ArtBistro

I'm not sure the simple narrative of the sudden fall of a courageous leader and voice of moderation holds up. These days I'm seeing that a lot, and it has things to which it can point. He suffered in wartime, and then he largely refused to spend the war's aftermath refighting it like a typical conservative, helping to reopen communications with the former enemy nation. He has made friends across the aisle over the years, and he had perhaps his high points around and after 2000, speaking against religious extremists, seeking limited campaign finance reform, and as late as 18 months ago speaking against torture.

Yet others, such as the new Rolling Stone profile, keep returning to almost the opposite picture. They describe the child of privilege, prone to self-serving fits, screwing off in his youth, and continuing his mediocrity and willful disregard in mishandlings and crashes as an airman almost until the moment he was shot down more tragically. They describe his horrendous treatment of his first wife and his playing ordinary joe while living like a king off his second. They describe a consistent record as a right-wing extremist through the 1990s on every issue, from race to regulation, taxes, lack of support for veterans affairs, you name it. They describe his getting off easy after misconduct in the awful Keating scandal. They note how easily he compromised on torture, Bob Jones University, and everything else from the moment he began his campaign for the nomination. They might ask if he wasn't jut being a hypocrite in calling for a clean campaign, as you quote him.

So which is he? Maybe the answer is neither one. He could be self-interested alone, choosing whichever strategy works at different times in his career.  We certainly know he got soft treatment from his "base," the media, who are now showing the shock of feeling betrayed, too, and turning against him. Or he could simply believe in himself, enough to stake himself at different times without thinking it through and then refusing to look back.  Or he could really be a divided soul throughout his life. Who knows. But I just won't see him as a tragic figure, like Bill Clinton staking a lot on reform and then, after health care is shot down, compromising once too often on banking regulation and getting into a hole over an intern. I think there's always been a lot less than meets the eye.

Two days ago McCain/Palin were trailing across the board.  They are losing and now they are fighting dirty or dirtiier.

The above 2 videos are good. 

Maybe they should run Obama's school record against McCain's. 

Harvard grad top of the class.  

Naval Academy, bottom of the class.

And do you think that the two are equally difficult?

I doubt it.