A Serious Question Of Character

The Nation: Evidence Calls Into Question McCain's Ability To React Responsibly To Pressure

(The Nation)  This column was written by John Nichols.

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For many Americans, the measure of a candidate seeking the presidency comes down to questions of character.

Perhaps the most important of these is: How does he or she react under pressure?

It is certainly reasonable to surmise that, if a candidate cannot handle the rigors of the campaign, then he or she might have trouble tackling the responsibilities of the office.

It is this fair test that John McCain has, in recent days, been failing - badly.

There is no question that McCain has been hit hard by the success of Barack Obama's trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe.

After essentially demanding that Obama make the trip -- with the implicit suggestion that the presumptive Democratic nominee for president was not up to the challenges of the international stage -- the Republican candidate and his supporters then whined about the fact that the media was paying attention to Obama's travels.

As it turned out, McCain was right to worry that reporters, and by extension the American people, would be paying close attention to Obama's global tour.

The Democratic candidate went from strength to strength, He focused attention on the mess that the Bush administration has made of Afghanistan, advanced the discussion of how and when to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, met with both Israelis and Palestinians on a successful transit of the Middle East, earned not just respect but encouragement from world leaders, consulted knowledgeably with U.S. generals and enjoyed the cheers of troops who treated him as their next commander-in-chief.

Desperate to find something to complain about, McCain seized on the fact that Obama did not visit wounded U.S. troops at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The McCain camp has even gone so far as to suggest that the failure of the Democratic candidate to use wounded troops as the backdrop for a campaign-style visit to Germany "casts serious doubt on his judgment and calls into question his priorities."

So what does U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican who served in Vietnam, say about the latest spin from McCain, the man he actively supported for president in 2000 and who he continues to describe as "a very dear and close friend of mine"?

Hagel, who accompanied Obama on the visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, was asked on the CBS program "Face the Nation" about the German leg of the Democrat's globe trot.

"At that point, it was a political trip for Senator Obama," Hagel explained." "I think it would have been inappropriate for him (to visit the hospital) -- and certainly he would have been criticized by the McCain people and the press and, probably should have been -- if, on a political trip in Europe, paid for by political funds, not the taxpayers, to go essentially then and be accused of using our wounded men and women as props for his campaign."

Of course, Hagel is right.

McCain and his aides were so desperate to find something to complain about that they would have attacked Obama no matter what he did.

But the nature of this attack, and of the broader suggestion that Obama is somehow unconcerned about the United States and its troops, reveals the real McCain.

As Hagel says, "I think John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives, and when we start to get into 'You're less patriotic than me, I'm more patriotic.' John's better than that."

Unfortunately, there is mounting evidence that John is not better than that.

And it is this evidence that calls into question whether McCain, his distinguished past service notwithstanding, retains the character - specifically the ability to react responsibly to pressure -- that is required of a president.

[babooph]

If character had "ANY" part in a govt. job ,Bush could not be a garbage man-John is a good guy.

BRAVO!

[mbcsmith]

LOL...LOL again.

John Nichols is what''s wrong with American media today.

[ramos937]

Where it concerns McCain and Company, Obama is damed if he had visited the wounded troops or damed if he had not. My take is that it would have been much better had he visited and the visit filmed, whether the Pentagon liked it or not. Otherwise, it was a fabulous experience for Obama and the USA. For once, one of our national leaders (and soon to be President) was not cursed, riots and demonstations staged, disrespected, etc. Instead, Obama was welcomed by both the European people and the troops in Iraq and Afrans. In the USA, all McCain and the rest of the GOP could do was to whine and mope.

[mswolfestock]

McSame is just acting his age - old people get cranky and they complain long and loudly about everything just to get some attention. As long as McCorpse is complaining about something Obama did or did not do, nobody can ask him any questions that he won''t be able to answer. This proves how senile and out of touch he really is. Old people get mad and defensive (just like he does) when you question their capability to function properly.

This is really sad and pathetic.

[magnetrack]

This is a joke, right?

[yeahsure69]

better to know exactly what we are getting then to be conned by a character such as Obama.

Its to bad really that most of America is to stupid to see the smoke through the trees when it comes to Obama.

[noloyalisti]

Really, it is embarrassing for America that someone who is so much like the complete failure Bush (and who voted in lockstep over 90% of the time) can run for pResident.

McSame has lied in the past, is lying now and will continue to do so. He has flip-flopped on almost every issue. He has changed his stand in the same speech on numerous occasions. Why on earth would anyone vote for 4 more years of what we have now? Except numb nuts may make it worse!

