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Latest Insidious Rovian Plot

Our Dark Lord Rove is putting it out there that John McCain is a man of high moral character and courage, the like of which is rarely seen in American politics, and that this may actually be an important factor for voters to be aware of.

When it comes to choosing a president, the American people want to know more about a candidate than policy positions. They want to know about character, the values ingrained in his heart. For Mr. McCain, that means they will want to know more about him personally than he has been willing to reveal.

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, “I told you I would make you a cripple.”

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day’s will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at “a goofy angle,” as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

But it didn’t heal that way because of John McCain.

It’s a great, if insidiously calculated and darkly manipulative Rovian read. Damn, that guy’s good. Remember that great advice he had for Obama the other day? Whole McCain thing here. When you’re done reading it, you’ll want to ask yourself, who do you want as president? There’s the new kid on the block who just threw grandma and his crazy pastor under the bus; there’s the Hero of Tuzla and her co-candidate(s); and then there’s an old geezer with more than 40 years of uncommonly courageous, principled, and distinguished service to his country, whether you agree with every position he’s taken or not. Even if he does get cranky sometimes.

Rove notes in closing: 

A few, but not many, of the stories told to me by the Days have been written about, such as in Robert Timberg’s 1996 book “A Nightingale’s Song.” But Mr. McCain rarely refers to them on the campaign trail. There is something admirable in his reticence, but he needs to overcome it.

Private people like Mr. McCain are rare in politics for a reason. Candidates who are uncomfortable sharing their interior lives limit their appeal. But if Mr. McCain is to win the election this fall, he has to open up.

Americans need to know about his vision for the nation’s future, especially his policy positions and domestic reforms. They also need to learn about the moments in his life that shaped him. Mr. McCain cannot make this a biography-only campaign – but he can’t afford to make it a biography-free campaign either. Unless he opens up more, many voters will never know the experiences of his life that show his character, integrity and essential decency.

These qualities mattered in America’s first president and will matter as Americans decide on their 44th president.

Protein Wisdom on whether they will or not.

Topics: McCain, pols

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:35 pm on Wednesday, April 30, 2008

6 Responses to “Latest Insidious Rovian Plot”

1. Don Surber Says:
   April 30th, 2008 at 10:10 pm

   Well put on the presidential hopefuls. I’ve gone from voting for him to supporting him.

2. Michael Lonie Says:
   April 30th, 2008 at 11:27 pm

   I’m still unenthusiastic. To my mind, McCain can’t keep in mind who are his opponents and who his supporters. I was just considering sending his campaign a donation when he chewed out those North Carolina Packs for their unobjectionable ad. No money now. Maybe he’ll get some of my dough later, but the bad taste of continual McCain attacks on his friends has to wear off first. And I’m still annoyed about immigration and McCain-Feingold. I do not think he has actually realized that those were wrong, and why.

   I am so looking forward to a Jindal in ‘12 campaign.

3. MikeH Says:
   May 1st, 2008 at 5:52 am

   Michael, that’s two of us.

4. Bullshark Says:
   May 1st, 2008 at 8:49 am

   Jindal? Not a conservative anymore than McCain. Never held a private secture job. I didn’t vote for Jindal because the problems we have in LA were caused by politicians so why would we think that a pol could get us out?

5. RebeccaH Says:
   May 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm

   I’ve made my feelings known about this election, so I won’t bother to go into that again. John McCain as president undoubtedly will do things I won’t approve of, but then so has every president I’ve voted for. At least I know he will do things out of conviction and belief in America, and not necessarily what is politically expedient.

6. Brian H Says:
   May 1st, 2008 at 7:18 pm

   The contrast could hardly be starker. H&H are both exaggerating their past achievements and qualifications, and McCain has said nothing about some truly heroic and principled behaviour.

   Opportunistic distortion is on trial in this election. Vote against H&H to repudiate it.

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