The McCain Campaign's Worst Nightmare Posted by Ilan Goldenberg

For months the McCain campaign has been attempting to separate him from George Bush and it finally seems to have worked.  They must be thrilled with this headline from the NY Times.

Bush and McCain Seem to Diverge in Foreign Policy

Perfect.  McCain is the reasonable centrist.  Bush is the crazy man nobody likes.  This is exactly what they've been pushing for.  Oh wait...

Essentially, as the Bush administration has taken a more pragmatic approach to foreign policy, the decision of Mr. McCain, of Arizona, to adhere to his more hawkish positions illustrates the continuing influence of neoconservatives on his thinking even as they are losing clout within the administration.

Whether the perception of Mr. McCain as being at odds with the administration is politically advantageous for him is a matter of debate among his supporters, but many of his more conservative advisers do not think it is a bad thing.

“There’s no doubt, particularly as Bush has adopted policies in the direction of Obama, that that gives Obama bragging rights,” said John R. Bolton, the Bush administration’s former ambassador to the United Nations, who has sharply criticized the administration’s talks with Iran and North Korea. “But if you believe as I do that this administration is in the midst of an intellectual collapse, it doesn’t hurt McCain. Occasionally in politics it helps to be right.”

Could this be any worse for the McCain campaign?  These guys spent months trying to cultivate an image of a more moderate and reasonable foreign policy than George Bush.  The LA World Affairs Council Speech was all about portraying McCain as being better with our European allies.  The nuclear speech was supposed to make McCain seem more reasonable about international institutions.  But it's hard to make that arugment when on the most fundamental questions of war and peace you are as conservative and hawkish as John McCain.  It seems to finally have caught up with him.

On top of that.  Who is standing up for him and agreeing with his policies?  None other than John Bolton.  A guy who spends his days criticizing the Bush Administration for being too soft.

 

Bottom line:  from the start of this campaign one of the central imperatives for the McCain campaign was to distance itself from George Bush's extreme foreign policy.  They seem to have failed and that is some seriously bad news for John McCain.

Comments

[David S.]

Lets Not critasize McCain. He follows in lockstep with George W. Photo-op Bush. He voted with him 98 % of the time. Plus he doesn't want any part of acknowleditatewewetioFlawed intelligence. Not only that but MCain keeps telling us we need this war for his dream of starspangled victory, to prove Bush was right to go intp Iraq. It's called political Cover. @ guys who think thier way is the only way to think . It's war on a whim. McCain thinks everything wil be fine if we just keep spending 11 billion dopllars a month in Iraq, whil;e he and Bush just ignore tthe economy, healthcare, and inflation. I'm just fed up.