Saturday, July 12, 2008

New ambassador to Minsk?

I've been in Spain and Mallorca this last week, with limited connectivity, but upon arriving back in the US on Thursday, I see how John McCain has Completely thrown his most trusted economic adviser - Phil Graham - under the bus.

I've been thrown under the bus a few times in the past by petty and evil bosses, and insecure co-workers in the last 3 decades, so when I hear or see someone else getting thrown under the bus (disavowed, labeled incorrect or incompetent or not representing the correct part line), I sorta find a twisted sense of joy in looking back at the facts, that lead up to the denunciation.

As I shaved and got dressed in my un-air conditioned, musty, Holiday Inn North ATL airport hotel room Friday morning (that Delta paid for, since they canceled my flight back to Arizona), I could not stop laughing each time the TV played clips of McCain saying:
“I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I am not sure that the citizens of Minsk would welcome that.” (this link provided by that liberal bastion, Fox News)

...and then John Edwards calling Gramm a "guru" on ABC (and linked here to Huffington Post)

And like most denials, that are completely opposed to the facts, the more the McCain camp tried to say that Gramm was not a trusted adviser and that he didn't speak for McCain, the more they tried to deny it, the more obviously apparent it was that he was indeed the closest of advisers and a long term friend.

"In 1996, McCain was national chairman of Gramm's unsuccessful presidential bid." (from Politico back in January 2008)

"McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers. "They've been friends for years, and he values Sen. Gramm's advice."" (from Politico again, in Jan 2008)

Huffington Post
back in January said that "Texas Sen. Phil Gramm (who would almost certainly be Treasury secretary in a McCain administration)."" ... raises the hairs on the back of my neck!

So here's this fellow sentator, whose friendship goes back at least 12 years to Gramm's unsuccessful 1996 Presidential bid when McCain was a Vice Chairman of the campaign, and is a close friend, a trusted advisor, a PhD in economics, and McCain, in the national media, throws him under the bus.

Wow. What amazing loyalty! No flip flopping there by McCain.

Searching the McCain website, one finds lots of references to loyalty.

Searching Google, one finds veterans who are pissed at McCain for not following standard prisoner of war protocol when he was held by the North Vietnamese - this is not a made up site, it contains transcripts of intercepts from statements made by McCain on Vietnamese radio. Of course, McCain WAS tortured... and everyone knows that torture produces such excellent information.

And there's McCain's well documented loyalty to W.

And I could go on and on.. but that's enough for now. I need to pack. My hot wife and I are going to Vegas tomorrow, to spend a few days with our good friends Tim and Jill who are celebrating 20 years of marriage this weekend.

À bientôt!

2 comments:

  1. It's Phil Gramm, who was practically begging to be thrown under the bus when he gives an interview in which he dismissed angst about the economy in a typically condescending way. From a McCain campaign standpoint, this was completely counterproductive. If your senior campaign folks can't stay on message, and actively harm your campaign, you fire them. Granted, it's really hard to stay on message when your candidate is incompetent. Carly's learning that, too; e.g.:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=6Q8obHEULLg

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  2. I agree it is counter-productive, but, Gramm didn't say anything new. If you're making upper 6, closer to 7 digits or more a year, have lots of oil stock and defense stocks, perhaps are invested in the Carlye Group, then just like Phil Gramm, and George Will, and other right-wingers, you're doing pretty damn good, and those whiny people making less than 6 figures a year just need to shut up and pull themselves up from their bootstraps.
    Of Course anyone who has not drank the koolaid KNOWS that there's serious, global, financial problems facing the US, Europe, and the rest of the world, and McCain would have been insane to NOT throw his long time buddy Gramm under the bus. It just kills me that McCain so rapidly jettisons a close friend and ally, who said what many other wealthy Republicans are thinking.

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