McCain doesn't realize there is a technology called Google that, within' seconds, can make him look like a complete jackass hypocrite.

Yet the supposed rational republicans in the senate just let this go on. It is crazy to me.

Breaking: McCain suspends senatorial primary campaign, insists JD Hayworth come to DC to prevent the destruction of Medicare. Hayworth hoots and cackles, does a jumping up and down monkey imitation and calls McCain a wanker.

Nice to see McCain remaining consistent - as consistent as he has been all his life: an incompetent moron.

Incompetent naval aviator who who graduated at the bottom of his class in Annapolis, was nearly thrown out of flight school, who killed 115 of his fellow sailors on the Forrestal through an ignorant joke, and got himself shot down doing everything wrong on his mission and violating every rule of survival (he turned around and went back over the place he had bombed to look at it). Then demonstrated such command incompetence after POW camp that the Navy could only use him to run a Congressional whore house for the Navy so they could bribe Congressmen to vote for their stuff - experience he used to good measure.

Incompetent idiot who got himselt into the Lincoln Savings Scandal. Incompetent idiot who demonstrated a complete lack of seriousness in his lack of understanding of issues throughout his congressional career.

But he has been very good indeed at erecting a papier-mache creation that has the even-more-incompetent idiots of the punditocracy believing despite all evidene to the contrary that he's some sort of "good guy."

John McCain is, and always will be, a "very serious person". We just can't get enought of him.

Steve Benen quoted: "The party has targeted hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts and savings to the Medicare program that it would turn around and use to pay for other reforms."

"Other reforms" including the mandate that each and every American purchase health insurance from a for-profit insurance corporation?

How much of the "cuts and savings" to the nonprofit, publicly administered, accountable and efficient Medicare program will go to subsidize the profits of the insurance corporations?

"The issue here isn't mere hypocrisy. It's dangerous shortsightedness..."

For inhabitants of the real world that may be the issue.

In the make believe world of a desperate has been pol seeking to hang on to his Senate seat at the cost of any remaining shred of intergrity, for what reason other than appearing on Sunday morning talk shows no one can perceive,the only issue is "I must get to the right of the wildest right wing nut running against me in the primary, no matter what, period."

I'm sure it's become obvious all who are paying attention, the Republicans, including McCain, are taking their game plan from Captain Queeg! -Kevo

Why do we keep calling on "the media" to make obvious points? Put it in ads and run them -- or have key Dems or the DNC mock McCain. Dems are just hopeless in constantly assuming that some honest referee will do their politics for them!

John McCain is a war hero who has served his country with loyalty and bravery. Liberals should be ashamed of their cheap partisan attacks against him.

Isn't this one of the reasons California is in such dire straights? When you make budgetary concerns slave to the whim of a super majority you end up with fiscal nightmare.

I guess the neurological oxygen deprivation from all that smoke he swallowed when he tried to single-handedly burn down USS Forrestal is finally starting to manifest itself....

The consistency of McCain's inconsistency is amazing.

Simultaneously, the consistency of the Media in not calling him out on his flippity-floppity is maddening and insulting. But that is probably one of the perks of it that gets them all giddy inside.

But of course, this is all excellent news for John McCain.

"How much of the "cuts and savings" to the nonprofit, publicly administered, accountable and efficient Medicare program will go to subsidize the profits of the insurance corporations?
Posted by: SecularAnimist"

aren't the cuts to "medicare" actually cuts to payments to for profit insurance companies that run Medicare Advantage?

Who is going to vote for the amendment ? There isn't a republican alive that wants to preserve entitlements. I would be surprised if McCain voted for his own amendment.

Good luck getting cloture.

TCinLA 12:51

You omitted political incompetence, which is manifested with his selection of a running mate, viz, Palin. This was a crowning moronic event.

Pledging to save Medicare from the government while making plans to destroy it will be a winning formula for the Republicans. Scientific progress has sidestepped evolution and allowed the survival of the unfittest. We are a stupid country.

John McCain is a war hero who has served his country with loyalty and bravery. Liberals should be ashamed of their cheap partisan attacks against him. Posted by: Al on March 5, 2010 at 1:06 PM

John Kerry is a war hero who has served his country with loyalty and bravery. No apologies or shame from you over that set of cheap partisan attacks against him?

HEAR! HEAR!

"Why do we keep calling on 'the media' to make obvious points? Put it in ads and run them -- or have key Dems or the DNC mock McCain. Dems are just hopeless in constantly assuming that some honest referee will do their politics for them!

"Posted by: Theda Skocpol on March 5, 2010 at 1:05 PM | PERMALINK"

I think the proper term for McCain's actions of late is called Grandstanding. What he lacks in mental acumen, he attempts to make up in hyper-conservative puffery and bluster hoping that it will play well with the teabagging crowd in AZ against his opponent in his upcoming electoral challenge.

SecularAnimist: "Other reforms" including the mandate that each and every American purchase health insurance from a for-profit insurance corporation?
....
How much of the "cuts and savings" to the nonprofit, publicly administered, accountable and efficient Medicare program will go to subsidize the profits of the insurance corporations?

The only explanation I can think of why any progressives or liberals might favor this plan is that they expect to carry out a "bait and switch" -- that is to say, they expect to win enough elections in the future that they can gradually find ways to modify the laws to gradually remove the private companies from the system.

They might, but having caved to the power of the financial interests that they hate, I think they underestimate the power that those interests will wield next time around. It's like the classic deal with the devil, that seems so smart until the devil wins in the end.

Mind, I don't despise the insurance companies, but there is no justice or logic in transferring money from Medicare to support a plan that requires people to increase their support of the private sector. The bill is full of dishonesties, and that is just one of them.

SecularAnimist: "Other reforms" including the mandate that each and every American purchase health insurance from a for-profit insurance corporation?
...
How much of the "cuts and savings" to the nonprofit, publicly administered, accountable and efficient Medicare program will go to subsidize the profits of the insurance corporations?

One of the most immediate consequences of the "reform" will be to increase the financial power of the insurance companies, their power to influence future elections, and hence their power to resist monopoly reform. That is a really bad idea.

Why do we keep calling on "the media" to make obvious points? Put it in ads and run them -- or have key Dems or the DNC mock McCain. Dems are just hopeless in constantly assuming that some honest referee will do their politics for them!

Ms. Skocpol, you have a larger voice and better connections than anyone posting on this site. Do you ever talk to our Democrats in Congress and make this suggestion? The reason I ask is that it seems people in Congress seems to live in a bubble -- they have their own world view. Perhaps concerned citizens like you -- with a little more clout -- should try to knock some sense into them!