Why do the people of Arizona keep electing McCain? His behavior grows increasingly bizarre. He has descended into a search for self-importance expressed through an evident desire to see unending war as the future of America. Perhaps members of congress should be periodically examined for evidence of mental illness.
Senator McCain seems to think that he can run the foreign policy of the United States from his seat in the senate. McCain does not seem to remember that he was defeated by Obama and therefore is not in charge of foreign policy nor does he command the armed forces. Ah! I may be wrong. Perhaps that is all he remembers.
In the War Between the States, the Republican radicals in congress attempted to seize control of the war effort and the armed forces. They did this by creating something called the Joint committee on the Conduct of the War. This group regularly "examined" the conduct and opinions of officers for the purpose of ensuring ideological purity and zeal for the fight. One could easily imagine many of the collection of zealots now featured on MSNBC as member of that committee. Senators McCain and Graham would have been a good "fit" for the committee along with others of Peter King variety.
Lincoln resisted this grab for his constitutional power. He resisted it most effectively, but even so, a number of talented officers were ruined by the committee's influence. Fitz John Porter and Charles Stone come to mind. Porter was court-matialed at the urging of the committee and Stone imprisoned without trial.
Obama would do well to defend Dempsey and to stand by him. If he does not, then he will see power slip away from him even more rapidly than it has thus far. pl
Col: If Obama does not stand up for General Demspsey, let's hope General Dempsey retires instead of accommodating himself to idiocy.
Posted by: Matthew | 19 July 2013 at 10:11 AM
Does anyone know exactly what Senator McCain hopes to glean from this obstructionist stance regarding General Dempsey .
Posted by: Alba Etie | 19 July 2013 at 02:28 PM
Col Lang
I have for a time been positing here at SST that we could be in the midst of a course correction re misbegotten neo con policy such as removing Assad the Younger . Perhaps General Dempsey's renomination fight will be a test of the theory that we are seeing a course correction . If President Obama stands and fights for Dempsey then we know we may very well be seeing the Realist having impact - more then say Samantha Powers .At least that is what my "auto didactic part time studies " assessment is - that the Realist are winning the policy debate. ( But I do sense Jonst waiting in the wings to reboot the "Don't Get Fooled Again - youtube video should Gen Dempsey not get through the Senate, ).
Posted by: Alba Etie | 19 July 2013 at 02:38 PM
Alba Etie
My guess is that his behavior is the result of the worm of envy eating at his guts over Obama, that and ever advancing nuttiness, pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 19 July 2013 at 03:10 PM
Alba Etie said..."
"that we are seeing a course correction ."
There are no course corrections. the crowd in dc and their arrogance (self importance) is simply off- the charts.. if there is to be any course correction (domestic or foreign) issue, it can only come from 'we the people'. Unfortunately, the people are sound sleep at the wheel. Perhaps when the pain level is high enough, otherwise, dc people are out of touch with reality and the mess will continue.. the rhetoric might change, not policy... The SF are present in jordan and turkey busy training!!!! and weapons are getting around too..
http://friendsofsyria.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/possibility-that-obamas-weapons-are-arming-iranians-or-hezbollah/
Posted by: Rd. | 19 July 2013 at 03:25 PM
The selection of an unqualified running mate should have long ago ended the story of J. McCain.
Posted by: William R. Cumming | 19 July 2013 at 04:02 PM
No idea. But General Dempsey's integrity is worth more than re-appointment. I hope he doesn't pull a Samantha Power and recant common sense just to get (keep) the job.
As you may know, I have been desperately seeking George C. Marshall's successor in American life. It is a long, lonely search.
Posted by: Matthew | 19 July 2013 at 04:29 PM
And I recall - as a Marine Corps judge advocate back in the day- a lot of questions about McCain when he came back from POW status. His actions and broadcasts for the NV govt were the cause of a lot of questions by JAG and intel folks reviewing such things. And recall his strange and offensive actions against POW families- he continuously blocks release of documentation that POW families want released - that might embarrass him. Perhaps a review of McCain's actions as a POW might be useful at this point. Or at least the threat thereof.
Posted by: oofda | 19 July 2013 at 09:07 PM
Obama's problem is that he caved to Republican blackmail in the first days of his administration, even though Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress. From that experience McCain learned that Obama has no spine.
In that instance, there was a coup in Honduras. Obama was in Colombia and called it a coup. Jim DeMint put a hold on Obama's State Department nominees. Otto Reich, McCain's Latin American adviser in 2008 was adamantly opposed to Zelaya. Both McCain and the International Republican Institute (IRI)get big bucks from AT&T, Reich was a lobbyist for AT&T, and Zelaya was holding up AT&T's bid to buy the government's telephone monopoly and the opportunity to earn monopoly profits.
Obama never again mentioned the word coup in relation to Honduras. And Republicans knew that Obama would heel whenever they threw a tantrum on foreign policy.
Posted by: JohnH | 19 July 2013 at 11:34 PM
I think McCain is done. His last election had him running to the Right in the primary claiming that he'd vote against amnesty in any form. You may remember him walking with Sheriff Paul Babeu (a good man) saying 'build the dang fence'.
