The McCain/Broder edition of "Why don't their heads explode?"

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/7104

The McCain/Broder edition of "Why don't their heads explode?"
by Weldon Berger | Apr 27 2007


In a perfect world, the brains of politicians and pundits who say utterly contradictory things from one day to the next would spontaneously combust. This would occur often enough to create yet another serious climate change threat, but America is a great and innovative country that could meet the challenge head on, as it were, and create a solution. Electing serious politicians and eschewing moronic pundits would be a start.

A few days ago Washington Post columnist David Broder attacked Senate majority leader Harry Reid as "a continuing embarrassment" to Democrats equivalent to Alberto Gonzales for Republicans (and drew some choice words in response). Reid's proximate sin? Candor, specifically in saying that the war in Iraq is lost.

Today, in an attempt to resuscitate the Straight Talk Express, Broder congratulates John McCain for calling the Bush administration "a bloated, irresponsible and incompetent government" and saying that the US should not have attacked Iraq without "a realistic and comprehensive plan for success" and that the administration "did not meet this responsibility initially." Broder lauds McCain for recognizing that Bush — toward whom Broder's behavior would by Broder standards have warranted impeachment, if the columnist were an Oval Office intern — has become electorally toxic: "After years of cozying up to the man in the White House, and emerging (for better or worse) as the most eloquent defender of Bush's current strategy in Iraq, McCain this week reverted suddenly and dramatically to his 1999-2000 role as the leading Republican critic of politics as usual ... for John McCain, there must be at least some relief now in being able to speak his own mind -- whatever the consequences. Candor, even belatedly, becomes him."

If McCain is feeling any relief at all, it's from the knowledge that after seven years of relentlessly sucking up to Bush and wholeheartedly enabling that "bloated, irresponsible and incompetent" administration for the sake of political expediency, he's now getting bouquets from Broder — who represents a significant chunk of McCain's primary 2000 constituency, the press — for running against Bush and the administration, again for the sake of political expediency. Held against his will, he was, but now he's free, free at last to "suddenly and dramatically" revert "to his 1999-2000 role as the leading Republican critic of politics as usual."

Broder also throws in a dig at Bill Clinton, "whose personal recklessness had triggered impeachment." No word on whether Broder regards irresponsibility and incompetence as impeachable offenses — we know he's not concerned about serial lies and lawbreaking — but no doubt he will if McCain ever says so.

Possibly the silliest aspect of this very silly column is that by the time the primaries roll around, every GOP candidate will be running against Bush. I can't wait for Broder's tributes to Romney and Giuliani and whoever else gets into the act at the same time as he blasts Democrats for their divisiveness.