McCain swooped into Washington yesterday in the name of “Country First”. Now, I’m not sure I’m for the bailout or against it, but guess what? Neither is McCain. Seriously, where does he stand on this bailout? What is his plan?
A statement from the campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.:
“At today’s Cabinet meeting, John McCain did not attack any proposal or endorse any plan. John McCain simply urged that, for any proposal to enjoy the confidence of the American people, stressing that all sides would have to cooperate and build a bipartisan consensus for a solution that protects taxpayers. However, the Democrats allowed Sen. Obama to run their side of the meeting. That did not work, as the meeting quickly devolved into a contentious shouting match that did not seek to craft a bipartisan solution.”
Leadership requires vision. It requires leading. And this lack of vision is what’s turning McCain’s actions of the last few days into a political stunt. It’s one thing to show up, take charge, and lay out what you feel needs to be done. It’s quite another to claim your presence is desperately needed while offering no solutions to the matter at hand. And that’s what McCain has done. He’s in Washington, but he’s not saying anything. He’s not leading. He’s hindering in the name of hindering.
Leadership involves risk. Real risk, not the phoney “I’m suspending my campaign, canceling the debate, and if I lose the election because I look too Presidential, so be it” martyrdom nonsense that McCain is spewing. So if McCain has to be in Washington then he has to take a stand on the bailout. He must state why he is for or against the bailout. He must be specific. He can’t just be there.
McCain has deliberately inserted himself into this situation. He has deliberately cast himself in the role of savior. Savior of his political campaign or the economy? Or savior of “no matter what it takes we can’t let Sarah Palin debate!”