Saint John

Back during the 2000 primary season, I supported John McCain, and I think that, looking back, I (and countless others) were swept up in the "John McCain, Maverick" wave that was making its way through the mainstream media. However, since our foray into Iraq, I've been forced to reconsider my stance on the man (given his unshakable stance as a war hawk), even though the portrait painted of him by the press remains unchanged. McCain continues to get the same kind of fawning treatment from the Wise Men of Washington that George W. Bush got through his first run at the White House. Nary a critical eye has been cast in the direction of the actual voting record that defines the man, the myth, the legend.

So, I was quite pleased today to see this op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by Matt Welch. Leaving aside McCain's completely transparent attempts to rally his former enemies to his charge to the White House, and the fact that he supported one of the most shameful pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress, Welch's article is an attempt to clearly lay out what we could expect of a McCain presidency, which would simply be a case of the new boss being the same as the old boss.