For love of country?
“I didn”t decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president. . . . In truth, I”d had the ambition for a long time.” – Senator John McCain
Most people act as if they are shocked by the several inconsistencies, distortions, lies and unethical bias that has devoured the campaign of John McCain in recent weeks. But a closer look at the way he has managed this run for the presidency reveals that the quote above still holds true today. This is a man that is driven not by love of country, but by deep egotistical drive to attain the position of “President” at all cost, even if it means the loss of personal integrity which has been the carefully crafted cloak that the senator covered himself with the past few years.
The quote above, more than anything else, explains why senator McCain chose Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential candidate; it explains in very startk terms why he, despite all evidence to the contrary, continues to peddle rumors and lies about anyone who challenges his assertions about political opponents; it tells us clearly why, after almost two decades of fighting regulation, he is suddenly the champion of regulation; it demonstrates in vivid pictures how far he would go to get elected to the White House. Normally, this trait would be something we applaud in an individual. We would call them gutsy, go-getters, never-quitters etc. But this is not an ordinary situation. This is about ascending the most powerful position in the world, like it or not.
Can Americans really trust senator McCain not to put his blind ambitions before the interest of the country? Can we really believe that for a 72-year old, he is not going to be adanger to the country in and by itself? We already know about the “I forgot spain is in Europe” episode. e know about the occassional temper. The tendency to make decisions that have national implications without consultation is well documented. By his own admission, this is not an act of patriotism. It is not about political reforms. It is not about national security, women, the middle class, cleaning up wall street, getting rid of pork-barrel spending etc. It is about the ambition of John McCain to be president of the United States of America. Everything else, personal integrity and truth included, be damned.