As of Friday, March 16, 2007, John McCain has been a member of the United States Senate for 20 years and 78 days. Before that, he served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Arizona's 1st District. All told, he has more than 24 years of service in Congress.
And yet - although it is a contentious public policy issue at the intersection of public health and morality and even sometimes touches on foreign aid - Sen. John McCain doesn't know what his own position is on whether government should be dispensing free condoms to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
To be clear: McCain has has a position on it - he just doesn't know what it is.
Blogs 4 Brownback highlights the transcript of a conversation between McCain and a reporter in Iowa where McCain is on the campaign trail in his bus, the "Straight Talk Express."
Read the whole exchange, as first published in the New York Times...
Reporter: "Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?”
Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”
(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)
Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.”
Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”
Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”
Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”
Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express?
I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”
Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”
Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”
The NYT's Nagourney mocks McCain for his stumbling, fumbling, non-answer:
All this took place on the second day of the reprise of the “Straight Talk Express” bus trips that Mr. McCain made a central part of his campaign in 2000. It also comes as Mr. McCain has eagerly been trying to ease strains with social conservatives in the party who, for the most part, do not support using government money to pay for condoms.
Let's reprise: McCain has been in public office for almost a quarter of a century. And he has to ask his aide to research what his position is on an issue of great interest to the conservative wing of his party. He couldn't just reach inside himself, search his principles, think fast on his feet and make the tough call. He has to ask an aide to tell him what he believes.
No, not what he believes, because you don't forget what you believe in. McCain didn't forget what he believes on the issue - he forgot what his carefully-politically-strategized-and-probably-poll-tested position was supposed to be. No wonder conservatives have come to view McCain as someone who tacks right and left and right again because he is devoid of core principles except one: saying what he needs to say to advance McCain's career.
America's greatest presidents have been those who believed in something - Abraham Lincoln believed in preserving the union, Franklin Roosevelt believed in a New Deal, Ronald Reagan believed the Cold War could be won.
What do you believe in, Sen. McCain, besides that it's your turn to be the Republican presidential nominee?
Excellent title. If this doesn't have people all over America spitting out their coffee in laughter, nothing will!
I think it demonstrates the old adage: if you don't lie you don't have to remember what you've said.
Stick a fork in McCain. He's done. He'll never become President of these United States.
Thanks for the link to Blogs 4 Brownback. We really appreciate it.
Posted by: Psycheout | March 17, 2007 12:32 PM | Permalink to Comment