McCain defends Obama, proving conclusively that McCain should not be supported for the presidency

Over the weekend, in the discussion, “Who is Barack Obama,” I wrote:

Now consider this: will McCain take a stand on Wright and Obama? Will he say it’s totally unacceptable that Obama has been the follower of such a man and that this disqualifies Obama from the presidency? If McCain does not take such a stand, if McCain only deals with this issue in some low-key way, and dismisses the conservative attack on the Obama-Wright connection, and says that the conservatives are being “divisive,” then that will prove that there’s not much difference between the anti-American McCain, whom conservatives will not oppose, and the anti-American Obama, whom conservatives will oppose, and therefore that it would be better for Obama to be president.

This evening I asked a correspondent (with whom I had never discussed the subject) why he doesn’t like McCain, and he replied in part:

… Just yesterday, when asked by Sean Hannity about the Obama-Wright thing, [McCain] defended Obama by saying that “Senator Obama is a decent man who doesn’t share the Reverend’s views.” He could have said: “It is despicable that Obama belonged to a church where the leader of that church who married him and was his close confident—was a black racist, anti-American, antisemite. Obama should have quit that church 20 years ago; and I have said that from the very beginning.”

If I went to a terrific synagogue and the Rabbi said (even one time) that he honored David Duke (who is the white Farrakhan), or called Americans antisemites in the same way that Wright called Americans racist, I would leave that synagogue immediately …

I need to get the transcript of McCain’s answer to Hannity, but assuming my correspondent’s report is correct, McCain’s instinct, as I expected, was to defend the leftist Obama for his totally indefensible and unacceptable behavior in attending that racist anti-American church for 20 years. Which proves (to quote myself again) that “there’s not much difference between the anti-American McCain, whom conservatives will not oppose, and the anti-American Obama, whom conservatives will oppose, and therefore that it would be better for Obama to be president.”

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N. writes:

Without looking at the transcript, or better still the transcript and a video (in order to see body language) we are all guessing. With that disclaimer up front, I shall now guess.

Senator McCain may well not know much about Jeremiah Wright, partly because he’s busy with his own campaign and partly because he just isn’t curious about those things. His religious practice is very private so far as I can tell, and people with that tendency in my experience are just not interested in what they see as “prying into other people’s private practices.”

Plus the Senate is a definite club; while Senators may disagree with each other quite deeply, they are required by Senate rules to do so within a structured system. They, like any other group, also tend to defend other Senators against “outsiders.”

So it could well be that McCain’s statement was a pro-forma one that he said almost reflexively, defending a fellow Senator against a prying outsider rather than making any sort of serious, abstract statement about Obama’s pastor. Which brings up another point, McCain in my experience does not talk in abstractions or about them, he deals in concrete issues.

Anyway, a transcript and video would go a long way to determining what McCain said, and in what manner he said it. We can all dig around and see what we find.

Irwin Graulich writes:

I just cannot believe how foolish McCain has proven himself—he could have scored a real KO punch here and impressed a lot of Americans (Democrat and Republican). His response to Sean Hannity shows that he is either a closet racist who is afraid to criticize a black, or that he won’t criticize anyone because it is not nice—the typical liberal position that puts compassion (let’s make nice) and love over standards and right & wrong. Imagine if he is challenged by Russia, China or Iran. He will back off like a scared little puppy dog who only wants affection.

What is amazing to me is that Hannity and the other conservative media never criticized McCain about his response. I would have confronted him during the interview. War hero—ha! I think that his captivity actually messed up his thinking and he would be much better off working in a bank as a manager.

Steven Warshawsky writes:

Regarding John McCain’s failure to criticize Barack Obama for his long-standing relationship with Jeremiah Wright, let me propose an alternative explanation, which occurred to me when I was reviewing McCain’s victory speech following the Texas and Ohio primaries (which I thought was excellent). In that speech, McCain emphasized at the outset that he was going to run a “respectful” campaign, meaning he was not going to engage in anything that could possibly be construed as race- or gender-baiting in his contest with Obama or Hillary. Perhaps this simply reflects McCain’s sense of honor and his naïve commitment to multiculturalism at all costs. But I believe it is at least possible that McCain and his advisors recognize that many voters, especially urban independents and moderate Democrats, will be concerned about appearing racist or sexist if they decide to vote for McCain instead of for the Democratic nominee. What McCain is trying to do is assure these voters that they can vote for him with a clear conscience. This is very smart politics.

Spencer Warren writes:

It would be interesting to read the entire transcript, which I have no doubt will demonstrate the pathetic Hannity, contrary to his initial claims of wariness toward McCain, is licking M’s boots. I doubt he asked and followed up on any probing questions.

M’s response surprises me not at all. This is what I meant in calling him a “chronic campaigner.” Another Dole who will lose.

Rachael S. writes:

Hannity: Would you go to a church that—where your pastor supported Louis Farrakhan?

McCain: Obviously, that would not be my choice.

The way McCain responded is the same as someone saying that they think abortion is wrong but they don’t think it should be illegal. Racism is an understandable choice, if you’re black. If you’re white though, watch out for McNasty! You’re right, McCain is just as anti-white as Obama. You wait for these white guys to defend America, and they don’t do it! In order to get a pro-Western statement out of them you have to corner them and play twenty questions until they begrudgingly say what they should have said through clenched teeth. No matter how many times I try to define their motives I come up short in front of their hateful disregard for everything that is good and decent.

LA writes:

Again I understand how contradictory it must seem to some readers that I am simultaneously attacking Obama and saying that I would not vote for McCain against him.

In fact, I am being consistent. In attacking Obama, I am doing the very thing that McCain ought to do but will never do. I am enacting politics as I think it ought to be, which is to oppose the left. Obama should be opposed, but not by means of supporting McCain, since McCain is Obama’s ally and excuser and will never stand against Obama’s anti-Americanism and anti-whiteness. Further, as I’ve said before, if Obama with his left-wing ideology wins, then the kind of opposition to Obama that is being expressed by many conservatives will continue. If McCain with his left-wing Lite ideology wins, there will be no conservative opposition to it. So my seemingly paradoxical position is consistent with maintaining a principled and vital conservative resistance to the left.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 18, 2008 01:04 AM | Send