Is that what he means by maverick? I hesitate to question McCain's war record, since that's all he's got. But Rolling Stone takes a look at McCain's record with a story called Make-Believe Maverick:
This is the story of the real John McCain, the one who has been hiding in plain sight. It is the story of a man who has consistently put his own advancement above all else, a man willing to say and do anything to achieve his ultimate ambition: to become commander in chief, ascending to the one position that would finally enable him to outrank his four-star father and grandfather.
In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward. And both shed their skins as Episcopalian members of the Washington elite to build political careers as self-styled, ranch-inhabiting Westerners who pray to Jesus in their wives' evangelical churches.
In one vital respect, however, the comparison is deeply unfair to the current president: George W. Bush was a much better pilot.
Fact Check has a post on McCain's crashing five planes.
CQ Politics says the McCain camp ignores questions about McCain's record because the mainstream media questions the accuracy of the Rolling Stone report.
But while Truthdig and Rolling Stone have liberals clucking, it’s yet to be seen whether they will have any where near the impact of the swift boat ads — which, by the way, the mainstream media also initially ignored because of questions about their accuracy.
“I doubt it will have much of an impact.,” says New York Times media columnist David Carr.
“There is a vertical axis of information in conservative circles that the swift boat moved on that is not replicated by liberals,” Carr said “The conservative talk radio shows have an ability to metastasize and amplify negative stories, and they won’t be punching in on this one.”
Washington Post blogger Dan Froomkin, a frequent Bush critic, agreed.
“One enormous difference compared to Kerry, in my mind, is that the [mainstream media], with the exception of the LA Times, has refused to pick up any elements of this story, whereas it served (wittingly and unwittingly) as a massive echo chamber for the Swift boating,” according to Froomkin.
I also wonder whether questioning McCain's war record will do any good. McCain doesn't need a Swift Boat. McCain is doing a pretty good job sinking his own boat. Step No. 2, choose the worst possible person as vice president. Step No. 1? Having no solutions, no platform to stand on.
