What McCain should have done
The controversy about what McCain said, and didn’t say, on Leno last night about Sarah Palin points to a much bigger issue:
Here’s what he said,
“These things happen in campaigns, and I’m just very proud to have had Sarah Palin and her family.”
That’s a nice, namby-pamby sentiment.
It’s not the answer of a leader.
McCain should have instead insisted, as Michelle Malkin said,
I’m going to get to the bottom of this and make sure those blabbermouths never work in a major campaign again.”
Dan (via Larwyn) is even tougher on McCain. I wouldn’t agree with most of Dan’s post but for the fact that McCain’s approach to politics is that of a go-between between two sides, not one of a leader.
Presidential politics is all about leadership. It’s about a vision for the nation. It’s about having a message and sticking to it. It’s about conveying that message to every voter in the country and having them understand that you are the person to bring that vision about.
That, my friends, is why McCain lost the election.
UPDATE
It took me a few minutes to find it, but Erik linked to a Melanie Phillips article where she essentially said something similar,
But John McCain is a Republican who does not fit the old template, who does subscribe to some of this ‘change’ agenda on a number of issues. As a result, he was incapable of attacking Obama on the most important grounds of all: that he stood for values inimical to America’s founding principles. When he did venture into this territory, it was half-cocked and far too late, appearing merely like the desperate throw of a loser. The reason he couldn’t do it earlier was that he had no coherent platform of his own. So why vote for a muddled and erratic quasi-’progressive’ when the real thing is a rock star? It cannot be said too emphatically — the Republicans lost this election. Obama ran a superbly disciplined campaign and he was an impressive candidate, particularly in his calm and stately demeanour throughout. The Republicans screwed up in government, they selected a hopelessly frail and erratic candidate, he ran a shambolic campaign. They deserved to lose.
Tags: Fausta's blog
November 12th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
[...] What McCain should have done The controversy about what McCain said, and didn’t say, on Leno last night about Sarah Palin points to a much bigger issue: Here’s what he said, “These things happen in campaigns, and I’m just very proud to have had Sarah Palin and her family.” That’s a nice, namby-pamby sentiment. It’s not the answer of a leader. McCain should have instead insisted, as Michelle Malkin said, I’m going to get to the bottom of this and make sure those blabbermouths never work in a major campaign again.” [...]
November 13th, 2008 at 8:38 am
That’s a nice, namby-pamby sentiment.
It’s not the answer of a leader.
You said it all right there.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:11 am
In retrospect, this is a major issue that I’m relieved that Sen. McCain lost the election. He knocks over those Republicans and conservatives to ‘reach across the aisle’ and shake hands with those who would otherwise want to do him political harm. He chose Gov. Palin as his ‘wingman’ and as a naval aviator himself, you don’t betray the one who has your back. When the NC GOP ran ads against Barack Obama, he cried at the top of his lungs to remove the ads. Now that his own VP’s character is being dragged through the mud, his silence is deafening. IMHO, this was dishonorable. And to use the Leno show as his platform to say a sentence or two to praise Gov. Palin shows that he is more interested in his own celebrity rather than doing the honorable thing. And a note to Sen. McCain – the MSM called you a ‘maverick’ only when you went against your party in favor for the Democrats. Gov. Palin is considered a ‘maverick’ by those who admire the work she has done for going against those in her own party who have corrupted it for their personal gain.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Now that we’ve learned that those remarks you’re all up in a huff about came from a hoaxster, not McCain’s staff, are y’all ready to eat your words now?