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A Thought about Senator McCain

 

 A thought about Senator McCain. No full accounting of his place in our public life in recent decades (yes, it has been decades) could fail to mention his relationship with fraudster Charles H. Keating. In the late 1980s, as the savings & loan system was unraveling, McCain was one of a group of five legislators who intervened to try to halt a regulatory investigation of the Lincoln S&L that Keating controlled.

Each of the five had taken substantial political contributions from Keating. This made things look and smell like a quid pro quo. It was at the very best a case of extremely bad judgment and ugly 'optics' on McCain's part.


That said: perfect human beings are rare, and when one of the more common imperfect beings has just left us it is the custom to focus attention on what was right in his life, not what was wrong. I accept that custom. 

McCain leaves a rather clean smell behind him all in all. For example and to his credit: McCain testified in a lawsuit brought by aggrieved bondholders of Lincoln: he testified for the plaintiffs and his testimony is widely credited with helping them receive a judgment of millions.

Many people in public life hope that they'll be remembered for some distinctive last words. McCain may be remembered, rather, for a distinctive late-in-life thumb gesture. He "stuck it to the man" when the man in question needed some sticking.

Rest in peace, Senator McCain. Condolences and best wishes to his family.

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  1. HenryAugust 26, 2018 at 12:28 PM

    I am willing to depart from the custom of focusing only on what was right in a recently deceased person's life. McCain voted to supported the torture ordered by George W. Bush: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/25/17778146/john-mccain-dies-torture-legacy-waterboarding-enhanced-interrogation-cia

    McCain also picked Sarah Palin for VP. That was disgraceful, even if we can't know whether his endorsement of such incompetence in high office paved the way for Trump.

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