John Mccain and Lessons not Learned
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Richard L. Griffith asked:
During his run for the presidency Republican candidate John McCain has vigorously repeated his vow to defeat what he refers to as “the transcendent issue of the 21st century”, radical Islamic extremism. It has become the centerpiece for his bid for the presidency, and a tired phrase on the stump. Yet we are less than 10% into the 21st century, and it is probable that what he sees as the transcendent issue of our time is more likely to be a thin sliver of the next 100 years.
What do you suppose American leaders in 1908 would have suggested was the transcendent issue of the 20th century? In 1908 Jack Johnson, a black man, was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world and promoters were looking for a “great white hope”. The Chicago Cubs were about to win the world series, and the first Model T rolled out of the Ford Motor car company. The top issue of the 1908 election revolved around commerce abuse. In the presidential election, both political parties rested their chances of winning on persecuting the “sins of the railroad industry”. William Jenning Bryan called for the socialization of the railroads, which led to the eventual victory by Taft. Citizens feared typhoid and tuberculosis more than they worried about the Japanese eye on the Philippines.
Neither candidate mentioned the looming possibility of nuclear warfare, which was arguably the transcendent issue of the 20th century, because we had yet to harness the power of the atom. They saw the world and the issues facing the nation through their experiential lens, and the political zeitgeist of the day. We cannot fault these leaders for missing the largest single threat that faced the 20th century, but then again, they did not make such grand claims.
John McCain has. Since the tragic attacks of 9/11, he has viewed radical extremism as a legitimate justification to wage war on those who would oppose U.S. policy regardless of whether they pose a threat to the United States. Hours after the fall of the twin towers McCain solidified his malicious intentions towards Iraq, and used the “transcendent issue of our times” as a leverage point to lead the call for war.
However, he too is limited by his 20th century experiences and lacks the vision to see what may be around our collective corner. This lack of vision will prove costly if he is elected President.
He refuses to leave Iraq until “victory is achieved”. Doing otherwise is equated with “raising the white flag of surrender”. It is not hard to see where this worldview comes from. His experiences in Vietnam have likely led him to a singular conclusion; that we cannot withdraw without honor and victory, because the withdrawal in Vietnam caused him and his comrades so much suffering. Yet he cannot see that he is repeating the mistakes of Vietnam. Vietnam was lost partially because there was little reason to fully engage in the conflict other than to win the conflict, and because the conditions that constituted victory were never defined. So that war slogged on until the nation lost the will to continue it.
Senator McCain has repeatedly been asked to define “victory” in Iraq and has failed to do so. Without this operational definition of the end game, the war can never end for him. McCain reminds us of the legends of the Japanese soldiers who continued fighting on remote Pacific islands long after the end of the Second World War. Soon the Iraq war will be over, but he is determined to stay and fight, determined to win the war even though he does not know what victory looks like. For him the war may never be over. And therein lies the real danger of electing John McCain president. Because make no mistake he will find a war to win.
The transcendent issue of the 21st century may prove to be radical jihadism, but history would suggest otherwise. It may be wise for us to actually leave our post 9/11 bomb shelter and engage with this century before we know the dangers, and yes, opportunities that lie ahead. Our challenges are sure to be great, and I for one would like to see a clearer, and more forward thinking mind at the helm than John McCain’s.
Jessica
During his run for the presidency Republican candidate John McCain has vigorously repeated his vow to defeat what he refers to as “the transcendent issue of the 21st century”, radical Islamic extremism. It has become the centerpiece for his bid for the presidency, and a tired phrase on the stump. Yet we are less than 10% into the 21st century, and it is probable that what he sees as the transcendent issue of our time is more likely to be a thin sliver of the next 100 years.
What do you suppose American leaders in 1908 would have suggested was the transcendent issue of the 20th century? In 1908 Jack Johnson, a black man, was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world and promoters were looking for a “great white hope”. The Chicago Cubs were about to win the world series, and the first Model T rolled out of the Ford Motor car company. The top issue of the 1908 election revolved around commerce abuse. In the presidential election, both political parties rested their chances of winning on persecuting the “sins of the railroad industry”. William Jenning Bryan called for the socialization of the railroads, which led to the eventual victory by Taft. Citizens feared typhoid and tuberculosis more than they worried about the Japanese eye on the Philippines.
Neither candidate mentioned the looming possibility of nuclear warfare, which was arguably the transcendent issue of the 20th century, because we had yet to harness the power of the atom. They saw the world and the issues facing the nation through their experiential lens, and the political zeitgeist of the day. We cannot fault these leaders for missing the largest single threat that faced the 20th century, but then again, they did not make such grand claims.
John McCain has. Since the tragic attacks of 9/11, he has viewed radical extremism as a legitimate justification to wage war on those who would oppose U.S. policy regardless of whether they pose a threat to the United States. Hours after the fall of the twin towers McCain solidified his malicious intentions towards Iraq, and used the “transcendent issue of our times” as a leverage point to lead the call for war.
However, he too is limited by his 20th century experiences and lacks the vision to see what may be around our collective corner. This lack of vision will prove costly if he is elected President.
He refuses to leave Iraq until “victory is achieved”. Doing otherwise is equated with “raising the white flag of surrender”. It is not hard to see where this worldview comes from. His experiences in Vietnam have likely led him to a singular conclusion; that we cannot withdraw without honor and victory, because the withdrawal in Vietnam caused him and his comrades so much suffering. Yet he cannot see that he is repeating the mistakes of Vietnam. Vietnam was lost partially because there was little reason to fully engage in the conflict other than to win the conflict, and because the conditions that constituted victory were never defined. So that war slogged on until the nation lost the will to continue it.
Senator McCain has repeatedly been asked to define “victory” in Iraq and has failed to do so. Without this operational definition of the end game, the war can never end for him. McCain reminds us of the legends of the Japanese soldiers who continued fighting on remote Pacific islands long after the end of the Second World War. Soon the Iraq war will be over, but he is determined to stay and fight, determined to win the war even though he does not know what victory looks like. For him the war may never be over. And therein lies the real danger of electing John McCain president. Because make no mistake he will find a war to win.
The transcendent issue of the 21st century may prove to be radical jihadism, but history would suggest otherwise. It may be wise for us to actually leave our post 9/11 bomb shelter and engage with this century before we know the dangers, and yes, opportunities that lie ahead. Our challenges are sure to be great, and I for one would like to see a clearer, and more forward thinking mind at the helm than John McCain’s.
Jessica