[rconross]

Unfortunately, I would have to agree with most on this post, McCain has certainly mis-stepped in my mind on this issue (and more than a few others...). I just don''t see this man as our next President or that America will just sit there and allow another 4 more years of this kind of leadership. We so don''t need it. As long as McCain continues to make these types of gaffes showing his true colors, the easier it will be for Obama to do his job...!

[eroosevelt08]

Without Hillary Clinton on the ticket, I predict that Barack Obama will lose the election and that Hillary Clinton will win the Presidency in 2012

[platteman]

John mcCain has more charecter in his little finger than BO has in his whole body.

He was for vouchers for schools that are failing before he was against them. He was for gun control until the Supreme Court said the gun law in DC was unconstuntional, now he is against gun control.He is proud of his african heritage, that is his father gets a white woman preganet and then leaves her.

What a hoot. Empty suit, post turtle supreme.

[dashortround]

John McCain seriously violated the Military Code of Conduct by trading "military information" and making numerous public statements that appeared favorable to the communist war effort in exchange for "special treatment."

After being slapped around for "three or four days" by his captors who wanted military information from him, McCain called for an NVA officer on his fourth day of captivity. He told the officer, "O.K., I''ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital." (U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 1973 article written by former POW John McCain)

March 25, 1999, The Phoenix New Times: Ted Guy and Gordon "Swede" Larson, two former POWs, who were McCain''s senior ranking officers (SRO''s), at the time McCain says he was tortured in solitary confinement, told the New Times that while they could not guarantee that McCain was not physically harmed, they doubted it.

"Between the two of us, it''s our belief, and to the best of our knowledge, that no prisoner was beaten or harmed physically in that camp" Larson says. "My only contention with the McCain deal is that while he was at "The Plantation", to the best of my knowledge and Ted''s knowledge, he was not physically abused in any way. No one was in that camp. It was the camp that people were released from."

In 1993, during one of his many trips back to Hanoi, McCain asked the Vietnamese not to make public the records they hold pertaining to returned U.S. POWs.

Link: http://www.usvetdsp.com/mcianhro.htm

[jn122736]

better to know exactly what we are getting then to be conned by a character such as Obama.

Its to bad really that most of America is to stupid to see the smoke through the trees when it comes to Obama.
Posted by Yeahsure69 at 04:02 PM : Jul 29, 2008

Let me guess? You voted for Bush the last two elections? Why couldnt you see the "smoke through the trees" with him?


Posted by jocro12 at 04:47 PM : Jul 29, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


jocro12;

What I deduce from Yeahsure69/s comment is that he not only wants to continue with the disastrous Bush policies, he knows that that is exactly what would happen with A McCain presidency.

[noloyalisti]

McSame says on TV that he is there for the troops but he voted along with McBush against the GI Bill. What a liar.

McSame: The anti-torture candidate supports torture. The pro-immigration candidate opposes immigration. The candidate who opposes tax cuts for the rich supports them. The pro-campaign finance reform candidate has a campaign run almost exclusively by lobbyists.

The candidate who opposes "agents of intolerance" in the Republican Party embraces them. The candidate who claims to be a fiscal conservative wants to bust the budget.

McBush flip flops and lies even more than the real thing.

[ajmarine111]

This is a joke, right?


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Posted by magnetrack at 03:25 PM : Jul 29, 2008



No,....it''s "The Nation".

[wellhell3]

jocro12;

What I deduce from Yeahsure69/s comment is that he not only wants to continue with the disastrous Bush policies, he knows that that is exactly what would happen with A McCain presidency.


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Posted by jn122736 at 05:16 PM : Jul 29, 2008

Exactly what policies would those be?

Please name them and be specific?

And name EXACTLY what YOU have lost the last 7 years.

[wellhell3]

If you start screeching about the housing industry...it cycles every so often due to inflated prices...this is the downside market...it was inevitable.

If you start screeching about the sub-prime lending market...why did people buy houses they couldn''t afford and not check out such scams?

If you start screeching about the price of oil...why didn''t you screech when it started and promote drilling our own oil so we wouldln''t be buying it from the sheiks?

If you''re talking about the Iraq war...I don''t think you have a leg to stand on...our generals drew the terrorist bastwards into the open desert in Iraq and killed them, and got rid of Saddam Hussein at the same time...and as we speak are negotiating a presence in Iraq so the Islamo Mullah''s can''t take over the whole region and assist each other to get nukes. Now all we have to do is clean up job on the stragglers scampering back to Afghanistan.

C''mon, Jh...what have you lost, EXACTLY?

[wellhell3]

And if you start screeching about war profiteering it''s been done for thousands of years...that''s the breaks of going our and killing your enemies.

