McCain's Temper... Is He Plotting Revenge Against Maliki?

[berni_mccoy]

Maliki really screwed McCain's chances of winning this year. McCain has been to Iraq and apparently he has not had good relations with Maliki (Maliki understands the political implications of his statements). Given McCain's nasty temper and his need to get back (his entire 'maverick' reputation is nothing more than his rebellion against Bush for what Bush did to him in the 2000 primary; that's not a maverick, that's a pissy old man), the logical question is what is McCain going to do to Maliki? Is he going to start discrediting and discounting anything and everything coming out of the Iraqi PM's office? Is he going to seek to ruin Maliki's chances at re-election? Is he going to instigate violence in Iraq to hurt Maliki politically and help his own cause (not that an increase in violence would help McCain, but *he* is insane enough to think it would).

And lastly, the real concern for electing McCain... God Forbid McCain actually wins... would McCain jeopardize U.S. security just to get back at Maliki? Bush sacrificed our security just to get revenge against Sadam. And McCain is much more insane than Bush ever was.

[TexasObserver]

1. Yes, McCain will send a team to Pakistan to find Maliki and set him straight

[VolcanoJen]

5. ROFL!

I hear the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border has grown quite perilous. ;-)

[TexasObserver]

6. their common border has been a real trouble spot for decades!

And they call their common border IRAN!!

[jbnow]

2. To be fair bush wasn't just after revenge, he sincerely

cared about the interests of big oil.

McCain's temper issue is more immediate than it is long range isn't it? The Pentagon admires him but that doesn't mean they want his finger on the proverbial button

Some excerpts

In interviews with Salon this week, several experienced military officers said McCain draws mixed reviews among military leaders, and they expressed serious doubts about whether McCain has the right temperament to be the next president and commander in chief. Some expressed more confidence in Obama, citing his temperament as an asset.
(snip)

"I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I am a little worried by his knee-jerk response factor," said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 and is now campaigning for Clinton. "I think it is a little scary. I think this guy's first reactions are not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on impulse."

"I studied leadership for a long time during 32 years in the military," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, a one-time Republican who is supporting Obama. "It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who has the vision? Who can inspire people?" Gration asked. "I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow him."

"One of the things the senior military would like to see when they go visit the president is a kind of consistency, a kind of reliability," explained retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Republican, former chief of staff of the Air Force and former fighter pilot who flew 285 combat missions. McPeak said his perception is that Obama is "not that up when he is up and not that down when he is down. He is kind of a steady Eddie. This is a very important feature," McPeak said. On the other hand, he said, "McCain has got a reputation for being a little volatile." McPeak is campaigning for Obama.

Stephen Wayne, a political science professor at Georgetown who is studying the personalities of the presidential candidates, agrees McCain's temperament is of real concern. "The anger is there," Wayne said. If McCain is the one to answer the phone at 3 a.m., he said, "you worry about an initial emotive, less rational response."

Most recently, Wayne has been studying Clinton's personality. "I just gave a presentation on Hillary's temperament for the presidency. I came to the conclusion that it is not really a good presidential temperament, with one caveat -- if you compare it with McCain's.

The immediate reactions are scary...lack of impulse control there but I don't know if he has crazy grudges as well where he overreacts much later. (He might!)

[Youphemism]

3. In having power for revenge, a Senator is a flaccid penis. Malaki would worry more about Bush. /nt

[truthisfreedom]

4. Yawn. Mccconfused is a loser, and Obama has already taken over the presidency.