John McCain Pre-Postmortem: The Maverick Couldn't Hack It as a Party Man

October 28, 2008 RSS Feed Print
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If you haven't seen it, check out Rich Lowry's excellent pre-mortem of John McCain on NRO:

This is the McCain paradox: No other Republican candidate had a character and background—as a courageously independent spirit—better suited to making the presidential campaign competitive this year. But perhaps no Republican candidate was so poorly suited to the task of running a presidential race.

He goes on, pretty well dissecting the decline and fall of his Maverick-ness (due to said quality).

  • Click here to read more by Robert Schlesinger.
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The GOP has suffered greatly because allowed two below average thinkers to represent their pparty. john Mc Cain was something like 894 out of a class of 899 graduates in military school even though his father and grand father were admirals in the navy and who is to say the only reason he did graduate that high was because of his connections. Sarah Palin however has a different challege she is beautiful charming and feisty but is no brainiac and while she is a great speaker/performer she is also clearly not the brightest candle on the corner. She blames the media for her own inability to grasp issues and speak without sounding like a complete buffoom.

America should have had enough of four years of W. But no the liberal media went to sleep I guess and Bush slipped in the back door for another disaterous gig at our nations most important responsibility. After eight unglorious years of the likes of Bush, Cheney and lets not forget the all knowing one Rumsfield himself will are still here with the GOP trying to push off on us McCain and Palin. What was the GOP thinking sending up these substance-less intelectual underachievers. Sometimes I wonder did the GOP ever really want to win in 2008.

Jon Howell of AL 11:07AM October 29, 2008

An astute description by Robert Schlesinger:

McCaine is a Gadfly, not a Mavarick.

James Katt of CA 10:24AM October 29, 2008

He thought the campaign for president was bigger than him and allowed his hired help to mold him in what was their image of a presidential candidate. It did not fit him.

Then the stupid ploy of Palin ruined all chances he might have had to take charge of his campaign.

She has a great career as a comediane after politics, but is not presidential material.

But she does have great foreign policy credientials. She can see Russia and Canada from her helicopter while hunting moose.

HillbillyBill of TN 9:45AM October 29, 2008

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of "White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters." E-mail him at rschlesinger@usnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

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