John McBush

I thought I'd continue in the spirit of my last blog post and debunk another myth: that John McCain is a maverick in the Republican party, an independent Republican who has stood up for his principles even if it meant opposing the Republicans. For the sake of brevity (not my strongest suit I know), let's take 4 major issues and see where he stands in relation to President Bush and the Republican party.

1) Roe vs. Wade. As McCain is desperately and transparently trying to win over Hillary's women, it is important that the Democrats aggressively highlight McCain's official position on the right of women to choose whether or not to have an abortion. This is what McCain's website says about his position on Roe vs. Wade: "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench." (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm) Read: John McCain will appoint conservative judges who will bend over backwards (just like Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Clarence Thomas and previously Renquist have done) to overturn the decision and limit women's human right to have full sovereignty over their bodies. This position in itself should disqualify McCain from ever claiming he is independent from the Right wing of the Republican party.

2) Iraq. From the very beginning, McCain wholeheartedly supported Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq and has been an unswerving supporter. While he did criticize earlier Rumsfeld's approach to the country--in sending a minimal number of troops--he has continued to support American occupation of that country. In his interview with Larry King on February 14, 2008, McCain said: "It's not a matter of how long we are in Iraq, it's if we succeed or not." He was defending the statement he had made a few days earlier at a town hall meeting when he said that staying in Iraq for 100 years would have been "fine with me."

3) Torture. McCain endured years of horrible captivity in North Vietnamese concentration camps and was brutally tortured. This is why his position on the continuing CIA practice of torturing its suspects is baffling and disappointing. In February of this year, the Senate and the House passed a bill that would ban the CIA from using waterboarding as an interrogation tactic. The bill simply limited CIA tactics to the Army Field Manual, which among other things, prohibits beatings, using electric shocks, forced nudity, the use of dogs, etc. Completely ignoring (willfully) the damage Bush's policy of torture and Abu Ghraib have done to the US image abroad, McCain opposed the bill saying: "We always supported allowing the CIA to use extra measures." (Boston Globe, Feb. 16, 2008). I guess he supports Bush's arrogant foreign policy that the US, as the strongest kid on the playground, doesn't have to play by the rules and can bully other kids.

4) Tax cuts. In May 2001, McCain said the following about Bush's taxcuts: "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief." Today, he not only supports extending Bush's tax cuts, but also cutting more taxes for the wealthy. On his campaign website, McCain says that he will "maintain the current income and investment tax rates." And what about the money that we need to revitalize New Orleans and bring those people home, to fix our crumbling infrustructure, make education affordable again, and help middle class Americans avoid foreclosures during the housing crisis?

The truth is there is no difference between George W. Bush and John McCain. None.