by Mark Silva
Matt Welch has written a book, John McCain: The Myth of a Maverick, which, as one of his former colleagues at the Los Angeles Times notes, is "not a biography but a sort of how-to guide to understanding this intriguing, independent, straight-talking, blunt-talking former fighter pilot who will later this summer be handed the presidential nomination for the Republican Party.''
Andrew Malcolm at L.A.'s Top of the Ticket blog is presenting videos of conversations with the author, a former Timesman who discusses the origins of the book -- and the, "shall we say, lack of cooperation he encountered from the Arizona senator's camp,'' as Malcolm puts it..
The Ticket will publish other segments in coming days, Malcolm notes, "eight altogether, exploring what Welch discovered about the man from his life, his writings and his friends.''
See the initial installments here:
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Comments
McCain has one of the staunchest conservative voting records in the Senate. The "maverick" label was dreamed up and perpetuated by lazy journalists. Good to see someone is trying to puncture that mislabel.
Posted by: mike b | June 22, 2008 8:59 PM
John McCain will say anything to get elected. First he thought fundie perachers were divisive, now he kisses up to them, He was against torture before he voted for it. He opposed Bush's tax cuts for the uberwealthy, now he wants to make them permanent despite clear evidence that they have done nothing to help the economy.
McCain is Mister Flip Flop. He has no integrity, no consistency and cannot be trusted to lead this country.
Posted by: Patrick | June 22, 2008 9:38 PM
The myth of a mess.
Posted by: DIRTY DICK CHENEY | June 22, 2008 10:01 PM
Youtube has exposed the John McBush = Mavreick/Straight-Talker myth for what it is. A Big Fat Lie.
Most everyone seems to have already figured this out except for the MSM and Bruce:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnb2IrsU1Cg
Posted by: John E | June 22, 2008 10:30 PM
Another "journalist" who is so convinced Obama is the savior of the world that they'll do or say anything to praise him.
When problems still exist after he is president, who will people blame for them? Maybe people will take responsibility for themselves? Yeah, right.
Posted by: Lakeisha Jones | June 22, 2008 11:03 PM
He's pro tax breaks for the rich, he's pro-drilling off the Florida coast, he's pro war (remember his bomb bomb Iran song). He's against the right of women to choose how to control their bodies. He's against women even earning the same as men for the same job.
What is it exactly that makes him a maverick anyway??
Posted by: Just Steve | June 22, 2008 11:21 PM
McCain as "maverick"...
"perpetrated by lazy journalists," indeed.
But, not by new-hires.
These "lazy journalists"
are entrenched Washington inside-the-Beltway media bureau
editors, pundits, all politics-
no policy scribes & hosts/interviewers--
especially one late NBC
"Meet the Press" Politics
Guru, Tim Russert.
Posted by: ABE | June 23, 2008 12:06 AM
1. Senator McCain is a maverick in the sense that he has a history of breaking with the neocon corporatists who have controlled the GOP since Pappy was elected in 1988. And that's fine with me and millions of conservatives who view neocons as false prophets masquerading as conservatives.
2. To write that Senator McCain will be "handed" the GOP nomination is every bit as inaccurate and insulting as it would be to say that Senator Obama will be "handed" the Democratic nomination. Please.
Posted by: Tim1979 | June 23, 2008 12:36 AM
Let's hope that McCain is more conservative than the media portray him. It's bad enough having one socialist in the race, we certainly don't need two.
Posted by: Grantland | June 23, 2008 12:47 AM
McSame is the biggest faker in the last 30 years....thats how he rolls.
Posted by: janet | June 23, 2008 12:48 AM
How is this a headline? It's opinion. The Tribune strikes again to misinform voters with emotional rhetoric, but that's what seems to work for BHO so why reinvent the wheel? Liberal to a fault.
Posted by: Marc | June 23, 2008 7:48 AM
Through 2007, McCain had a lifetime rating of 82.3% from the American Conservative Union. Anyone who has been inside the Beltway as long as he has is going to break with their party once in a while.
But that's not the reason not to vote for him (although it's a good one). The reasons not vote for him is because 1) he's a fraud for running away from his record, and 2) as his positions on America and the world demonstrate, he's just Bush lite -- a rich guy who lacks smarts and whose success can be chalked up to the work of lots of handlers.
Posted by: mike b | June 23, 2008 7:57 AM
Is this suppose to be a news story? That's how it is listed on the front page. It is not listed as an opinion piece or a book review. I am sure that all of you justice seeking liberals will object right?
I guess the trib is dropping all pretence of objectivity. Good. The end of the paper will be speeded up.
Posted by: Joe | June 23, 2008 8:18 AM
What's missing from this analysis is ideological scoring. Two political scientists, Poole and Rosenthal, have rating the ideological tone of congressional voting since the 18th Century. By these standards, McCain is undeniably a centrist within his center-right party. Obama, by comparison, tilts far to the left of his left-center counterpart. I've leave the classification of whether or not McCain is a maverick to linguists, but he is a moderate nonetheless, and his opponent is left of even socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Posted by: buckybacker97 | June 23, 2008 10:58 AM
He's a maverick much like Bush is a cowboy. Myths perpetuated by PR firms to make their customers look better to gullible voters. Face it, if America will elect a retard to the Oval Office, twice, they will elect someone because he's a "maverick" even though goes along with his party 99% of the time.
Posted by: Wink | June 23, 2008 11:55 AM