GOP’s John McCain problem

[DonViejo]

The reason he still speaks for them on foreign policy: They hate substance and literally have no other "experts"

BY JONATHAN BERNSTEIN

Many have noted, including Salon’s Alex Pareene, that John McCain is “the senator everyone in the press listens to.” While this is certainly true, a key question remains: Why? Why is John McCain, years after his solidly defeated presidential run, a man who isn’t even the top Republican on a key committee — a man who, truth be told, most Republicans don’t particularly like and never trusted — the leader of the opposition on foreign affairs and national security?

Actually, it’s not just because a lot of elite reporters appear to worship the guy. Politics, like nature, isn’t all that comfortable with vacuums, and the post-policy Republican Party has plenty of enormous empty spaces when it comes to questions of public policy. John McCain’s knee-jerk invade-everyone responses may be shallow, ill-informed, and often proved wrong…but it’s something, and something almost always beats nothing.

After all, what else do they have? Could anyone even name the Republican senators with the actual top slots on Foreign Relations (Bob Corker), Armed Services (James Inhofe), Intelligence (Saxby Chambliss), or Homeland Security (Tom Coburn)? Or anyone from the GOP who specializes in these issues from the House? And then there’s the 2012 Republican ticket, widely considered the least experienced and credentialed in foreign affairs and national security since before World War II, and who were so uninterested in the topic that Mitt Romney forgot to pay ritual respect to “the troops” in his convention speech. If I spot you “apology tour” and Benghazi!, I’d bet you still couldn’t remember three things the Romney/Ryan ticket had to say about foreign policy. And neither of those is actually about policy.

Until recently, of course, there were plenty of Republicans with excellent foreign policy and national security credentials, and plenty to say. Many of those associated with the Bush administration, however, were mostly discredited by the disaster in Iraq, just as Democrats from the 1960s were discredited after Vietnam. Others, such as Colin Powell, turned against the party’s views, and wound up marginalized. And many of those associated with (perceived) successful Republican presidencies have retired or died – George H.W. Bush, after all, left the White House twenty years ago.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/gops_john_mccain_problem/

[Laelth]

1. Indeed. Gramps is the best they have, and that's quite sad. n/t

-Laelth

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

2. The problem is that he's NOT reasonable! He's a warmonger and that's no

different than what the ReThugs already have.

[Thor_MN]

3. Mosquito McCain. All the heft of a mosquito and twice the whine.

All I hear is "Get of my lawn, you brats!!!"

[Rain Mcloud]

4. They have all the love of the 1%,it is all they need or want.

[link:|

[NCLefty]

5. So angry.