It’s clear the Democrats will seek to label John McCain as the second coming of George Bush in the general election. Both Democratic candidates have already adopted this line of attack and it’s reasonable to expect whichever candidate emerges from the primary will escalate its use in commercials and sound bites.
But, in some very important ways, George Bush and John McCain are nothing alike. And, while the MSM isn’t saying so, this attack has the same ring to it as criticizing Obama for the words and conduct of his pastor. That is, criticizing McCain for Bush’s conduct is the same as criticizing Obama for Wright’s conduct.
But, I digress.
The first way that Bush and McCain differ is in their personal service to the nation. George Bush attended Yale and then Harvard Business School before joining the Texas Air National Guard. While in the Guard, Bush lost his flight status. In comparison, McCain made at least 23 bombing raids over Vietnam before having his plane shot down and spending years in the “Hanoi Hilton.” Unlike Bush, McCain truly put his life on the line for the United States.
A second, striking difference between the two men can be found in their personal approach to government spending. McCain has been called “a taxpayer hero” by Citizens Against Government Waste. The Club for Growth, an organization that rates lawmakers on their spending restraint, gave McCain a score of 76 in 2005 and 2006, making him better than 71 other senators both years. In comparison, Bush has expanded the government at levels not seen since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program.
In a test of conservative priorities, spending and enlarging the size of government are issues that McCain excels through his great restraint. In comparison, Bush consistently fails.
With the Iraq War, Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld adopted a light-footprint strategy that essentially allowed U.S. Troops to make gains quickly in the initial invasion but left them without adequate manpower to control the situation afterward. McCain, the war hero, consistently called for more troops, something that evolved into our nation’s current surge strategy. McCain was also openly critical of Rumsfeld when Bush stalwartly stood behind the embattled public servant.
On matters of abortion and gay marriage, McCain generally believes in leaving the decisions up to the states. He cites the 10 Amendment to the Constitution, which reserves unenumerated rights to the states.
So, in some very real ways, McCain and Bush are very much different individuals with different positions. In an election year, though, this doesn’t really matter – it’s all about gaining an advantage with voters.
- Matthew White
