Sad Sack

I can think of almost nothing less “maverick” than wrapping one’s arms around the man whose political machine cruelly and untruthfully attacked one’s family, but kissing the asses of those who funded the attack comes in a close second.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a man in perpetual motion, flew to South Carolina on Jan. 16. His stops included a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and speeches to local Republican groups. But one of his most important events was not on the public schedule -- a 5 p.m. meeting at a Spartanburg hotel with loyalists to President Bush.

A dozen or so people were in attendance. At least two were among Bush's major national fundraisers. Virtually all had been on Bush's side in the bitter 2000 South Carolina primary that badly damaged McCain's chances of winning the presidential nomination and scarred the relationship between the two men and their rival political camps. McCain was there to woo them…

With a 2008 campaign in the offing, McCain has begun an intensive courtship of Bush's financial and political networks. His recent travels included a December swing through the heart of Bush country in Texas that put him in front of many of the president's leading supporters there…

McCain's activities, which have been shaped under the guidance of his chief political adviser, John Weaver, reflect overlapping political priorities. The first appears to be expanding his fundraising network, starting with Bush's Rangers (those who raised $200,000) and Pioneers (those who raised $100,000).

McCain is also bolstering his conservative credentials by endorsing Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell for governor, meeting with Jerry Falwell, and attending various private dinners with resolutely conservative groups—and let’s not forget his endorsement of George Wallace, Jr., his support for the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment, and his belief that Intelligent Design ought to be taught in schools. Chuck Yob, the GOP’s national committeeman in Michigan, where McCain could face a strong primary challenge against Mitt Romney, whose father was governor of the state, says of McCain that he’s “a lot more conservative than a lot of conservatives give him credit for.”

As far as I can tell, a modern conservative can best be described as a wanton opportunist with zero integrity and an unhinged lust for power who panders to corporations, phony Christians, social Darwinists, and all other manner of hateful gits who have relied on undeserved privilege for generations and would like to keep it that way. McCain the So-Called Maverick fits that bill to a bloody T. He’s no rebel; he’s just another soulless conservative wanker looking for a shot at the Big Time.