I've seen McCain in person and he looks terrible. His town halls have been him engaging in screaming matches with ranchers and others asking him hard questions about the amnesty treason. Not exactly good politics.
Posted by: Tyler | 19 July 2013 at 11:55 PM
Col Lang
It is truly tragic to see Senator McCain spiral out of control . Many of us worked hard for his nomination back in 2000 when Sen McCain was still making common sense & common cause with such noble goals as getting the bribe money out of politics - remember McCain-Feingold ? It was very difficult to run against Pappy Bush's rolodex. And for the record we had always wished many of us; that the Bush Scion that ran in 2000 could have been Jeb .
Would've , could've , should've ...
Posted by: Alba Etie | 20 July 2013 at 02:24 AM
Will at least we have not yet sortie against Nantanz with the IDF . Or imposed a no fly zone in Syria based out of Incirlik .
Posted by: Alba Etie | 20 July 2013 at 02:26 AM
"Look I can see Russia from our front porch, also too"
Posted by: Alba Etie | 20 July 2013 at 02:27 AM
One good indication in the tea leaves is that, in the picture of General Dempsey testifying before congress, he's not wearing an array of ribbons and badges extending from his collar bone to his waist.
WPFIII
Posted by: William Fitzgerald | 20 July 2013 at 08:07 AM
Willam Fitz-
General Dempsey has always worn just the two-rows of ribbons, as opposed to those like Petreaus, who remind us of the generals of the former Soviet Union, whose chests were festooned with ribbons, orders and medals.
Posted by: oofda | 20 July 2013 at 10:44 AM
Two other things to note about General Dempsey's uniform- he wears the CIB- Combat Infantryman Badge. And check his right sleeve- see the Army Overseas Service Bars - each one for six months service in a combat zone. He has seven.
Posted by: oofda | 20 July 2013 at 10:55 AM
oofda
That's not the CIB. It is something called the Combat Action Badge. Many in the army are not eligible for the CIB no matter how much combat they have been in. It is a question of what MOS you were serving in and at what echelon, i.e., up to brigade when you were in combat. Dempsey was an Armor offcier before he was a general and would not have been eligible. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 20 July 2013 at 11:24 AM
General Dempsey has been a breath of fresh air but another two years is probably not in his or our best interests. I would tell him to hold his ground with the curmudgeon McCain and turn down the opportunity, resign and retire to Arizona. Then after a period of reflection mount a campaign for Senate so the good state of Arizona is held in higher regard.
Posted by: Bobo | 20 July 2013 at 12:05 PM
Col is it possible that we have the equivalent of just such a "group" today made up of neocon vetted members of our political class that are the equivalent of "the Joint committee on the Conduct of the War. This group regularly "examined" the conduct and opinions of officers for the purpose of ensuring ideological purity and zeal for the fight. "
Was what Chuck Hagel and Samantha Powers were subjected to ...to ensure ideological purity of the Neocon ideology that is our Gov't today? They were both inspected rather vigorously for their ideological stance with regards the support for protecting our only ally and bff (best friends forever) in the middle east.
Would a man of Military Honor like Gen Depsey subject himself to such a show for the purpose of keeping a post?
Posted by: samuelburke | 21 July 2013 at 11:08 AM
McCain has AIDS - Acquired Irrelevancy Syndrome.
McCains only worthwhile life experience has been war in my opinion and he sees everything in terms of waging war because such a state allows him plenty of opportunities to pontificate.
So when he meets a soldier who is not as anxious as he is to be at war, he gets upset.
Posted by: walrus | 21 July 2013 at 04:41 PM
McCain epitomizes the adage: "nothing succeeds like failure in Washington."
McCain was involved in 5 military plane crashes, two not his fault, three shrouded in mystery. (His father was an admiral and Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command [CINCPAC], commander of all naval forces in the Vietnam theater from 1968 to 1972.
McCain probably holds some sort of personal record for most naval aircraft lost during the last 50 years. Most people with such a record (and cost to the Navy) would have been consigned to oblivion.
But, being the namesake of a powerful person, he foisted his propensity to crash and burn onto the American people.
Posted by: JohnH | 21 July 2013 at 07:20 PM
John H- McCain also benefited in getting into the Naval Academy, and more important, staying there, due to his family's interventions. One year he was about to go over the limit for demerits, which would have resulted in his expulsion. His mother went to talk to the Superintendent, an old family friend, and voila- demerits from an earlier offense were expunged, allowing him to stay in school.
BTW, his grandfather was also a four-star admiral.
Posted by: oofda | 22 July 2013 at 10:06 AM
More evidence that our governing class actually has contempt for us--this insult will go unpunished: http://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-asked-us-to-free-pollard-as-incentive-for-entering-peace-talks/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Posted by: Matthew | 22 July 2013 at 04:45 PM
May Pollard rot in Jail forever amen,
Posted by: Alba Etie | 23 July 2013 at 09:15 AM
Well here's Dempsey's response to Senator Levin:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-options-20130723,0,4439226.story
Posted by: Fred | 23 July 2013 at 10:58 AM