Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), once a voice of optimism for repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, reportedly called Saturday “a very sad day” before the Senate voted to lift the military ban…. “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage,” said the four-term incumbent before the vote, according to ABC News. “Today is a very sad day.”
Time was when I could find at least a modicum of respect for John McCain. Sure, I may have always abhorred his politics, but he seemed genuinely willing to do the right thing, at least insofar as he understood what the right thing was. Then, somewhere along the way, ambition blackened his soul, and a politician who could have legitimately been described as a maverick became just another self-absorbed hater whose agenda became the advancement of his political career. Perhaps it was the 2008 Presidential campaign that finally removed the veil from McCain’s true nature. As the campaign progressed, it became clear that McCain would do or say ANYTHING, now matter how hypocritical or seemingly contradictory, that he thought might bring him closer to his ultimate goal of winning the Presidency.
In no instance has McCain’s true nature been more evident than during the struggle over Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. After stating in 2006 that he would support repealing DADT
the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, ‘Senator, we ought to change the policy,’ then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to.”
While that sounded good in 2006, it turns out that his statement was an easy one to make, because at that time, those who wanted to repeal DADT stood no realistic chance of being able to do so. It’s easy to take what seems like a reasonable, principled position on a controversial issue when you know you’re not going to be called to account for that stand. Once it became clear the the idea of repealing DADT was gaining momentum, McCain’s true nature emerged, and he began to move the goal posts, making it clear that his unambiguous and principled stand in 2006 was merely a smoke screen. In the end, John McCain revealed him to be a common, garden variety liar, bigot, and hater. The fact that he became an embarrassment to himself and his legacy hardly seemed to matter to him.
Speaking for myself and myself alone, I can only hope that there’s a special place in Hell waiting for McCain. The wages of hatred and bigotry should be substantial, painful, and enduring. The careers of 13,500 brave, dedicated Americans were sacrificed to John McCain’s hatred and bigotry. If that doesn’t tell you what a miserable excuse for a human being McCain is, nothing will.
Even so, things could be worse- John McCain could have the word “President” in front of his name. Ponder that terrifying prospect for a moment….
WE DESERVE BETTER.
