Arizona – The old John McCain was back Sunday, writing a gallant tribute to President Obama – and delivering a veiled rebuke to former running mate Sarah Palin.
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The Arizona senator who ran against Obama and was clearly deeply embittered by his loss, praised the President’s call in Arizona for greater civility as a “terrific speech.”
Obama, he said, “comforted and inspired the country.”
“We should be mindful as we argue about our differences that so much more unites than divides us,” McCain wrote in The Washington Post.
“Our political discourse should be more civil than it currently is, and we all, myself included, bear some responsibility for it not being so.”
Taking on those heated voices from the Tea Party fringes who call Obama a Nazi, a usurper, or an outright agent of evil, McCain wrote:
“I disagree with many of the President’s policies, but I believe he is a patriot sincerely intent on using his time in office to advance our country’s cause.
“I reject accusations that his policies and beliefs make him unworthy to lead America or opposed to its founding ideals,” he wrote.
That stands in stark contrast to Palin, who has called Obama’s policies “un-American” and just last week accused him of being “hellbent on weakening America.”
McCain offered some support to Palin, whose gun-happy political rhetoric was blamed by some for the Tucson massacre by a lone nut with no clear political agenda.
“Imagine how it must feel to have watched one week ago the incomprehensible massacre of innocents…and to have heard in the coverage of that tragedy voices accusing you of complicity in it,” he wrote.
But then McCain appeared to chide Palin’s defensive response, in which she rejected calls to tone down the political vitriol as attempts to “muzzle dissent.”
McCain wrote: “It is not beyond us to do better; to behave more modestly and courteously and respectfully toward one another.”
Influential Washington Post columnist Dan Balz said the column should be the beginning of a thaw between McCain and Obama, who have been wary adversaries since 2008.
“Not since his gracious concession speech on the night of the election has McCain spoken so generously of his rival,” Balz wrote. “Obama should not let the opportunity pass to reach out to McCain in return.”
Well the good news is that he is just abouta has been. The people are sick of those in the “middle” who suck up to the liberals. Socialism MUST be defeated – NOT negotiated!
I live in Phoenix, shame on us for reelecting such an old fool. He ran a lackluster campaign for the presidency but when he was challenged in the primary here, he spent a bundle of money trashing his opponent in such a vicious fashion, and portraying himself as a conservative. I wish he would have followed Arlen Spector lead and switched parties, joining the Democratic party that he really holds allegiance to, but in Arizona as a Democrat he would not have won. I wish the Republican Party would wake up. This past election sent a clear message that we are a conservative populace who are fed up with RINOS(republican in name only), and want our country put back on the track of fiscal responsibility, secure borders, and a strong military. Obama didn’t get the message, It seem McCain didn’t get it either.
To the first couple of commentors above and no doubt the many more to come: How dare you insult the integrity of a war hero like John McCain? His career voting record by the way, is solidly conservative, so let’s not have the Sean Hannity-inspired nonsense of how he’s a closet liberal. McCain’s right — as wrong-headed as Obama is on many issues, he/s a patriotic American, and calling him a socialist or a Marxist or any of the other names the loony right loves to call him is just insane — and makes moderate Americans more likely to support Obama.
First of all , #3 I have some news for you, Benedict Arnold was a war hero. Go hang a nice picture of benedict arnold in your living room.
I for one am very proud that I hadn’t voted for McCain in 2008. I voted for Chuck Baldwin.
McCain, its time to retire. Go home and live the rest of your days in peace and leave the rest of us alone.
The same posters here who stood steadfast behind McCain for the last two years now turn on him in a second for simply saying the he believes Obama’s policies are wrong, but well intentioned. What this really means is that if you don’t hear someone spread the hatred and slander you do, they should retire.
If anything is socialist, TARP was. If we just let Capitalism play itself out and have zero consumer demand from the 98% whose real incomes have declined bring down the 2% at the top — but then where would the tea party or fox news getting their $
one thing not mentions here is the US government took control of GM’s pension
which is socialism. GM is okay today but the government should not back up company’s for making stupid decision.
This poor excuse of a politician should just fade into the darkness and get a job sweeping floors, instead of bleeding the public coffers for a living.
Though Obama AKA the Kenyan Illegal alien who occupies the White House certainly did NOT deserve to win, McCain certainly DID deserve to lose, all we would have needed was a RINO in office