THE PLANK AUGUST 21, 2008
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Following up on Mike's item from yesterday about McCain's vaunted "judgment," I hadn't realized until I read this Politico story that before McCain concluded Eduard Shevardnadze led a "corrupt government" in Georgia, he'd hailed Shevardnadze as "one the great men in the history of the world." Granted, McCain had these nice words for Shevardnadze back in 1999, when the then-Georgian leader was riding high, but it's striking how many times McCain's judgment on foreign affairs has been totally wrong. Well, at least he never called Shevardnadze "personally scrupulously honest."
--Jason Zengerle
4 comments
This proclamation will never surpass LBJ's reference (as VP) to South Vietnam's Diem as "the Winston Churchill of Southeast Asia." When questioned about this assessment, LBJ privately replied, "Shit man, he's the only old boy we got down there." Now, THAT is judgment. Strong and wrong, baby: it has a loooooooong pedigree. Maybe McCain should use the slogan openly. It just might work.
- propositionjoe
August 21, 2008 at 11:18am
Well, if you cannot recall how many homes you own, how could you possibly be held to what you said all the way back in 1999?
- kgrant1054
August 21, 2008 at 11:26am
Ah, another entry in McCain's long history of toadying up to powerful people with brown-nosed praise when they're in power, but insulting them once they're safely out of power. Yet another reason we so desperately need the 527 ad campaign, "John McCain. He's Kind of a Dick, Isn't He?"
It's not that McCain shows that he's wrong when he toadies up to people when they're strong and kicks them when they're weak. It's that he shows that he's a major-league a-hole when he does that. It's about character _and_ judgment.
- rhubarbs
August 21, 2008 at 11:33am
Even for toadying...even for an inveterate toady like Mac...I mean..."one the great men in the history of the world". Wow.
- boneill
August 21, 2008 at 1:18pm