The Maverick
by Rebecca Schoenkopf
There's a growth industry in John McCain profiles right now -- no, I don't know why, unless it's the spectacle of the former war hero actually having to fight for his political survival with the attack from his right flank in the person of JD Hayworth.
Sunday's missive comes our way from New York magazine, "What Would a Maverick Do," but we all already know that John McCain has now claimed he never thought of himself as a maverick, so The Question Is Moot. The rest of it is just about how angry he is. He's always been angry, though, so I don't know why people are just discovering it.
Saturday's entry was Jacob Weisberg's in Slate, "The Saddest Senator." It mourned the loss of the flinty independent-minded senator who (it is true) had bucked his party on torture among other things. (I once watched Bill O'Reilly loftily and unironically explain to John McCain that torture is effective. It was a hell of a sight.)
I will say this, though. If I jump in the wayback machine, I can still remember sitting in my mama's little Hermosa Beach living room and watching the 2000 Republican Debate. (That is the kind of thing we live for.) The best question of the day for the ragtag bunch of lovable shlemiels was along the lines of, "What are you ashamed of," or "What's your biggest regret?" A simple question, but Alan Keyes's answer was emblematic of the group, which all denied ever having done anything less than Campbells' Soup-wholesome. Keyes's answer? How dare they ask such a racist question. Really, it was howlingly funny.
Meanwhile, of the entire pack, only McCain had an actual answer: he regretted the Keating Five scandal. He hadn't REEEEEALLY done anything wrong, but he regretted not being above the "appearance" of impropriety. We all looked at each other, nodded, raised our brows. Good answer! Still not admitting shit, but an ACTUAL ANSWER. All right, Straight Talk Express!
He's had other public apologies for not living up to the standards he'd set himself. (Weisberg's Slate column above is a good rundown of specifics, and why he can't apologize again this time for flip-flopping all over his heretofore "strongly" held beliefs. McCain was never the maverick the gushing press thought he was. But he was better than some.
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