Surprise! Camera-hater Senator John McCain (R-Fail) was on a Sunday show today. Surprise! He declared his own personal issue dead with barely a whimper! What a war brave hero!
BOB SCHIEFFER: But [campaign finance] reform is dead?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Oh, I think so.
The transcript is here, but I'm going to talk about what's not in it more than what is.
McCain says "I think it was interesting that [Roberts, Alito, and Scalia] have no experience in the political arena." He went on to say "I would point out that both Justice Rehnquist and Justice O'Connor, who had taken a different position on this issue both had significant political experience."
While I would dispute that Rehnquist had "significant" political experience—and that might be a bit hagiographical of O'Connor as well—there was no follow-up by Schieffer on the importance of this issue to McCain and the role he plays as a Senator in confirming Supreme Court justices.
Schieffer did not ask McCain if he regretted his votes confirming Roberts and Alito.
Schieffer did not ask if McCain would question, hold, vote against, or filibuster future nominees that did not side with what is, after all, John McCain's signature issue!
This largely has to do with the fact that Republicans in general, and St. McCain specifically, get treated with kid gloves on this show, but wait there's more.
Schieffer did not ask whether McCain would respect any limits in his 2010 primary and general election senate campaigns or ask his opponents to do the same.
Schieffer did not ask McCain whether he supported any of the ideas being floated around to handle this, but lamely let McCain get away with saying "it is what it is."
Schieffer did not say come on Senator, this is your signature issue and you're going to leave it with a few stray remarks about Scalia, Roberts, and Alito's political experience?
Just in case we hadn't seen conclusive proof during the 2008 election that McCain was willing to sell out most of his prior views in order to appease the Palinites, this is more and a reminder, that even on his signature issue this man has no substance and the "liberal media" won't even call him out on this massive self-betrayal.
McCain claims there will be a voter backlash. Yeah, right. After the corporate interests spend whatever it takes to keep McTemper in his senate seat this fall.
This is why I don't watch the Sunday shows. An AP headline caused me to read the transcript. The shows themselves are simply the church service of the cult of the beltway, and I don't do avodah zarah.