The most highly regarded leaders in our nation's history- no matter on what side of the aisle one looks- all have something in common when it comes to their statesmanlike demeanor in discussions of foreign policy. Strong and austere, politicians from Washington to Reagan developed reputations as powerful negotiators, in part because they approached issues with a sense of national dignity and respect for the severity and gravity of the stakes.
But in that regard, GOP presidential nominee John McCain couldn't be more dissimilar.
McCain's tirades on the Senate floor are legendary. His foul language and crass jokes at the expense of everyone from fellow Republicans to the daughter of the sitting president are infamous. His brutal treatment of colleagues and subordinates is notorious.
To some extent, his campaign has labored to frame the issue, at times characterizing his temper as evidence of his passion, at others offering outright apologies. But when his transgressions are laid out side by side, the disregard McCain shows for the cool, collected manner of his predecessors while on the international stage is nothing short of alarming.
Over his quarter of a century in elected office, McCain has developed consistent history of eruptions in the midst of diplomatic efforts.
Begin with the incident most recently brought to light, by Mississippi Republican Senator Thad Cochran, a McCain supporter no less (albeit, one who only begrudgingly supported his colleague after he'd sealed the nomination). During a meeting at the height of US-South American tensions in 1987, McCain reached across a table to physically assault a dignitary from the Nicaraguan delegation. Cochran recalled McCain grabbing the man by his shirt collar, "to tell him what he thought about him or whatever."
But track back further. When asked back in April whether or not he would take military action against Iran, McCain broke into song, "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran," McCain intoned to the beat of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann."
Just two months earlier, McCain tossed out another gem, this time wishing death upon a foreign leader. Speaking on Cuban-American relations, McCain said of Fidel Castro, "I hope he has the opportunity to meet Karl Marx very soon." Now, let's be fair: Castro has been a tyrannical thorn in the side of democracy for decades. But think back to World War II and try to find an instance when Franklin Roosevelt or Winston Churchill publicly joked about the death of Adolph Hitler. I'll save you the time: you won't find it. The point is not whom the subject of such a comment happens to be; rather, it's a matter of decorum that McCain has routinely eschewed.
What's surprising is that McCain's ire is not limited to state enemies. He leveled this insult at our allies in France: "the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who is still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."
It doesn't stop there. In this election cycle, McCain has made efforts to highlight his desire to build strong diplomatic relationships with our allies, in stark contrast to the "go-it-alone" strategy that has characterized the Bush Doctrine. "We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies. When we believe international action is necessary, whether military, economic, or diplomatic, we will try to persuade our friends that we are right. But we, in return, must be willing to be persuaded by them." But that didn't stop him from taking a shot at our allies in Germany. When Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder came out in opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq, McCain accused him of trying to "use an anti-American card to get reelected."
To an extent, McCain's blow-ups would be unprecedented had they taken place in the Oval Office. It raises the question of whether his uncontrolled irritability is becoming of an American president. At best, his outbursts and fits of rage have been unstatesmanlike- at worst, they've been the ranting fury of a fool with a temper.
This isn't a partisan issue. Had Reagan grabbed and accosted a Soviet diplomat at the height of the Cold War, there's a good chance it wouldn't have stayed cold. Had John Kennedy joked about blowing Cuba into oblivion during the Missile Crisis, who knows whether or not the standoff would have ended with a nuclear holocaust? Had Harry Truman publicly ridiculed the Japanese during World War II, it's possible that they would have been even more reluctant to surrender, dragging the war in the Pacific Theater out an additional 6 months or year, and costing the lives of thousands of additional American GIs.
Read jwilkes’s Last Article: The VP Olympics: A Play-By-Play
