McCain Threatens to Oppose Interior Nominee Over Reagan Remark

[cali]

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain today denounced as “highly offensive” remarks about Ronald Reagan made by President Barack Obama’s nominee for the number two spot at the Department of the Interior.

At a nomination hearing for David Hayes for deputy secretary of Interior, the former Republican presidential candidate read aloud from an article that Hayes wrote in April 2006 which drew unfavorable comparisons between former President George W. Bush and Reagan.

In the article, Hayes wrote that “the conservative political agenda in the West is grounded in hoary stereotypes about the region and its people” and that “out of this conservative world view emerges the stereotypical Western man (and it is unquestionably a ‘he’)—a rugged, gun-toting individualist who fiercely guards every man’s right to drill, mine, log, or do whatever he damn well pleases on the land” and that “Like Ronald Reagan before him, President Bush has embraced the Western stereotype to the point of adopting some of its affectations—the boots, brush-clearing, and get-the-government-off-our-backs bravado.”

Asked whether he stood by those remarks, Hayes said “the prose is overly florid, and I regret that.”

That didn’t appease McCain.

“So you had to throw Reagan in there?” McCain continued
<snip>

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/03/12/mccain-threatens-to-oppose-interior-nominee-over-reagan-remark/

[w4rma]

1. I already like Mr. David Hayes. McCain can oppose him, but he'll be appointed. (nt)

[ColbertWatcher]

17. Agreed. His response alone shows he's got more class than most GOPers. n/t

[msongs]

2. mccain is a serial adulterer - he's got no moral right to be critical of anybody nt

[BuyingThyme]

3. What a buffoon. Keep it comin', John.

[suede1]

4. Holy crap! That's what McCain didn't like? He should hear what I say about Rayguns.

[Mugweed]

5. Hey John, STFU!

Loser...

[Uzybone]

6. Fuck you John McCain

[C_U_L8R]

7. Hey Johnny, go get your shine box.

[azmouse]

8. Hey McCain.... you lost. Sit down and shut up.

[alsame]

9. Mr. Hayes was right. What exactly is the problem? n/t

[asjr]

10. Apparently McCain really does not

like "straight talk."

[globalvillage]

11. What the heck is wrong with that?

Maybe McCain didn't understand 'hoary'?

[last_texas_dem]

12. What a whiner...

I'd like to think McCain's bullshitting, acting as if criticism (and not overly negative criticism, at that) of a former president is really solid grounds upon which to oppose a nominee. But I forget how irrational these Reagan cultists (and McCain certainly is one) get regarding anyone speaking ill of their deity.

[gratuitous]

13. Not just a whiner

A whiny-ass titty baby. "So you had to throw Reagan in there?" Sorry to diss your boyfriend, Johnny, but . . . Yeah, I had to throw Reagan in there.

[wtmusic]

14. And he could have been president.

We dodged a bullet. :scared:

[redqueen]

16. No kidding. (nt)

[depakid]

15. Might have been a good time to just say James Watt

and be done with it.

[tularetom]

18. While there was much to dislike about Ronnie

the "western" comparison with bush is ridiculous. At least reagan knew how to ride a horse and wasn't afraid of them.

[ingac70]

21. He still played that John Wayne BS.

Dementia ridden Ronnie was alot smarter than Dubya, though.

[Bjorn Against]

28. According to Laura Bush George wasn't afraid of horses at all, in fact he liked them a bit too much.

"But I'm proud of George. He's learned a lot about ranching since that first year when he tried to milk the horse. What's worse, it was a male horse." -Laura Bush 4/30/2005

Yes that is a real quote.

[Ian David]

19. John McCrybaby. n/t

[ingac70]

20. Sheesh, John. Raygun didn't even like you....

slut that you are.

[Botany]

22. Hint for you John .... the Reagans hated you for leaving your first ...

... wife.

[chollybocker]

23. This, from the man who called his own wife a cunt?

[spanone]

24. johnny is a bad boy....his temper is festering being a lowly senator

[Caliman73]

25. Sounds like he summed up the Republican ideal pretty well

Although he didn't mention that in order to be that prototypical "Western Man" nowadays you have to be fairly wealthy. Republicans don't like poor people for anything more than a vote. You should also typically be White. Republicans don't like minorities unless they can be used to show Republicans as being "of the people".

I mean look at McCain. He is a "maverick". He made it all on his own...oh wait...no he didn't. He basically flunked out of school and was saved by grandaddy's and daddy's connections. He crashed planes and should have had his wings clipped but again, he was connected. But after that when he came home from Nam he became a man and took the reigns of his own life...oh no, sorry, again...He was given a post in government service, then through connections of his mistress, then wife, he was helped to get a seat in the House. Then with the "family" money, he got into the Senate.

Other than that though, he is a self made man...

[sharp_stick]

26. Note to John McCain

who gives a shit what you do? That doddering old fool has succeeded in making himself irrelevant so fast it's amazing.

[WeDidIt]

27. This just proves, McCain is 72 years old

going on 3.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. "So you had to throw Reagan in there?"

:silly:

[Old and In the Way]

30. Shocking. Not everyone idolizes Ronald Reagan.

He was nowhere near the myth that Republicans want the American people to believe. Just another telegenic frontman for others that did the heavy lifting (a lot of it illegal) behind the scenes.

[Ilsa]

31. But telling a politician to "Go fuck yourself" like Cheney did is okay right? nt