by James Oliphant
Wall Street Journal columnist, Republican pundit and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan is concerned about John McCain.
She is sensing a certain, well, Bob Dole vibe emanating from him. And for Republicans, that's not good.
Her prescription? Take the strait-jacket off the candidate. Let him be the McCain of old. The outrageous cut-up, who delighted in saying things that others would not dare.
Here's an excerpt from her WSJ piece today:
That's my boy. That's the McCain his friends love, McCain unplugged. The fall will be dead serious. At this point why not be himself, be human? Let him refind his inner rebel, the famous irreverent maverick, let the tiger out of the cage. It won't solve everything but it will help obscure some other problems. His campaign is still not in great shape, his advance operation is not sharp--the one thing Republicans always used to know how to do!--he has many aides and few peers, and aides so doofuslike they blithely talk about the partisan impact of terror attacks.
And there is another problem that is bigger than all of that, and he is going to have to think himself through it. And that is that there is a sense about his campaign that . . . John McCain has already got what he wanted, he got what he needed, which was to be top dog in the Republican Party, the party that had abused him in 2000 and cast him aside. They all bow to him now, and he doesn't need anything else. He doesn't need the presidency. He got what he wanted. So now he can coast. This is, in the deepest way, unserious. JFK had to have the presidency--he wanted that thing. Nixon had to have it too, and Reagan had to have it to institute his new way. Clinton had to have it--it was his destiny, the thing he'd wanted since he was a teenager.
You can read the full column here.
Sometimes candidates wait too long to be themselves. Many believe Al Gore was never more likable and himself than when he conceded the presidency to George Bush in 2000.
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Comments
Bob Dole was actually an accomplished war hero. McCain got captured. The military would be in bad shape if it was packed with
McCain-like soldiers, with Dole clones we'd be unstopable. Duncan Hunter is the only real man fit to be President.
Posted by: sam hartsock | June 27, 2008 1:52 PM
A sprinkle of Bob Dole + A big dose of George W Bush = John McCain:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnb2IrsU1Cg
Posted by: John E | June 27, 2008 1:55 PM
Yes, let McCain be McCain. The out-of-touch, elite, Washington insider who doesn't know or care about gas prices.
When asked how much gas costs and when the last time was he pumped gas, McCain's response was: "I don't recall and frankly, I don't see how it matters."
Yes, let McCain be McCain.
Posted by: Paul | June 27, 2008 2:16 PM
My friends, if you've ever seen Peggy Noonan interviewed you will see she keeps her eyes closed most of the time. That's not change you can believe in.
Posted by: Doug "Hussein" Zook | June 27, 2008 2:17 PM
Give me another plane!!
I'll be careful this time.
Posted by: McCrash | June 27, 2008 2:24 PM
Doug Z,
When I watch McCain speak he says "my friends" so often that it almost makes me wonder if he suffered a "mini-stroke" or something.
One of McCains campaign minions really needs to pull Grandpa aside and try to re-program him into not repeating that line all the time.
Posted by: John E | June 27, 2008 2:54 PM
Here comes the Obama-kooks trying to swift boat McCain. Yes, besmirch a hero's reputation. You Obama people are repulsive hypocrites.
Posted by: Bemused | June 27, 2008 3:06 PM
Sure, as soon as he realizes who he is and which lobbyists he wants in his cabinet !! Senator " Questionable Conduct " McCain doesn't know, who he is !! What do the voters have to do, with how someone sees himself!! What, is Noonan going to tell who he is, or who he isn't?? She should make up her mind before she opens her mouth!! Generally, when that happens with her, it is generally more Republican noise. We have enough of that, right now!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | June 27, 2008 3:51 PM
Still no articles about the economy tanking???? Ok
so-called Liberal media, follow the RNC marching orders and post some more articles about guns. That's way more important.
Posted by: julia | June 27, 2008 3:58 PM
Yes, besmirch a hero's reputation. You Obama people are repulsive hypocrites.
Posted by: Bemused | June 27, 2008 3:06 PM
Yes...just like the right did to Kerry. Like they are doing to Webb.
Posted by: bill r. | June 27, 2008 3:59 PM
McCain's new motto: John McCain - A leader with depends on!
