John McCain: Ignoramus, Idiot, or Whore?

First, I will give Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) all due credit for his admirable military record. He distinguished career as a pilot, warrior and prisoner of war are a credit to his own courage and to the dignity of our country. He should justly be proud of his service to the United States.

As a politician and Presidential candidate, however, John McCain is a disgrace.

From the New York Times:

SOMEWHERE in NORTHERN IOWA — The unthinkable has happened. Senator John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn’t – or perhaps wouldn’t – answer.

Did he support the distribution of taxpayer-subsidized condoms in Africa to fight the transmission of H.I.V.?

What followed was a long series of awkward pauses, glances up to the ceiling and the image of one of Mr. McCain’s aides, standing off to the back, urgently motioning his press secretary to come to Mr. McCain’s side.

The upshot was that Mr. McCain said he did not know this subject well, did not know his position on it, and relied on the advice of Senator Tom Coburn, a physician and Republican from Oklahoma.

His press secretary, Brian Jones, later reported that Mr. McCain had a record of voting against using government money to finance the distribution of condoms.

The transcript of the discussion is VERY enlightening.

Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?”

Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”

(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)

Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.”

Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

To his credit, the reporter gave McCain every chance to rescue himself on this. But let's summarize. We've got a Presidential candidate, who spent four years in the House of Representatives before entering the Senate in 1987, so that's twenty-four years as an elected official. Notice he got started in the 1980's, when the AIDS outbreak first hit the fan. Twenty-four years in government service, during which the AIDS virus and the prevention of same became the most talked-about health issue of our time.

And this guy says he doesn't know whether condoms prevent HIV-AIDS? (Correction: to use McCain's phrase, the question "stumped" him.)

What planet has this guy been living on?

There's loads more to find fault with on this one. McCain's support of Bush's current "Just keep your legs crossed and take lots of cold showers" policy towards stopping the AIDS epidemic in Africa is as inexcusable as Bush's position itself.

Secondly, McCain says he defers to his colleague, Sen. Tom Coburn (an M.D.) on these sorts of issues. Considering another medical doctor, Sen. Bill Frist said in December 2004 that first he "didn't know" whether you could catch the HIV virus through tears or sweat, and then he said that you can, I'm not sure it's a good idea to trust the medical judgments of members of Congress. They seem not to stay caught up on the latest literature.

For the record, you can't catch the AIDS virus through tears or sweat, and condoms are considered "highly effective" in preventing the spread of the virus when they're used properly. Page 3 of the CDC's factsheet says "latex condoms provide an essentially impermeable barrier to particles the size of STD pathogens."

So, essentially Sen. McCain has been living down a rabbit hole when it comes to the most public health issue of our time. When the subject of HIV-AIDS comes up, he sticks his fingers in his ears and runs down the hall going, "La-la-la-la-la! I"m not listening! La-la-la-la-la-la!"

Or, there's another possibility. Sen. McCain knows perfectly well that condoms prevent the spreading of the virus. However, he also knows that if he comes out pro-logic, fact and common sense on the issue in any way, shape or form, he's going to alienate the Holy Terror base of the Republican Party, a base he desperately needs to fellate if he expects their support during his Presidential run.

I suspect it's Option B. McCain's track record demonstrates a willingness to whore himself to the Holy Terrors at every available opportunity. The guy actually once said he'd support ceremonies to join gay couples in civil unions, but ONLY if the ceremonies had no legally binding effect. In the 2000 South Carolina primary, Bush's campaign slandered McCain's family, calling him crazy and a "fag", his adopted daughter illegitimate, and his wife a drug addict. In response to these attacks, McCain should've met Bush in a dark alley behind a seedy bar and beaten the draft-dodging little asshole senseless with a two-by-four. Instead, McCain attached himself to Bush's dick and he hasn't been dislodged since.

The irony is that McCain holds Barry Goldwater's old Senate seat. Goldwater must be spinning in his grave. I'm not a Goldwater fan, but he never would've put up with that shit.

P.S. Upon due reflection, it appears that no culprit has been identified in the 2000 South Carolina primary smear campaign. Call me crazy, but my hunch is the mastermind's name rhymes with "Tarl Bove."