Why Does The Media Love John McCain?

Paul Campos of Scripps Howard News Service is trying to figure out why the media seems to love John McCain and is so anxious to gloss over his shortcomings:

One of the curiosities of American politics is the media's ongoing infatuation with John McCain. A bit of this is based on things such as McCain's opposition to torture (unfortunately, we can no longer treat opposing torture like opposing child molestation, i.e., something one assumes is standard equipment in a presidential candidate rather than a luxury upgrade). Yet most of the journalistic love affair with the Republican senator from Arizona is based on other factors.

Let me jump in here for a minute. Campos is a little snarky with his comments about "torture". All presidential candidates oppose torture, but there is a differing definition of what constitutes torture. Campos clearly falls into the category of those who don't like any aggressive forms of interrogation, including of course, waterboarding which just upsets the lefties to no end and is also opposed by McCain. I have no problem with using it on those who might have information which could save American lives. It works, and it works quickly with no permanent damage to the waterboardee.

Now, back to our story:

Consider this typical endorsement from the Orlando Sentinel: While McCain "has stuck to his principles at the risk of sinking his campaign," Mitt Romney "has abandoned positions that would have alienated his party's conservative base." (Indeed, I checked a computer database and discovered that, in the national media, Romney is at least six times more likely to be described as a flip-flopper than McCain.)

This does not merely ignore but actually inverts the truth. The fact is that no presidential candidate in either party has flip-flopped as egregiously as McCain on such a wide range of issues. Here's just a small sample of Sen. Straight Talk's recent series of remarkable conversions to politically convenient stances:

-- On abortion rights, McCain has done a 180-degree turn, from favoring only the most minor restrictions and opposing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to supporting an almost total ban, while advocating that the Supreme Court reverse Roe immediately.

-- McCain has transformed himself from a deficit hawk who mocked supply-side economics into someone who sounds like he's drunk deeply from the wackiest vats of supply-side Kool-Aid, to the point where he now claims raising taxes decreases revenues (a claim so wildly in conflict with the facts -- for example, federal tax revenues almost doubled in real terms after the Clinton tax increases -- that it's either a shameless lie or a product of astounding ignorance).

-- In regard to ethanol subsidies, McCain has gone from treating them as the worst sort of pork to becoming a strong supporter of a program despised by economists, but beloved of Iowa farmers and the good people at Archer Daniels Midland.

-- Six years ago, McCain sternly condemned Jerry Falwell as "an agent of intolerance." Eighteen months ago, he gave the commencement address at Falwell's university, while openly embracing one of the most noxious figures of the religious right.

These are just a few examples from a far longer list. On topics ranging from immigration, to campaign finance reform, to gay marriage, to accepting support from various sleazy characters he previously shunned, McCain has either completely reversed his views or seriously equivocated regarding what they are this week.

Yet the media continue to lavish him with worshipful paeans to his supposedly uncompromising commitment to principled leadership no matter what the political cost etc., etc.

I've said it before that the reason the media is currently in love with McCain is the same reason they were briefly in love with Mike Huckabee - they think he can be beaten in November. The media will fluff McCain just long enough to win him the nomination, and then will drop him like a hot rock in favor of Obama or Clinton. Just watch.

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh, who will be a Republican primary voter in Florida on Tuesday, wants a little of McCain's famous "straight talk":

I want to hear from Senator McCain as a Republican primary voter his manmade global warming thoughts, his record, and what he intends to do to fix manmade global warming. I want to hear from Senator McCain on his opposition to tax cuts. I want to hear the domestic side, and I would hope that he would speak loudly and openly and honestly about his domestic record, not spin it, certainly not deny it, but give Republican voters in Florida some straight talk on the record. He can surround himself with the Schwarzkopf and the generals and so forth and the POW stuff, which we all admire and respect. But, you know, you owe it to the electorate to start talking honestly and openly about your complete public record rather than cherry-picking what you want to say to different audiences in different places. Talk about how proud you are of your service in the Senate, leading the Gang of 14, campaign finance reform, voting against two major tax cuts. Those tax cuts would help millions of businesses and employees, spurt economic growth. I would like to hear of your proud alliance with Ted Kennedy, John Edwards, Senator Lieberman on global warming, and others. I'm a Republican primary voter. I would like to hear some straight talk on those issues.

That seems like a reasonable request.

UPDATE: Laura has a collection of links about John McCain that you should check out here.