The Swift Boating of John McCain

If nothing else John McCain would seem to be a slow learner. He was effectively "Swift Boated" by Karl Rove in 2000 and now as he begins his run for the presidency in 2008 he is being "Swift Boated" again in spite of kissing up to Bush in 2004. There have been some who have talked about John McCain's mental instability before this but Ronald Kessler, Newsmax reporter and author of books favorable to both George W. Bush and Laura, lays it all out on the table today.

McCain's Out-of-Control Anger: Does He Have the Temperament to Be President?

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is considered a front-runner for the 2008 race, but does McCain have the temperament to be president?


As portrayed by the mainstream media, McCain is an engaging war hero, a man of political moderation positioned between the left and the right.



But to insiders who know him, McCain has an irrational, explosive side that make many of them question whether he is fit to serve as president and be commander in chief.


Nowhere is that sentiment stronger than in the Senate, where McCain has few friends or supporters. In fact, when McCain ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2000, only four Republican senators endorsed him.

A nut case in the Senate?

"I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues," said former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. "He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We've all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I've never seen anyone act like that."



McCain's outbursts often erupted when other members rebuffed his requests for support during his bid in 2000 for the Republican nomination for president. A former Senate staffer recalled what happened when McCain asked for support from a fellow Republican senator on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.


"The senator explained that he had already committed to support George Bush," the former Senate staffer said. "McCain said ‘f— you' and never spoke to him again."


"He had very few friends in the Senate," said former Senator Smith, who dealt with McCain almost daily. "He has a lot of support around the country, but I don't think he has a lot of support from people who know him well."

Now I am certainly no fan of John McCain and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if there was an element of truth in Kessler's charges but someone is sure trying to nip McCain's bid in the bud.