McCain in a plain wrapper

Peeling back the wrapper:

Think Progress charts how McCain's tax plan is another giveaway to the richest among us. The information derives from an analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. This analysis shows just how much each of the presidential candidates stand to gain from their respective tax proposals.

Under the McCain Tax Plan, John and Cindy would save $373,429. Barack and Michelle would save $49,329.

Under the Obama Tax Plan, John and Cindy would save $5,641. Barack and Michelle would save $6,124.



Charlie Black, the eminent lobbyist serving as McCain's top go-to-guy, has been quoted as saying that another terrorist attack would "be a big advantage" for the McCain campaign. When questioned about Black's comment, McCain said "I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true."

Hmm. Keith Olbermann noted on his MSNBC show that back in 2004, McCain personally offered the suggestion that a little terrorist activity might help the Republicans. "...a Connecticut paper quoted McCain as saying during a local campaign stop that thanks to the release of an alleged al Qaeda tape, 'Bin Laden may have just given us a little boost.'"

A major question, raised by Chad at BuzzFlash (along with many others) is why McCain has not called for Black's resignation? Chad suggests the fact McCain has not fired Black impeaches McCain's character.

From BuzzFlash: "The assassination of Benzair Bhutto in December was an 'unfortunate event,' says Black. 'But his [McCain's] knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.' As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 'Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,' says Black."

According to Chad, "It says a lot about the McCain campaign that he hasn't called upon Black to resign, and it says quite a bit about Black in that he didn't voluntarily offer to resign."


Alex Koppelman at Salon.com further unwraps Mr. McCain by informing us that McCain has missed the most votes of any senator during the 110th Congress. Koppelman dramatizes the issue by noting that "At this point, he has missed more votes than even South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson, who couldn't work for almost a year after suffering a brain hemorrhage in late 2006."

Koppelman refers to an article at Think Progress showing that McCain was the "Senate's most absent member in April of this year..."

From the Washington Post we learn that McCain has missed 367 votes during the 110th Congress, 61.4 of the total, which Johnson has missed 311 votes. Obama is in 3rd place, missing 259 votes.


Then, of course, there's issue of McCain's "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, fanatical television evangelist from Ohio. McCain also called Parsley his "moral guide." This particular relationship did not get the same media attention that McCain's relationship with John Hagee did, but it is just as telling and an important reminder as to the kind of person John McCain is...underneath all that "hero" stuff.

No one with any sense of reality believes that McCain, "an Episcopalian-turned Baptist-of-convenience" (as Sarah Posner so neatly puts it), would go to Parsley for anything but his endorsement in order to garner the votes of the poor folks who are sucked into Parsley's game of emptying their pocketbooks. In other words, McCain's sucking up to Parsley is as much of a sham as his shameless kneeling before John Hagee!

Parsley is an uneducated con man/huckster who has thousands of fools following him. He tells them if they send him money God will richly bless them and fill their cups to overflowing with financial abundance.

Parsley is a goofball who speaks in tongues, a faith-healer who claims he can break homosexuals from their "bondage," who knows when Christ is coming back, despises humanists and secularists and believes God has called him to help America with its heavenly mission - the destruction of Islam.

Parsley endorsed McCain after McCain came begging. McCain, belatedly (after hanging on to it for three months), rejected Parsley's endorsement. Parsley then withdrew his endorsement of McCain.

Isn't this fun. McCain is endorsed by two of the grossest religious freaks in the country--Hagee and Parsley--and tells the world how wonderful they are and how happy he is to have their endorsement, and then, only when the media uncovered the rot under their shiny surfaces did McCain back away.

McCain's problem is that he'll call anyone great, a "spiritual guide," a "moral leader," etc., if he thinks that will bring him more votes. He rejects these creatures of the night only when it becomes a stop-loss situation.


Let's wrap up McCain in November and send him back to Arizona and the beer biz.