If you''re going to screech about insurance premiums...thank all the ones that are scamming insurance...and all the lobbyists and shareholders, and the people of this country for not demanding their representatives do something about it.

If you''re going to screech about social security, you should''ve screeched back when they made it part of the general budget and started borrowing from it...and even then with the number of retirees, it was going to be iffy anyway.

If you''re going to screech about taxes...the upper 5% already pay more than their share by paying higher taxes than you do. And if you think Obscamma is going to tax the hands that feed his campaign funds, you''re totally naive and gullible.

[manolete4]

We all know who John McCain is and what he stands for. On the other side we don''t know who Osama really is; he is so young and inexperienced that he really has no past existence. What we do know is that for 20 years he attended a church lead by his religious leader Jeremiah Wright, an individual that practices black supremacy religion and damns and hates America.

What we do now of Comrade Hussein is of his close associations with radical extremists and of his lack of respect for the flag of the United States of America.

Farrack Hussein Osama shows no real substance or standing on any issues as a way to hide his true character; but his past associations reveal who he truly is.......

[walt1944-2009]

The recently-fired "top" economic advisor to "Bagdad John McBush (SURRRRRRGE)" McCain, "Doctor Phil" Gramm, accused this nation as being made up of "whiners".

One wonders if he included his former boss in with that statement!

At any rate, "SURRRRRRGE" McCain has been doing just that, grabbing hold of anything that Obama has said or did on the trip, then bending, stapling, folding, and mutilating it into a bad-looking paper hat! It is obvious that "SURRRRRRGE" McCain has been hitting the Geritol and prune juice pretty hard lately and his recent discovery of the word "timetable" shows it!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!!
sig heil, ABSOLUTELY MORE OF THE SAME, ''SURRRRRGE" McCain!!!!!

[Syndicate]

I have no Questions about McCain''s character. I have been watching his career for over a decade now and he is a good guy. Obama on the other hand can''t seem to remember which position he is taking on which issue in front of which group. If I were the Democrat I would not go after McCain on Character, but as a Republican: Bring it on.

[TomMariner]

Absolute political hit job from the title to the content. So we all know by now that CBS News is going to follow in the grand tradition of Dan Rather and as a corporate decision slant the news toward their candidate, Senator Obama.

CBS has the right, as all of us do, to support our candidate. But anyone who wants any real news had better look or read elsewhere. The only folks who really ought to listen to them are the Obama supporters and even they know that the news is more like a cheer leading squad than seasoned reporters telling us what happened. "Hitem agaig, Hitem Again. Harder Harder." (Best accompanied by pleated skirts adn Pom Poms.)

[noloyalisti]

The disastrous Grand Oil Party policies are clear.

The disaster of illegal war and terror inflicted on the world by US. The suspending of habeus corpus (started in 1215) in the name of the war OF terror. Military commissions act so enemies can be locked up without charges. Giving our tax money to the already rich who DO NOT pay their fair share for profiting from the commons. Running up a monstrous debt which is just the same as raising taxes. Maybe worse because it costs more for out kids. Stacking the courts with activist judges defending failed conservative foreign and economic policies (look at the bankruptcy act and telecommunication act).

I will ask you, what policies of the past 8 years have worked? Man are you frightened!

[ajmarine111]

"There is no question that McCain has been hit hard by the success of Barack Obama''s trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe."



I''m an Independent, and I''m sorry, but I don''t see this happening.

[noloyalisti]

This trip simply demonstrated to Americans that the rest of the world does matter. We would be well to remember that before we start the next war OF terror.

[dmgenet]

Nothing is in concrete yet. Something could happen. Black, McCain''s strategist, has already said that if the US is hit by terrorist it would help his candidate. Would it matter if they were foreign or domestic terrorists?

Black, BTW, is the man responsible for SwiftBoating McCain and Kerry. One would think that if one was to walk the talk one would NOT have Black on your team. Would one?

[dmgenet]

RE: ''the trip''. Already the amount of press generated has made Obama one step closer to the presedency and McCain looking angrier and more disparate. Go ahead, let loose the Black dog Mr. McCain and take a step closer to smarmy.

[pvperson]

"if you start screeching about war profiteering it''''s been done for thousands of years"...so Bush administration corruption is OK with me.

"If you''''re going to screech about insurance premiums"...thank the republican representatives for doing nothing about it.

"If you''re going to screech about social security, you should''ve screeched back when they made it part of the general budget and started borrowing from it"...SS was supposed to be %u201Coff budget%u201D as of 1990 but the republicans didn''t comply.

