John McCain's Senate portrait. Via Wikipedia.
As you probably know by now, John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The cancer was discovered after doctors cleared out a blood clot in his brain and has been removed. Though I am no fan of John McCain, I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone and I hope that he makes a full recovery. No matter what you think of him, you have to admit that McCain is one of the most important politicians in America today.
There was a time when I liked and respected John McCain. Back in 2008 I voted him and not just because I despised Barack Obama. I actually worked security at one of his town halls during the campaign and I was very impressed at the depth of his knowledge he displayed about foreign policy and other issues. Despite the fact that I don't like him much now, given the same two choices between Barack Obama and John McCain, I would probably still vote for him over Obama.
But things have changed. I, like many Republicans, no longer believe in regime change as a desirable goal. Iraq was a complete disaster in the end game and Afghanistan and Libya weren't any better. Had we gone to war in Syria things would be even worse there now, as hard as it is to believe. Unlike the rest of the GOP though, John McCain remained a warhawk in a party that was getting sick of war.
I could forgive that, but what I couldn't forgive is McCain's war against Donald Trump. The start of the conflict is understandable and I don't really blame McCain for not like Trump. Trump bashed McCain's military service and for someone that is obviously very proud of his military career forgiving Trump would be a bitter pill to swallow. It's little wonder why he didn't like Trump.
That being said, his opposition to Trump became an obsession. He didn't support Trump during the campaign and hasn't supported him since the inauguration. Indeed, whenever the news media needs a token Republican to bash Trump it's often McCain or his buddy Lindsey Graham. Giving the media ammunition in this well didn't sit well with me to say the least and didn't help McCain's popularity among the GOP. Indeed, it was somewhat of a surprise that McCain was reelected at all.
With McCain's cancer diagnosis, I wonder if he will continue being a senator. There is a possibility that McCain will recover fully and if he does than he can remain being a senator. But if he can't then he probably should be removed. There is some evidence already that John McCain is already having cognitive problems. The below video shows a very confused McCain questioning former FBI director James Comey.
My guess is that John McCain is probably done as a Senator. Nobody would blame him if he quit now and even his opponents would respect him if he did so. It would be a sad and tragic end to a very important and history making career, but I think it's probably for the best. We will find out soon if he is able to continue or if he decides to put his health first...
No comments:
Post a Comment