The Straight-Talk Express

Remember Sen. John McCain’s failed campaign in 2000? Remember his campaign bus he called “The Straight-Talk Express?”

Sen. McCain showed that he would quietly criticize the Administration on matters like the Abu Ghraib scandal and campaign ads from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Although I don’t follow stories related to the Senator very closely, it seems to me like his “straight-talk” philosophy only applies when it’s politically convenient for him. Where was his strong criticism of Sec. Rumsfeld before the election?Recently, the AP reported on McCain’s lack of confidence in Rumsfeld:

“But asked about his confidence in the secretary's leadership, Mr. McCain recalled fielding a similar question earlier.”I said no," he said. "My answer is still no. No confidence."

There you go. Straight-talk from the driver of the Straight-Talk Express. He’s several months late--maybe even late by a year or two--but he never said that he’d be on time.

Here’s another interesting passage from the same AP story to note (on Rumsfeld’s response):

A Pentagon spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, said Mr. Rumsfeld had "relied upon the judgment of the military commanders to determine what force levels are appropriate."

Interesting coming from a man who earlier said this about responsibility regarding the Abu Graib abuse:

"These events occurred on my watch," Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "As secretary of defense, I am accountable for them and I take full responsibility."

So let me get this right. Because the prisoner abuse happened under his watch, he takes full responsibility, which actually helped slow the coverage of the story, making him look trustworthy and honest. But in regards to the criticism of the amount of our forces the US has in Iraq, he makes decisions based on the advice of his commanders. He’s not fully responsible on that one. Two points to make here about Rumsfeld. First of all, if you read Plan of Attack, you’ll read that Rumsfeld doesn’t just “rely on judgment” from anybody. Second, does ANYONE in this administration take responsibility for things that have potentially negative political consequences?