Increasingly I've come to realize that John McCain is very good at convincing people that he agrees with them. I don't just mean members of the media, but also various interest groups (even more liberalish ones). It's a great skill for a politician to have if you can pull it off well, because everyone loves being flattered about the fact that they're correct and someone like St. John McCain recognizes it. It's very sad sad, then, when Saint John McCain goes back to the Senate and doesn't follow up or show any leadership on whatever issue it is. It's even sadder still when dark forces beyond his control known as voters force Saint John McCain to steer away from the light and do or say the wrong thing. Poor Saint John McCain. It's so sad, but he's still an honorable man.
So here we have Joe Klein, very saddened by McCain's rhetoric because he just knows John McCain "knows better" despite the fact that practically every one of McCain's public utterances about Iraq over the past few years have been complete gibberish. Perhaps privately he assured Joe Klein, or someone Joe Klein knows, that he knows better.
It's all very sad. Poor John McCain. He knows what the right thing is, but he just can't manage to do it or say it. Such a tragic figure, if only Billy Shakes were around to write a play about it.
