Joe Klein hits it out of the park today.
Anyone who talks about the “pro-American” parts of the country is making an anti-American statement.
Anyone who talks about the “real” parts of Virginia doesn’t understand that all of Virginia is real–just not the reality as fantasized by the sort of people who see some parts of the country as more “pro-American” than others.
Anyone who describes one part of the country as “most patriotic” has lost all sense of what patriotism means.
….
But, seriously, you have to wonder why John McCain has spent so much time questioning the patriotism of others, especially his opponent, in this campaign. Is it because he once signed a prison “confession” that he considered treasonous? If so, please know that we don’t blame you. You’re a patriot, Senator, and a hero…at least, you were until you started questioning the patriotism of others–by saying things like they’d rather win an election than a war, and by implying that they’re soft on terrorists. Then you became something else entirely. And it hasn’t worked very well, has it?
Yes, he went there. In a good “Have you no decency?” kind of way. He did not attack McCain for his actions while a prisoner of war, because who would? I would like to think that I can handle torture and that I would never give in to my enemy captors, but the reality is, I probably would, just to stop the pain, or to save another prisoner of war’s life. That is what John McCain did. They threatened him and tortured him, and said they would kill another if McCain did not sign the confession. He signed it. That is not treasonous at all. That is heroic. That is courageous. But maybe John McCain is not proud of what he did, and he is trying to project what he thinks is his failings onto others.
Delving deep into the psychology of John McCain, you have to realize that John McCain has never really been on any team except during his service in the Navy. In the Republican Party, he is geniunely reviled as a RINO or a liberal among the base. In Congress, a lot of his Republican colleagues consider him an asshole, and have nearly come to blows with him on several occassions. In Arizona, he is not well liked among the state Republican appartatus. Hence his mavericky reputation.
Indeed, McCain joked once that his base used to be the press corp. But it was not a joke, it was true. But now even that is gone. Many in the press are no longer tire swinging on his ranch, but are very critical of him. So besides his service in the Navy, John McCain is a loner. Not a part of any group. Thus his Naval career is very important to him, as it should be. But maybe John is ashamed of his actions during his captivity. He shouldn’t be, but let’s say he is. If he feels he is vulnerable to a charge of anti-Americanism, then the Rovian mindset requires that you attack your opponent on your weakness. Maybe John McCain thinks he is not a patriot, that he is not a real American, so that is why he must attack Obama’s patriotism.
The key to all of this psychoanalysis is the McCain campaign’s penchant for projection. They say Obama is running more negative ads, when the truth is they are. They say Obama has run the most negative campaign full of smears, when the truth is they have. So maybe they are saying that Obama and his supporters are not real Americans or pro-Americans because they have not been.
I really don’t care anymore. John McCain’s legacy will now be that of a dishonorable man who used lies and racist smears to try to win an election. He will be regarded as a small man in the history of this country. And that is a shame. Even if he lost this race, he could have preserved his honor and dignity. He chose not to.