(From the Buster Gammons column of 10/18/08)
There are some eerie similarities in upbringing between John Sydney McCain III and George Walker Bush. Both are the third generation of dynasties, children of privilege who advanced by pulling strings and through family connections. Both were intellectually incurious and academic fuck-ups in prep school and in college. Dubya wasn’t going to Yale without the family ties, and McCain got into Annapolis only because both his father and grandfather were four star Navy Admirals. (His grandfather “Slew” commanded the carrier fleet in WW II, and his father “Junior” was commander of the Pacific Fleet in Viet Nam.) McCain was a classic Navy brat, whose school nicknames were “Punk” and “McNasty”. His Navy career never came close to the heights established by his famous forebears. Yes, he was shot down, captured and tortured – wouldn’t wish that on anyone – and we honor him and thank him for his service, but being a bad pilot and a POW doesn’t make him Presidential.
In his private moments, I’m sure McCain’s a good guy. They say the press corps on his campaign bus enjoys his company. They say he’s the sort of fellow you’d like to have a beer with. And they said they same things about Dubya. Didn’t make him a good President.
Dubya took us to Iraq to “finish” his father’s business. McCain keeps talking about how the surge is working and how we’ve got to “win” in Iraq, and has said he still believes the Viet Nam War was “winnable”.
We just don’t need another bellicose blowhard with daddy issues as our Prez.
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