CNN's McIntyre the latest to call McCain a "maverick"
On the February 1 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joined the ranks of MSNBC's Chris Matthews, National Journal's The Hotline editor in chief Chuck Todd, Washington Post staff writer Anne E. Kornblut, and Wall Street Journal national political editor John Harwood in baselessly calling Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a "maverick." McIntyre was reporting on the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nomination of Gen. George W. Casey, the outgoing top U.S. commander in Iraq, to be Army chief of staff. McIntyre said: "The case against Casey was laid out in prosecutorial style by maverick Republican John McCain, who slammed the outgoing Iraq commander's past rosy predictions and his reluctance to call for reinforcements while Iraq descended into chaos." However, as Media Matters for America has documented, McCain has himself issued rosy predictions and praised the administration's Iraq war strategy since Casey assumed his post in July 2004.
From the February 1 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight:
McINTYRE: Well, Lou, Casey admitted that things in Iraq had not worked out the way he predicted. In his words, "Not where I thought I would be when I was walking out the door." But while he accepted responsibility, he offered no apology.
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The case against Casey was laid out in prosecutorial style by maverick Republican John McCain, who slammed the outgoing Iraq commander's past rosy predictions and his reluctance to call for reinforcements while Iraq descended into chaos.
McCAIN: I question seriously the judgment was that was employed in your execution of your responsibilities in Iraq. And we have paid a very, very heavy price in American blood and treasure because of what is now agreed to by literally everyone as a failed policy.
McINTYRE: Casey's critics fault him for failing to adapt as the war took a turn for the worse and only asking for more troops in December, after President Bush ordered an overhaul of Iraq's strategy.
I've got a new name for McCain The Pain....DJKane...he-spins-so-much-you'd-think-he-was-a-dj...
So you're saying there is a generally understood meaning for a maverick in an American political context such as this? Or are you saying he's not that much of a maverick by comparison to his peers or to those seeking the presidency?
Say what you mean, because I think he's been a maverick relative to others in the GOP. Maybe you're just highlighting his kissing up to the Bush administration by helping deflect blame from them and onto the general, which is not mavericklike in one way but it is in another sense in that it's a gamble that it will help him down the line in his presidential campaign.
His problem is that eventually he capitulates to the usual Rovian Republican message, and oftentimes actually defends it. But interesting analysis, though.
Nothing like having an "independent", "maverick" like John McCain dispensing so much "straight talk" that us normal folks have no way of possibly understanding the true wisdom of an extremely conventional and extremely conservative Republican such as Sir John of the desert wasteland known as Arizona.
If you want to see Sir John of the desert give more pearls of wisdom such as his enthusiasm for the great surge of death currently going on in Iraq check out [link to therealmccain.com]
I think a "Maverick Republican" is somebody who wears a green tie once a year.
like a "Maverick Catholic" who has a burger on Friday once in a while.
Baselessly? McCain breaks from the Republican Party every chance he gets. From campaign finance reform to immigration reform to opposing the interrogation program, McCain has been liberal on several issues in which he has broken with the Republicans. The reason that the mainstream media likes him so much is because he bashes his own party so much. You guys should support McCain for president. His views actually line up with those on left more than those on the right on several key issues.
RINO Hunter, thanks a lot for the free unsolicited advice about who we should support. Worth every penny.
McCain's a master of illusion, of saying one thing and doing another. He's the man the GOP uses to con the masses that some of them actually care. But when all is said and done, more smoke has been blown up the butts of the population and the crimes continue...like the anti-torture law that he let Bush "compromise" on, then didn't say a peep when Bush put a "I won't obey this" signing statement onto it.
A con man seeks your confidence, your trust, as he robs you blind and he even gets you to help in your own impoverishment. A con man loves a fool. McCain is a con man.
McCain is a white house shill - beautifully disguised as a "lone-wolf." One of the most dangerous candidates around - as his ACTUAL duplicity is disguised by the hype about him being a "maverick." Watch for more of this as the pre-election heats up - especially considering he has hired some of the best attack-ad pitbulls in the business.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/us/politics/04mccain.html?_r=1&oref=slogincheck it out. straight-talk my @ss.