Retinking McCain

So yes, the election is over and Barack Obama is now firmly ensconced in the Whitehouse. So why discuss John McCain’s choices during his failed attempt to run for president?

Well, I still have some lingering questions about how John McCain, a man who is admirable and politically savvy, decided to use the negative campaign strategy team that launched George Bush into office. Certainly, on the surface, the choice to go with a team (and tactics) that have a proven track record of success would seem a logical choice, especially when facing the juggernaut of momentum that the Obama campaign had generated. Still, the Obama juggernaut indicated that America was ready for a new type of government, built on a foundation of Hope and Possibility, rather than Fear and Arrogance. John McCain has been a fixture in American politics for 3 decades. The question then is, how could he miss such an obvious movement, and not try and capitalize on it himself? Or, at the very least, not tie himself to a campaign machine built on the principles and tactics that the evident trends indicate are being rejected by the voters?

There are two possible answers to this question:
1. John McCain was desperate and turned to the Bush-Rove-Cheney strategy team as a last ditch effort to tap into the power and influence of the neo-conservative movement.
2. John McCain is actually quite politically savvy, and he indeed recognized the strength and value of the Obama (Hope and Possibility) movement, and so he intentionally chose the Bush-Rove-Cheney campaign strategy BECAUSE he knew that it would fail, in essence, throwing the election.

The reasons for possibility #1 are obvious, and were John McCain not such an experienced politician and savvy political survivor, this would seem to be the only logical choice available to him. By choosing this path, he stays true to his Republican base, tosses a sop to the neo-cons and remains in power (with enhanced national recognition and influence).

The reasons for #2 are less obvious, though indicate a far savvier political strategist than first thought. By engaging a campaign strategy and team that is in the process of being rejected, and that is intimately tied to an outgoing administration that has the lowest approval ratings ever, McCain was actively putting the final nail in the entire Neo-Con revolution, a revolution that he himself had never fully endorsed or participated in.

In addition, it has become evident that John McCain has maneuvered himself to be a very prominent and influential player in the new Obama administration, basically becoming the poster child for the Obama administrations to truly “reach across the aisle” and mend the political rifts caused by divisive tactics that have defined the past eight years.

John McCain is a proven survivor, in life and in politics. No one questions the courage and fortitude that he displayed during his time as a prisoner of war, and he has leveraged that same strength and fortitude into his long political career. Perhaps he learned in prison that one can stand against a powerful force on the strength of one’s convictions, and that by doing so, outlast the powerful force.

Essentially, John McCain is a good and honest man, who has built a career of “being his own man”. He has also learned to become a wise political player who recognizes the value and strength in being flexible in alliance and temporary ideology so as to achieve a more lasting and broader objective. Some would call this flip-flopping or some other type of derogatory term…others might call it savvy political survival.