Last night, we posted an excerpt from a blockbuster NY Times article about John McCain and his v.p. selection process. There is a critical development in that article that warrants further examination.
We're always told how tough McCain is. We're always told how much of a maverick John McCain is. Yet, the tough maverick didn't have the courage to take on the special interests in his own party. McCain couldn't pick the person he wanted as v.p. because GOP activists wouldn't let him. How can McCain take on special interests in Washington when he totally caved to the special interests in St. Paul?:
Up until midweek last week, some 48 to 72 hours before Mr. McCain introduced Ms. Palin at a Friday rally in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. McCain was still holding out the hope that he could name as his running mate a good friend, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, a Republican close to the campaign said. Mr. McCain had also been interested in another favorite, former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.If John McCain was truly the leader he claimed to be, Sarah Palin wouldn't be the v.p., Ridge or Lieberman would be. This was the most important decision McCain had to make in his campaign -- and he had six full months to think about it. But, McCain just could not stand up to the right wing special interests in his party. Not such bold leadership after all.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates.
McCain made a rash, reckless, impulsive decision. That's bad enough. But, the back story shows he just capitulated when challenged by the GOP theocrats.
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