McCain Is Too Old For This Shit

Conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan:

When you look at McCain's fiscal proposals and his foreign policy vision, one begins to sense he actually doesn't have a firm idea of where to go from here. It is three-quarters trying to give every faction in the GOP something to appease it and one-quarter winging it. Leadership? Nowhere I can see. And fellow journalists who have interviewed him recently report that he seems alternately confused, defensive and cranky. Even on the Wright stuff he seems to be on every side of the issue. I like the man, but I wonder if he isn't running eight years' too late. In a debate with Obama, he might come undone.

Make no mistake. Old Man McCain has no business running for president right now, much less winning. And this is not merely about his age, it's about the fact that McCain represents nearly all of the bad ideas that have brought the United States to this low point in history. He has no new ideas, he gets mad when you confront him about that, and his only response is to lash out. Maybe he'll preface it by saying "my friends", maybe he won't. But you know for damn sure that McCain hasn't a clue how to fix this country or get us back on track.

If you asked me who we need right now as president, I'd start by saying that nobody who has been a Republican during the past 8 years is qualified. Those who voted for Bush, especially in 2004, have zero credibility when it comes to politics and leadership. I know plenty of folks, dear friends, who voted for Bush both times. That is their cross to bear for the rest of their lives. If I told you in 2000 about the multiple disasters that would unfold over the next 8 years, you wouldn't have believed me. Nobody would have believed me. Well, strike that, The Onion would have believed me.

But McCain is more than just a supporter of Bush. He is one of Bush's absolute top supporters and friends. He spoke for Bush at both conventions, he was a cheerleader for the disastrous war in Iraq, he supported Bush's right wing Supreme Court picks, he has voted with Bush 89% of the time, and he thinks that these tax cuts for the rich should be expanded and made permanent. McCain is trying to have it both ways, criticizing Bush while advocating Bush's policies, and it's not gonna work.



Right now there is a heated primary going on between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Democrats are divided, feelings are hurt, the news is filled with an ongoing series of phony scandals and smears. But make no mistake -- when the dust settles and Obama takes the podium on August 31st in Denver, McCain is going to be lucky to break 45% in the polls. After the debates in September and October, Old Man McCain will be lucky to break 40%.

Maybe this is wishful thinking. Maybe the Republican smear ads about who damned America and who Obama once met at a party will show more resiliency than they have so far. It's easy to be disillusioned given the horrible campaign coverage offered by the media. But there is no getting away from the hard facts of this election. McCain is an old, grumpy man connected at the hip to Bush's worst policies, while Obama is a handsome, eloquent change agent who presents us with a better path.

The choice will be stark. And I see no way that McCain pulls this off. If Hillary couldn't beat Obama despite having more money, more endorsements, more name recognition, and a 20 point leads in the polls, how is a horrible candidate like McCain gonna do it?