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Politics and Punditry: McCain’s best way to win in November

By Mark Shields

Published: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 11:22 PM MDT

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution casts a long shadow on the 2008 presidential election. That amendment, an act of posthumous vengeance on the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who had four times won election to the White House, was the vengeful work of some petty?— mostly Republican — men who, unable to defeat FDR in life, decided to get even with him in death by limiting all future presidents to two terms.

Here is the irony of unintended consequences: Since the adoption of that amendment limiting presidents to two terms, the only two presidents who could almost certainly have won a third White House term if they had chosen to do so and been permitted were both Republicans: Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

This year, there are not a dozen semi-rational Americans -- not under indictment or de-tox— who seriously believe that President George W. Bush, were he permitted, could seek and win a third term.

History may well record that George W. Bush twice deprived John McCain of an excellent chance of winning the presidency. In 2000, the scurrilously libelous smears on McCain by Bush backers in the ugly South Carolina primary may well have deprived McCain of his best shot of winning his party’s nomination that year. Now, the albatross of Bush’s eight-year record of fiscal irresponsibility indenturing our children, of median family income actually falling by more than $2,000, of 5.5 million more American families living in poverty and 7 million more Americans without health insurance combine to leave John MCain with a discouraging, uphill fight.

In Denver, the Democrats uncharacteristically avoided strife and public mayhem. The much-questioned decision by the Obama campaign to give half of the convention’s four nights to speakers named Clinton turned out extraordinarily well. If there has ever been more grace under painful pressure of public defeat than that shown by Hillary Clinton this past week, I have not seen it at 19 political conventions.

Bill Clinton, as he almost always does under political pressure (recall his giving major presidential addresses barely hours after the Monica Lewinsky story broke and after his own impeachment) made a compelling public case for electing Barack Obama over John McCain.

There is a way for John McCain and his surprise running mate, Sarah Palin, to change the entire dynamic of this race in 2008, when voters overwhelmingly endorse a complete change from the policies and the partisanship of the Bush-Cheney years.

To become the true maverick while distancing himself both from Bush and Barack Obama ?— and to reclaim his own change brand — John McCain simply has to pledge that both he and his vice president will serve just one term, and then explain why.

This has nothing to do with age. McCain is vigorous and alert. But he is a patriot who could believably argue that the problems confronting the nation (inherited from Bush) cannot be solved by a Democratic solution or a Republican solution. The only realistic hope is American solutions, born of compromise and crafted out of genuine bipartisanship.

To prove his sincerity, McCain could pledge a Cabinet made up of independents, Democrats and Republicans — to seek the advice, ideas and support of the Democratic House speaker and Democratic Senate majority leader long before he even sends any major initiative to the Congress.

Does he risk becoming, if elected, a lame duck? John McCain ?— if he won and governed this way — could publicly shame the political class from organizing their presidential Iowa and New Hampshire campaigns for at least two years. Democrats still supporting Hillary might be tempted to back McCain in November if they knew there would be a vacancy for their candidate to run again in 2012.

It would be bold and refreshing, and it might even work. And for John McCain, dragged down by the weight of George W. Bush for the next nine weeks, it’s certainly worth a try!

Mark Shields currently appears on “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer” opposite David Brooks of “The New York Times.” Distributed By Creators Syndicate Inc. Copyright 2008 Mark Shields


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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of gvnews.com.

Snoopy wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:01 AM:

" The McPalin Hypocrisy Express
2 09 2008

What is it with Republicans and unqualified women? Harriet Miers, Monica Goodling and now Sarah Palin. Palin is an inept hack in the mold of GeeDubya. No wonder the nitwits who want to keep strangling America for the next four years love her. Is Palin really the best qualified person to take the reigns when McCain keels over? Is she better than every other Republican in America? Are her gifts so great that they simply must be shared with the nation? Is there no other Republican who is up to the task?

McCain has portrayed Obama as the high risk choice, the one whose inexperience renders him unfit for the job. McCain has said it, his GOP flacks have said it and so have the conservative pundits. Why wouldn’t McCain choose someone who appears to be more experienced than Obama? Has the right wing been lying to us all this time about how experience matters? Yes, they have because McCain’s selection proves that to him experience doesn’t matter at all. Appeasing the base and winning elections are more important than what is right for the country. At least Bush had the sense to pick a running mate who could help him govern.

McCain intended for the world to to be buzzing about what a bold, “maverick” move he had made. Instead we get treated to a hypocritical fundamentalist soap opera. These are the people who preach abstinence, but don’t practice it. Palin is proud of Bristol’s “decision” to keep her baby but the Governor would deny that choice to everyone else, even to save the life of the mother. They throw Bristol to the wolves to squelch a rumour about whether the baby with Down’s is actually Bristol’s then complain that her privacy is being violated. All they had to do was produce a birth certificate and some eye witnesses. Of course we know that McCain believes children should be off limits since he once joked that Chelsea Clinton is so ugly because Janet Reno is her father.

The McCain campaign is one gigantic, sick joke. His failure to vet properly, if at all, shows astonishingly poor judgement. This is not some high stakes craps game (which McCain is known to enjoy), what is at stake is the future of our country. The idea that McCain would actually ask the voters to consider putting their future in the hands of Sarah Palin is just nuts. I have a feeling that Palin will soon announce that she needs to
spend more time with her family.” "

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