Posted by: nisleib | June 27, 2008 4:06 PM
So which McCain do we get when McCain is McCain? Is it the one who strenuously opposed the Webb GI bill? Or the one who now tells crowds at his campaign stops how "we" passed an improved GI bill, despite the fact that McCain hasn't even bothered to cast a vote in the senate since April 8th? Will we get the one who opposed the Bush tax cuts or the one who wants to continue them? The McCain who blasted right wing preachers as "agents of intolerance" or the one kissing up to them for support in his presidential race? Don't get me wrong, I'm dying to see them "let the tiger out of his cage". I can't wait to see the tiger give a "rousing" speech to literally dozens of people in front of the lime jello backdrop.
Posted by: Tom O | June 27, 2008 4:26 PM
Exactly, Bill R. How are you Obama people any different from the Bush campaign of 2004? That would be the definition of "hypocrite." Look it up. Haven't heard anything about Webb, but it would be wrong to swift boat anyone, right? Or does that only apply to Democrats? This Democrat won't support Obama - the campaign smells too much like Karl Rove. It's Obama who's McSame.
Posted by: Bemused | June 27, 2008 4:29 PM
Bemused.....This is politics. Although I don't or haven't attacked McBushs service, I do attack the right who forgot that they swiftboated Kerry (vet) for their political agenda. If you were a democrat, you would feel the same way. You may support whomever you like...but your claim of being a democrat smells like Rove.
Posted by: bill r. | June 27, 2008 4:44 PM
Bill R. How are you Obama people any different from the Bush campaign of 2004?
Posted by: Bemused | June 27, 2008 4:29 PM
ps....Had Hillary won, I would have been a Hillary people.....I guess thats the difference between Obama people and Hillary people.
Posted by: bill r. | June 27, 2008 4:57 PM
Yes , Let McCain be McCain. Let him be the bitter, angry man he is. Let him show how little respect he has for a fellow vet, and former President as he did today in saying that Jimmy Carter was "a lousy President." Let him continue to show that he isn't a respectful fair minded bipartisan figure, but a frustrated angry partisan hypocrite. Let him keep taking the low road. Let him keep surroundiing himself with sleazy lobbyists. That's letting McCain be McCain.
Posted by: Ben | June 27, 2008 6:08 PM
Her prescription? Take the strait-jacket off the candidate. Let him be the McCain of old. The outrageous cut-up, who delighted in saying things that others would not dare.
Earth to Noonan, he ain't that guy anymore. He's a sell-out and a fossil. Totally out of touch he roams the earth like a dinosaur. Obama 2008
Posted by: =S= | June 27, 2008 7:16 PM
Take the strait-jacket off? Does that mean he'll come out with a R&B version of Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran?
Posted by: DD | June 27, 2008 9:12 PM
Well, bemused, I can think of one BIG way we Obama people are DIFFERENT from Chimpy McFlight suit people--
We don't steal elections, do we?
Posted by: geraldinetoo reminding us to put Hillary on as veep or we lose in the fall, kids | June 27, 2008 9:47 PM
Wall Street Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan and the legal actions
www.webofdeception.com
Posted by: Robert Lewis | June 27, 2008 11:00 PM
http://www.johnmccain.com/mccainfinancial/
From McCain’s web site Cindy & john made $6,503,941 reportable income for the 2006 tax year. This is $541,995 month.
The federal tax bill from the returns $1,843,379. This is $153,614.92 a month.
Estimated Arizona tax bill $250,000. This is $20,833 a month
McCain’s take-home pay per month. $541,995-$153,615-$20,833=$367,547 a month. This gives them $12,252 a day.
I couldn’t find their Arizona tax form so I estimated them at $250,000 from the Arizona maximum rate of 4.54%.
The income includes $54,496 100% disabled military pension which is not reportable.
From line 31a on John McCain’s 2006 tax return he pays his ex wife $17,700 alimony.
$17,700 x 35% tax bracket =$6,195. $17,700-6,195= $11,505
He covers his alimony to his ex wife with less than one day of income a year. Not to bad it shows how generous he is to his ex wife.
The hourly American worker can compare their hourly wage to McCain’s
40 hour week times 52 weeks = 2,080 hours a year divided by 12 months =173.33 hours a month. McCain’s hourly income $3,127 after taxes $2,120 per hour.
Posted by: robertp163 | June 28, 2008 10:10 AM
Peggy Noonan is the best political columnist of our time. This article just raises the bar some more. If McCain will run against our greedy congress and insipid liberal excess, he could even win. OB is just a fine talking front for the liberal tax and spend croud.
Posted by: Jim Vander Spek | June 28, 2008 12:14 PM
Jim, I thought Peggy Noonan was writing for SNL, with that "let the tiger out of the cage" line. She cracked me up.
Posted by: Tom O | June 28, 2008 11:46 PM