Candace

Talmadge

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June 23, 2008

The Presidency: Entirely About Character, Part 1 

Twelve years ago, Republicans tried to unseat incumbent President Bill Clinton by making the election a referendum on character. The GOP candidate, Bob Dole, was a sterling fellow, while the Democrat was a sleazebag. Such was the Republican refrain ad infinitum. (Pssst. It didn’t work.) 

Having voted in more decades of presidential elections than I care to admit, I have reached a similar conclusion. The presidency of this nation is almost entirely about character because, frankly, there is no other position like it in the world. The U.S. presidency wields immense power and thus comes with immense responsibility. Training for it is strictly on the job. 

Where the buck stops, then, is where character begins. The character of the person occupying the Oval Office is precisely what sees him through unique challenges and trials for which there is no specific preparation. Since the Republicans are the ones who trumpet so-called family values at the drop of a hat and have made character an issue in past presidential elections, let’s start with the GOP contender. 

Supporters of John McCain cite his war record – his five-plus years of brutal captivity in North Vietnam – as evidence of his tempered character. He suffered immensely in the service of his country and we owe him and all other veterans our gratitude and practical support when they need it. (It’s a shame, then, that McCain does not support Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s bill to provide full college tuition for all veterans who have served for at least three years.) 

What transpired after McCain returned from imprisonment, however, reveals a very different aspect of his character. According to a story in a British newspaper, The Mail on Sunday, McCain’s first wife, Carol, was disfigured in an automobile accident while her husband was in captivity. She lost her good looks and gained weight. Upon returning home, McCain began to have affairs and subsequently divorced Carol to marry a younger, beautiful beer heiress – his second wife, Cindy. 

So much for family values. But there is additional evidence that speaks to McCain’s character as well, such as his dismal academic record at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated at the bottom 1 percent of his class. Then there is his poor performance in the military. “From day one in the Navy, McCain screwed up again and again, only to be forgiven because his father and grandfather were four-star admirals,” investigative reporter Jeffrey Kline writes at The Huffington Post. 

Then there is the entire sordid mess of Lincoln Savings & Loan, which cost taxpayers $3.4 billion to bail out during the late 1980s. McCain and four other senators attempted to thwart legitimate federal oversight of Lincoln on behalf of the corrupt man who controlled it, Charles Keating. Although McCain supposedly learned his lesson about undue influence, his presidential campaign leadership has been riddled with lobbyists who have had to resign once their questionable ties became widely known. How much has he really learned? 

There are smaller questionable episodes as well. Just recently, when U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, suggested a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax as a way to relieve high pump prices, McCain eagerly signed on to this sordid gimmick. He’s also been videotaped numerous times saying something and then later filmed denying he ever said it. He displays a remarkable ability to rewrite history to suit his convenience as well as a volatile temper. 

McCain’s entire history, alas, raises multiple red flags about his character. Far from his mainstream media portrayal as a straight-talking maverick, his actions and words reveal him to be an opportunistic social climber with conveniently flexible ethics. 

McCain simply isn’t our best choice this year for the White House. Up soon: A look at the character of his Democratic opponent.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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