A Maverick in his Own Mind

Senator McCain (R-AZ) calls himself a maverick and straight talker. His daughter complimentarily called him a "badass." Currently the only ones who would probably use these adjectives to describe him are the mainstream media and the liberals that he is pandering to. He has become a disappointment on a number of fronts. Here are a few examples of how the "Maverick" is anything but. In May of this year he went to Syria to meet with the supposed Free Syrian Army and the Syrian rebels. He wanted to establish a safety zone and for the U.S. to provide arms to the "right" rebels. He even held a photo op with some of the rebels. Unfortunately, these rebels turned out to be terrorists, kidnappers according to the Lebanese press. The problem, articulated by Senator Rand Paul, (R-KY) is that if McCain did not know he was taking a picture with some kidnappers, how good a job is he doing vetting those who would receive the arms? Jon Stewart said it best, "Oh my God, John McCain is literally palling around with terrorists!" And in reaction to a McCain spokesman saying none of the rebels identified themselves as the individuals involved in the kidnappings, Stewart said that's "kind of the point," that "not everyone is going to be wearing their HELLO I'M A TERRORIST name badge."

Senator McCain, who considers himself an expert on foreign affairs, has repeatedly called for cutting off aid to the Egyptian military since they have cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood, stating, "For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stood for... We're not sticking with our values." Really! Andrew McCarthy pointed out the hypocrisy of the Senator, when McCain condemned the Muslim Brotherhood a few years ago, and then once they came to power embraced them. McCain has praised his Islamist "heroes" and championed even more funding for this extreme Islamist government, $480 million, even though they tried to impose Sharia law, prosecute its detractors, and persecute Christians and women. The Senator is now pushing for elections as soon as possible, just as he did after the ouster of Mubarak. It appears he did not learn that such a rush to elections contributed to the empowerment of the Brotherhood and led to a non-democratic government. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, author of the book A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot's Fight to Save his Faith, told American Thinker that he has tried on numerous occasions to meet with Senator McCain, especially since he resides in Arizona, but was told the Senator is too busy. "This conversation on McCain's part is quite premature. It shows the unbalance since Morsi usurped power starting last November, which would have been a good time for Senator McCain to become critical. It was necessary to remove Morsi because he had the Egyptian government entrenched in Islamism." He suggests to Senator McCain that America not take sides, and thread the needle. Dr. Jasser states the need for a transition plan. He is hoping that instead of cutting the aid, which takes away any leverage, the U.S. should designate a portion to building up the political infrastructure and supporting the liberal political parties that advance democratic ideas. Senator McCain should also read the letter written by Ahmed Said of the Free Egyptians Party. He talks about the Western media and prominent Americans disregard of the Muslim Brotherhood's current torching of Coptic Churches, the random destruction of private and public properties, the killing of fifty police personnel in a few hours, the attack of a police station with an RPG, dragging the naked bodies down the street, and threatening Christians with genocide. Said believes that what is now happening in Egypt is their version of America's War on Terror, and cannot understand why this administration and Senators like McCain demand that Egyptians not only negotiate with the Muslim Brotherhood, but partner with them as well. Raymond Ibrahim, whose family is Egyptian and author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians, agrees with Dr. Jasser and Said. He goes even further when he refers to McCain as "trying to create turmoil in the Mideast. The people behind the crackdown, the Egyptian people and the military, are America's natural allies and are the ones who can create a modern democracy." He went on to say that the Egyptian people during the June revolution, with the help of the military, overthrew a despotic government and that McCain "is either deliberately misconstruing the event, or believes the story being propagandized... Egyptian media has also pointed out that McCain repeatedly dodged critical questions by Egyptian journalists at the press conference. When asked about the fact that the Brotherhood in Rab'a was armed to the teeth, and, with the aid of al-Qaeda, was killing and terrorizing innocent Egyptians, McCain ignored the question." On the national front many feel that Senator McCain once again is promoting amnesty for illegal immigrants at the cost of his own constituents, those who live on the front lines in Arizona. In the "Gang of Eight Immigration Bill,' there is no requirement that the borders be deemed secure before people can apply for green cards. Arizona Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told American Thinker that the Southwest border sheriffs have asked Senator Flake (R-AZ) and Senator McCain to allow them to give input during the creation of the bill. "We were denied the opportunity to give presentations and to express ourselves. I cannot understand why, since we were really looking to be the voice of the people. McCain and Flake are not helping the cause of securing the border. They are part of those who have not included us in the equation. Because of this I am very dissatisfied and disappointed." Finally there are the references Senator McCain made against Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), calling them "wacko birds," and implying Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) was an idiot. Such an outward display just gives more power to the Democrats, which is evidenced when they jumped on the McCain bandwagon. After overwhelmingly re-elected in 2010 Senator McCain believes he can become the "Maverick" again. The problem with this is the title only appears to be in his own mind and that of the liberal mainstream media. Instead, straight talk has turned into hypocritical and ridiculous statements. Senator McCain is not a straight talker, but a talker who is wrong and uninformed. The author writes for American Thinker. She has done book reviews, author interviews, and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles.