.
Limp-Dick Blimpaugh @ 43:
this guy and his campaign are so dumb they can’t even spell his name right on the ads.
Go on MSNBC.com, click on Verdict with Dan Abrams.
You’ll find a video of the McCain ad on the video called Hillary: Nice or Steel-spine?, in the video is the ad, and his name is spelled Johm McCain. Even more hilarious is that 4 words to the right, his name is spelled right.
How hard is it to proofread? They can’t outsource that job to India?
McCain is suppose to be the foreign policy/war in Iraq expert but consistently gets the Shia and the Sunni sects mixed up. From the outside it looks like he lumps them all into the same bag. He also knows nothing of the economy.
Yesterday I saw Joe Biden being interview on, oh I can’t remember, Hardball or CNN, and Biden was making an argument about what is happening in Iraq in relation to what McCain is saying. Biden was rattling off all these different groups, the Shia, the Sunnis, the bandits, and the different insurgent groups or whatever and the Iranians and the Kurds and other players. He didn’t have Lieberman whispering in his ear or anything. He spoke as if he was talking about his children, he was so familiar with the groups and the situation. He didn’t stop to think or hesitate of correct himself once. McCain can’t even get the two main players correct. Just because McCain goes shopping once in a while in Baghdad and tours ruins in Israel with his buddies Lieberman and Graham does not make him and expert. The Democrats know much more about what is going on than McCain. And Biden can talk a long time about the economy without stumbling and make sense and have a clue. Our throw away candidate is 10 times more aware than the best Republican that they can offer. McCain needs to be called out on his ignorance as often as it can be typed on the keyboard.
Just a little note about cris. You would think that after all this time coming here with his misinformation that he would learn the truth. It seems he is really representative of the 20% of this country who think Bush knows what he is doing. Some people are just incapable of learning.
fiver @ 40:
Thank you.
McCain’s Wonderful World
Don’t know much of foreign policy.
Nor much about the econometry.
Don’t know much of what the good book says.
Don’t know what to do when I be prez.
But I do know one and one is two.
And if this one gets a vote from you.
What a wonderful world this could be.
The Arrogance Of Politico USA!
What seperates USA head of country elections from Canada you might ask (but surely can learn from)
Think about this. To become a POPE you go from parish priest to Monsignior to Bishop, to Cardinal to Pope. To become Chief of surgery in a hospital or Surgeon General, you spend many years as a doctor, surgeon and are promoted through the process.
To become a Coach or Manager of a sports team, usually calls for years of wxperience as a player or coaching in minor leagues.
Aparently, to become probably the second most significant and most powerful person in the world all you need is 3-4 years of being ….a junior Senator?
How can the rest of the world trust the judgement that is required in World Politics (if your background is OIL) diplomacy (when you haven’t been to all the continents in the world) or have any background in various cultures and traditions that have been around 5-10 times longer than the 232 years the USA has?
I find this absolute arrogance that is the main reason, America just isn’t taken as seriously or confidently (security wise) as in the past.
It befuddles me that you have 3-4-5 term Senators in government that have not gone on to the ultimate leadership position with all this experience they have amassed.
To me, they have just been along for the ride…without any major personal goals.
Yes folks, there is something wrong with these 3 people running and on the basis I have just reasoned, Mrs. Clinton is the closest to anyone who can be taken seriously. Obam? Great guy and everyone has ben with him since 2004 but he’s at least 4 years away and the Democratic party should be grooming him with tons of political assignments to other countries.