"If you''''re going to screech about taxes"...the upper 5% already pay more than their share by paying higher taxes than you do"...they also take in 90% of income.
"If you start screeching about the sub-prime lending market"...why did people buy houses they couldn''t afford and not check out such scams"..."...especially when the republicans supposed to monitor it, didn''t.

"If you start screeching about the price of oil...why didn''''t you screech when it started and promote drilling our own oil so we wouldn''t be buying it from the sheiks"...45% of oil drilled ai America is shipped overseas.

"If you''''re talking about the Iraq war...I don''''t think you have a leg to stand on"...6 years, 4200 dead tens of thousands wounded and 600 billion dollars wasted?

"Now all we have to do is clean up job on the stragglers scampering back to Afghanistan"...is that why the general are pleading for more troops there?

WeelHell3, you screech too much and at the wrong people.

[caliguy55]

July 29th, 2008

John McCain flip flops on Taxes on Social Security

By: John Amato @ 4:30 PM - PDT

John McCain has repeatedly attacked Obama over taxes and said that he will not raise taxes under any circumstances%u2014except to fix Social Security apparently. That%u2019s what he said on ABC%u2019s THIS WEEK. via CNN

George: Is payroll tax increases on the table as well?
McCain: There%u2019s nothing that%u2019s off the table. I have my positions and I will articulate them, but nothing is off the table.

Now he%u2019s saying he won%u2019t raise taxes. It%u2019s hard to keep up. The wingnut group Club for Growth is howling about this one.

[jmurrieta1]

McCain is not a man who has ever worked hard for a goal and achieved it.

Everything he has in life has been given to him by rich and powerful friends and relatives.

This may be why, when he is challenged, McCain reacts with a hair-trigger temper. He is very insecure.

We just can''t afford the risk of an insecure, raging, and aging, John McCain with his finger on the nuclear button.

Obama ''08!

[broadwayphi]

The scary thing is that this race is even close.

[standlee5]

This entire piece is written because John McCain said Barack Obama would rather lose a war than a campaign. well, Obama has demonstrted exactly that. He wanted to pull out of Iraq when the going got tough leaving the country and people in chaos and terror. What kind of judgement is that? And to question John McCain''s character is an absolute joke. In fact this whole article is a joke. Obama can''t handle the heat, can''t handle the scrutiny, can''t really handle much.

[jimfinster]

This entire piece is written because John McCain said Barack Obama would rather lose a war than a campaign. well, Obama has demonstrted exactly that. He wanted to pull out of Iraq when the going got tough leaving the country and people in chaos and terror. What kind of judgement is that? And to question John McCain''''s character is an absolute joke. In fact this whole article is a joke. Obama can''''t handle the heat, can''''t handle the scrutiny, can''''t really handle much.

Posted by standlee5


McCain has plenty of skeletons in his closet. Corruption, infidelity, gambling issues, etc. The question of his character is absolutely fair game.

[mcvet-1]

You want to write about something, Why not address the allegations being put forth by Larry Sinclair against Barky Obama? Homosexual trysts, cocaine use and perhaps even murder... all very real, very possible but completely ignored by the MSM.

To date, Mr. Obama has not responded to the allegations while at the same time, Mr. Sinclair has been constantly harrassed by his followers.

Stick that in your word processor and lets see what pops out.

Posted by sincityq at 08:40 PM : Jul 29, 2008

That''s really all Fascist have isn''t it? Mud, slime and Attacks. When it come''s to policy they are flat out of it. When it come''s to record they have no case. SO McCain turns out to be just like Bush! The problem he faces is that not only was OBAMA extremely good in his tour, he LOOK like a President. Thus McCain was forced to go to the kitchen sink BEFORE the Conventions. THAT is a prescription for losing and that''s just a fact. Fear only works IF you have something to fear. Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet-1]

This entire piece is written because John McCain said Barack Obama would rather lose a war than a campaign. well, Obama has demonstrted exactly that. He wanted to pull out of Iraq when the going got tough leaving the country and people in chaos and terror. What kind of judgement is that? And to question John McCain''''s character is an absolute joke. In fact this whole article is a joke. Obama can''''t handle the heat, can''''t handle the scrutiny, can''''t really handle much.

Posted by standlee5 at 08:25 PM : Jul 29, 2008

Now this is so like the Fascist. IGNORE the fact that IRAQ was a LIE and that IF we listen to Obama we aren''t in the mess to begin with. Ask yourself the question folks. Which would you rather have for a President, the guy who made the RIGHT call before we wasted all those lives and a Trillion Dollars or someone who is nothing but a Angry Little Man who supported Killing all those troops for NOTHING. The BEST War is the one you do NOT have to fight. Thus Obama is OBVIOUSLY the best choice to be the leader of this nation.

