The question was recently raised, "How much Obama is too much Obama? No doubt the President has been on a media blitz, with a record 277 (and counting) speeches made in his first 8 months in the oval office. But President Obama's not the only one doing a lot of talking these days. From the economy to health care reform to the mission in Afghanistan, if it's happening, Sen. John McCain has something to say about it. When the President sought GOP support for the recovery bill, Sen. McCain said ˜we need to make tax cuts permanent, and we need to make a commitment that there'll be no new taxes" we need to cut payroll taxes and business taxes.' When President Obama proposed a government-run health plan, Sen. McCain said the plan was ˜wasteful and unnecessary' and that it would be ˜the eventual end of private insurers in the U.S.' And when the President began reconsidering plans to increase troop levels in Afghanistan, Sen. McCain said ˜abandoning the troop increase would lead to weaker security and put Americans at risk.'
No where in recent times have we seen the losing presidential candidate become so deeply involved in politics at the national level -- so much so that the Senator's opinion is being quoted on nearly every mainstream media network and website on an almost daily basis. So just why has the Senator from Arizona been popping up everywhere lately? Is McCain refusing to bow out gracefully after losing to President Obama? Or is it that he has an eye on the 2012 race? Most likely the latter. And if that ˜s the case, he's already got a head start on his opponents, whoever they might be.
It's no coincidence that McCain has disagreed with just about everything the Obama administration has done so far. That seems to be part of his strategy. And what a good strategy it may turn out to be. If he can prove the President wrong on the issues, it will be a definite foot in the door. Voicing his opinion on the issues now gives the American people a chance to see just how knowledgeable (or not) McCain is when it comes to running the country, and that could add up to a horde of votes come election time. Those who might otherwise vote for a Democratic candidate could be persuaded to put aside partisanship and vote for the guy who was right all along. But if it turns out McCain is wrong, that foot in the door could soon turn into a foot in the mouth.
Originally posted on RUSE the.magazine
