Part of me says I should be empathetic to John McCain's "predicament"

[Atman]

But I get over it quickly.

I mean, here is a guy who had it all. He had half the democrats and 90% of the GOP ready to annoint him. And he pissed it away.

But it's good for all of us that he did it NOW instead of later. If he is so piss-poor at reading the will of the people and understanding the problems we face that he could lose his substantial lead AND all of his money in such a short time, it only proves that he is simply not presidential material. He is a war "hero" in that he spent a very long time in a damp bamboo cage, but that doesn't make him a leader or a decision maker. Just an angry old man lacking focus. With an enormous chip on his shoulder, to boot.

Good riddance, John. It may hurt like hell to have to be the first one to drop out, but do it now, for what's left of your sanity. You bagged a republican trophy wife...you're old. Go home and enjoy it. Leave the serious politics to the big boys who understand what's going on.

.

[saracat]

1. Why? John has ALWAYS been an ahole.He is my Senator and he has ALWAYs been a jerk.

Some DUers thought he was actually a "liberal" or a moderate.He has NEVER been either. His kissing Bush's butt didn't surprise me in the least.Good riddance!

[gasperc]

2. No, I hope he raises $25 million more and blows through that

I hope all the GOP candidates raises tons of money that they waste in mind boggling ways. Bush out spent Gore nearly 2-1, with all that money he was able to push out ALOT of lies about Gore. In 2004, the money race was officially more even, but through the use of federal dollars, Bush again out spent Kerry by a large, large amount. and when I say federal dollars, choice contracts, favorable legislation, phony news ads made by the government, I could on and on .

[TransitJohn]

3. I'm with you on thinking I should be empathetic.

But I'm not, and quickly over that. But I think that we need to realize that he didn't so much piss it away (he sort of did, by trusting his party), as had his party stab him in the back.

[NewJeffCT]

4. I never liked him - he is a RWer pretending to be a moderate

by going against the GOP a few times. Most of the time, though, he's toed the party line.

Back in 2000, I didn't like him, but at least had a bit of respect for him. And, I felt sorry that he got swift-boated by the Bush crowd and that his wife got trashed, too.

But, he's sold his soul these past 3-4 years, and I've lost the little respect I had for him.

[emulatorloo]

5. He did it to himself. Step 1: Hugging Bush

Step 2: Repeatedly doing the dirtywork of Bush/Rove and stabbing his fellow vet and friend John Kerry in the back in '04

Step 3: Running to the Right Wing Fundy Wackos to give conciliatory Speeches.

Step 4; Hugging Bush's Surge.

Step 5: Hiring "swiftboats for truth" advisors for his campaign

Well I know I have left a ton of things out (Wholeheartedly joining the pile on re 2006 Kerry's "Botched Joke" when he new DAMN well that Kerry was insulting Bush, not the troops -- in other words, doing Karl Rove's bidding.)

[Cameron27]

6. Not a single part of me says I should be empathetic to

the "maveric." I can't stand the sob.

[IChing]

7. The question is?

Does John McCain have a $20?

[TlalocW]

8. Empathetic? Hell, it's Schadenfreude-City for me, baby

This asshole deserves everything that's happening to him. He wasn't man enough to stand up to Bush in 2000 when the Bush campaign started rumors about his having an out-of-wedlock Black child (actually an adopted child from India) then he did everything he could to suck up to Bush afterwards, and then he completely reversed himself when it came to the religious kooks in his party showing himself to be just as big an opportunistic hypocrite as Romney except with a pissy old-man's demeanor. I'm glad he's going down in flames, and I hope it gnaws on him late at night that at the tail-end of his life - both political and natural - he turned himself into a complete whore, and it didn't get him anywhere.

TlalocW

[SomeGuyInEagan]

9. Nope

I realize politicians need to be sleazy to a certain degree to survive ... the American public and media thrive on that behavior.

I realize that politicians have to lie and sell out in order to stay in power ... regrettably, that is what the system is.

And, I can't disrespect the guy for holding opinions and positions that differ with my own ... I can disagree the opinion/position and question his hold on reality or thought process, but I respect that he believes what he believes and is entitled to do so.

BUT what I can despise him for is his complicity in the invasion of Iraq, support of an administration working to destroy the Constitutional rights of the American people while empowering the "rights" of corporations and forever altering the America into which my daughter was born two years ago, a much different America than I was born into.

For that, he - and many others - will never get my empathy in any matter.

He's a whore and a has-been. Karma's a bitch, John.