[flreason]

Posted by sincityq:
I did as you suggested and searched on this topic. Here''s the result: Sinclair failed a polygraph test regarding his allegations. He has a long history of arrests for crimes of deception. Read the info from credible sources for yourself.
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/4799
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11164.html

[hungry1968]

George Bush should be happy.

If ANYONE could be a bigger failure than he, it would be McCain.



But, he DOES have time to change his mind again, and again, and again.... as he''s done in the past, over, and over, and over......

[hungry1968]

The scary thing is that this race is even close.

Posted by broadwayphi at 08:22 PM : Jul 29, 2008





the "POLLS" have this race as being close.

But remember, most polls showed MUCH, MUCH more favorably for Hillary than they did for Obama too. The reason?

Many, many young voters don''t have home phones - they have cell phones, and ARE NOT usually polled. That''s why, for example, that Obama was "supposed to lose" Texas, but ended up winning it outright. He was also "supposed to lose" PA by 20% but only lost by 8%.

[hungry1968]

Posted by sincityq at 08:40 PM : Jul 29, 2008





Sinclair failed TWO lie detector tests. He "debunked" himself.

Obama was correct, in NOT responding to these OBVIOUS BS allegations.

[rational_1]

The BEST War is the one you do NOT have to fight. Thus Obama is OBVIOUSLY the best choice to be the leader of this nation.
Posted by MCVet-1 at 09:42 PM : Jul 29, 2008

These Iraq/Afghan/Al-Qaeda wars are just another flare-up of a war that really started in the 7th century with the Muslim conquest of Palestine (which eventually triggered the Crusades). The extremists on both sides, although the Islamocrazies tend to be more violent, have been distrustful of each other for millenia now. So when you say Obama is the best choice as leader when you don''t want to fight a war, is he also the best leader when the war is shoved down your throat? Even if Iraq is the wrong war there is still Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda to consider. These Muslims extremists aren''t just going away and the next President will be dealing with them. Obama saying he was against the war in Iraq from the beginning is completely irrelevant right now. Only what he plans to do in the future is relevant.

[paris1969]

The Nation obviously believes the Media hype .. the polls show that McCain''s supporters have been invigorated by Obama''s tour .. and McCain has gained in the polls!! ... McCain ''08

[patriot12436]

bs

[patriot12436]

jmurieta
Funny the way you describe McCain is how i would describe obama. Wonder how well he would have held out as a POW?

[patriot12436]

elsewhere but will turn out in large numbers to vote. They also are smart enough to know when someone is shining them on.

[patriot12436]

elsewhere but will turn out in large numbers to vote. They also are smart enough to know when someone is shining them on.

[patriot12436]

computer went crazy. I was saying there are a large number of people who do not say anything on a computer or elsewhere, but will turn out in large numbers to vote.

[patriot12436]

hungry1968
At least he states his opinion and then has something he can change. With obama we are still wondering what he is goig to do about anything. He just hasn''t said yet.

[mcvet-1]

Funny the way you describe McCain is how i would describe obama. Wonder how well he would have held out as a POW?

Posted by patriot12436 at 07:25 AM : Jul 30, 2008

That''s strange to hear. Can YOU or anyone else who supports the fascist tell us EXACTLY what McCain stands FOR?? Can YOU or Anyone who supports the fascist tell us ONE issue he has NOT flip flopped on? I guess he''s out to make EVERYONE happy because after his interview on ABC and then in his Town Hall yesterday he is both FOR increasing Taxes to fund Social Security and AGAINST it within a 48 hour period!! LOL Oh but it doesn''t stop there! Drilling for OIL, against it until he thought it could be used to get votes then he''s for it. Tax Cuts, against them until he needed his Fascist base then he''s for them. Going to stay in Iraq for 100 years, then he''s okay with the Time Table to remove them in 16 months then he didn''t say it!! Come ON!! How can anyone vote for this Angry Little Man who is nothing but a Brush Salesman?? Sieg Heil Bush

[patriot12436]

I wish the candidates would state whether they would allow bush to be tried for war crimes.

[mcvet-1]

The Nation obviously believes the Media hype .. the polls show that McCain''''s supporters have been invigorated by Obama''''s tour .. and McCain has gained in the polls!! ... McCain ''''08

Posted by paris1969 at 01:44 AM : Jul 30, 2008

Uh Huh! ROFLMAO You think? ROFLMAO McCain can''t fill up a High School Gym and he can''t tell you what his position is because it''s going to change in the next 15 minutes!! ROFLMAO If not for Mud Slinging and Attack Ads he''s not even in the game!! ROFLMAO SIEG HEIL BUSH