OK, maybe McCain's not a bigot in the great American cross-burning tradition, but sometimes he makes you wonder. The latest case is some comments related to the proposed repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay members reported via Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/john-mccain-dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal_n_791040.html).
McCain's commented, "We send these young people into combat...We think they're mature enough to fight and die. I think they're mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness." Reading that, I couldn't help but think that the same sorts of things were being said in relation to African-American soldiers in the years before President Truman desegregated America's military. Much has been made about the differences between the John McCain who ran for president in 2000 and this year's model. I'd like to think the pre-2000 McCain would have appreciated the short-sightedness of his older self's remarks.
George Wallace was once renowned throughout the state of Alabama as being liberal on racial issues, both as an attorney and as a judge. He first ran for governor with the backing of the NAACP. His opponent, John Patterson, ran with the endorsement of the KKK, speaking out loudly about the danger that integration posed to the Good White People of the South. Patterson won. Wallace swore after his defeat that he would "never be outn***ered again," and took on the mantle of the voice of the racist, segregationist Alabamian for pure, cynical, political gain. He ended up serving four terms as governor across three decades, with his wife Lurleen serving as governor for his unofficial fifth term. Selling your soul can be quite the profitable transaction.
ReplyDeleteMcCain is gunning to be the George Wallace of the DADT repeal; standing in the metaphorical schoolhouse door, refusing to allow the degenerate GLBT citizenry entry. Is he a bigot? Doesn't matter. He's utilizing bigotry for cynical political gain, and the outcome is the same whether or not he believes what he says: proud people who want to serve our country will either be denied that privilege, or will be forced to constantly lie about who they are in order to do so.
McCain, having shifted rightward his positions nearly completely on practically every issue he's ever addressed, should be able to sympathize with the whole "lying about who they are" part of that equation, you'd think. Alas, the man has not only lost his sense of principle, but also his sense of shame. I guess those go along with the soul as part of a package deal.