I think I may have used this title for a blog before, but as
it is so descriptive of some human behavior I believe it is still useful.
Unhappily, I think it applies to the behavior of one of our best known Senators
who was once a war hero but has in recent years dishonored himself several
times over. I am speaking of Senator John McCain of Arizona. I must say I
thought his questioning of Chuck Hegel today was disgraceful. He and Hegel were
friends, McCain had previously said he thought Hegel would be a great Secretary
of Defense, and today he turned on him like a jackal. His treatment of his
former friend and colleague was mean, unnecessary, petty and spiteful. I think
it was mainly personal as well as political. I guess it had to do with McCain’s
obsession with being right about Iraq when in fact he was completely wrong and
does not want to admit it. And it also, I think, was a continuation of his
constant revengeful attacks on President Obama for having defeated him in an
election. When you demand a yes or no answer to a complicated question like “was
the surge a success, yes or no,” you know the questioner is being completely
unreasonable. Such a question could only be posed by someone simple minded
enough to believe there are actually yes or no answers to everything. If you
asked McCain, for example, if the Iraq war was really necessary he would no
doubt answer “yes.” If you asked him if the sacrifice of 500,000 Iraq children
was worth the sanctions on that country he would also probably, without doubt
answer the same. So, Senator McCain, has our multi-billion dollar “war on drugs”
been a success, yes or no? Is the Republican party engaged in a “war on women,”
yes or no. Was “Custer’s last stand” necessary, yes or no? Did we lose the war in Vietnam, yes or no? Was the Civil War just about slavery, yes or
no? Remember we are talking about a man who was willing to risk the possible
fate of our nation to a virtually unknown basically mindless woman whose claim
to foreign policy experience was that she could see Russia from her front porch
and read all the newspapers and magazines put
in front of her, none of which she could name. Also, as I recall, she
thought Africa was a country. McCain was at one time a war hero, also a
sometimes reasonable “maverick.” How the mighty have fallen. He is a perfect
example of why we should have a mandatory retirement age.
Of course it is only to be expected that where McCain goes
his wimpy little Sancho Panza, Lindsey Graham, will follow. Graham’s concern,
as near as I could tell, is to make certain that the world’s number one war
criminal will be protected at all costs. Indeed, most of the criticism of Hegel
has to do with statements he made in the past indicating that Israel might
actually have undue influence over our Congresspersons. Heaven forbid that
anyone could say anything in any way, even a teensy bit critical of Israel, a
racist, colonial, criminal, murderous enterprise that has violated virtually
every UN and international standard ever imposed, and that is knowingly engaged
in a form of slow genocide of Palestinians.
As near as I can tell the attacks on Hegel are of two kinds,
personal and political. Apparently McCain has some personal grudge, maybe a few
others do as well, but the political part of it is more of an attack on
President Obama than Hegel. It is also obvious for some of the critics the
hearing is mainly being used as a place to get some air time and perhaps a “name.”
Much of the questioning and posturing had nothing much to do with being
Secretary of Defense, merely the usual Congressional obfuscation.
It seems there are at least some who believe that housewives
should be armed with assault rifles to protect themselves from potential assaults
by four or five (brown or black?) intruders intent on rape and pillage. Why
stop there? I think they should also have anti-aircraft guns for the potential flying
pigs. Really, are there no even imaginary limits too ridiculous or far-fetched for
the NRA and the gun manufacturers?
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