Akkam’s Razor

My only problem with Chris Buckley’s endorsement of Obama and the other recent defectors is that they assume at one time, McCain was an honorable man. This is, of course, not the case. He has always been an opportunist, and uses his (many) acts of contrition to reinforce or rehabilitate his maverick mythology.  How can the press maintain the idolatry and ignore facts on the ground?

It’s the psychology of proximity, access, and relationships.

The media and pundit class, especially the most recent bunch, who by and large sat in college classrooms during Vietnam, stand in awe of John McCain as if he were a member of the Greatest Generation (remember that many of the press in Vietnam and earlier were either combat or journalistic veterans who had covered World War II, which certainly was an aspect which History Channel Lazy Boy pundits gloss over when blaming the far-left media for tainting Vietnam-era war coverage.

McCain’s many acts of contrition and safe-but-public dissents with his party showed what a maverick he was, and his stab at McCain-Feingold gave off the appearance of a reformer, while he in fact codified the loopholes he regularly exploits.

He (had) granted them unprecedented access during the 2000 Election, and prior to the Palin pick, had been doing the same.  The media got to sit on the bus, hear ribald tales of how he earned his nickname “McNasty”, and all manner of rude and crude humor.  They went to his barbecues, and rode on his tire swing.  It’s unpossible that St. BBQ McCain could be capable of the dog-whistle racism employed by his campaign, surrogates, and party.  They want to believe.  At some level, I suppose they could, until you get to the point that as the Republican nominee, he is the titular head of the party.  If he doesn’t know, or plays that he doesn’t than the question is, why not?  What things will he allow to be done in his name while maintaining plausible deniability?  Will the press continue to genuflect in respect and ignore that which the halo obscures?