Tuesday, September 23, 2008

George Will On McCain

George Will, like so many conservatives of late, is seeing the light; or at least the darkness that is McCain:

Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

2 comments:

Baywatch said...

and i'm in the weird place of finding myself in agreement with Newt Gingrich?! what is happening?

arlopop said...

This bailout is an altogether different pickle than we are used to. The Dems are backing the Bushies in their rush to "save the economy" at all costs. The Reps are running away from it so that they can distance themselves from Bush and blame the Dems for the result of this catostrophic plan.

Things that are certain: the bailout won't save the economy so much as put off the inevitable; the Dems will suffer for their support of the plan; the reps will slowly dismantle their party by abandoning their conservative principles; McCain will wobble precariously as he attempts, minute by minute, to determine his position on this; all will blame all for its cause and subsequent aftermath; and the American people will suffer for generations to come.

No wonder you're confused.