Buckley: McCain Is ‘A Bit Of A Girlie-Man’ On Torture
Buckley: McCain Is ‘A Bit Of A Girlie-Man’ On Torture
In the New York Times this morning, Christopher Buckley — the son of National Review founder William F. Buckley — defends Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) from what he calls the “Torquemadas of the right” who are challenging his conservative credentials. After running down the list of McCain’s heresies, Buckley claims that McCain’s position on torture is out of the conservative mainstream:
And — true, again — Mr. McCain is a bit of a girlie-man when it comes to waterboarding high-value detainees; but that’s a tricky one, even for macho, red-meat conservative chest-thumpers. You get a pass on that one if you’ve spent five-and-a-half years being bastinadoed by North Vietnamese.
Buckley’s description of McCain as a “girlie-man” reveals a couple of things. The first is Buckley’s belief that one’s “manliness” can be deduced from his support for torture. The second, and more important, is that the state of American conservatism is such that McCain requires “forgiveness” for opposing torture.
The truth is, however, that despite McCain’s statements against waterboarding, he has consistently supported legislative language that protects the Bush administration’s prerogatives to use it.
McCain did this again last week, when he voted against an amendment that would have required the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as the Army Field Manual, something which he previously claimed to support. As Steve Benen wrote:
When push came to shove, and the nation looked to the senator take a stand on principle, McCain balked.
Despite his reputation as a maverick, McCain appears to be changing his position a lot lately in order to appease the right wing.
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Buckley calling someone a “Girlie Man” is funnier than Gonzo’s always being truthful statement on an earlier thread.
Pot meet Kettle.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:06 pmSo despite all the mountains of evidence that torture gives bad intell, only a “girly man” opposes torture.
No wonder that party is so phucked up.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:10 pmBet I could make Buckley cry like a girlie-man in less than a minute…not kidding one bit either, when you take kickboxing for 24 years you sorta get to know how to do that.
Come on Buckley give it a try, I’ll even wear boxing gloves to ease the pain.
Buck Fush
February 19th, 2008 at 4:11 pmJust one more case of rightwing projection.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:13 pmAnd mcain’s a girlie man because he sold out his wife and daughter so he could run for president.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:14 pmBuckley: McCain Is ‘A Bit Of A Girlie-Man’ On Torture
He’s just trying to catch-up to the rest of you on the whole “Girlie-Man” thing , Suckley ………
February 19th, 2008 at 4:15 pmThey don’t like McCain, Ron Paul or Huckabee, the only ones that even want the job !
February 19th, 2008 at 4:16 pmwhat a pack of sickies
it’s like overhearing a conversation between serial killers, as they parse the finer points of their abominable profession
and these “people” are held forth as authorities, elected to public office, and remunerated generously for their “contributions”???
they should be called “Caligulites”, not “conservatives”
February 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pmName that Maverick:
-McChange
-McBomb
-McGirlie
…take your pick, you could win up to a 100 years in Iraq!
February 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pmthey should be called “Caligulitesâ€, not “conservativesâ€
Comment by tombaker — February 19, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
A fine idea, tombaker. Caligulites they shall be. :-)
February 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pmChristopher Buckley is a satarist folks. His op-ed was an exercise in tongue in cheek and the so-called “conservatives” were the target.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:18 pmCaption Contest: Nutritionists urge Senator McCain to add more fiber to his diet.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:19 pmChristopher Buckley is a satarist folks. His op-ed was an exercise in tongue in cheek and the so-called “conservatives†were the target.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — February 19, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
He’s no Art Buchwald.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:21 pmBumper sticker: “Real men don’t torture”
February 19th, 2008 at 4:24 pmChristopher Buckley is a satarist folks. His op-ed was an exercise in tongue in cheek and the so-called “conservatives†were the target.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — February 19, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Yes, that’s fairly obvious. I think that Chris meant that it’s the “macho, red-meat, conservative chest-thumpers” that see McCain as a girlie-man — not Christopher Buckley himself.
With this in mind, perhaps McCain should campaign wearing an animal skin and carrying a club if he wishes to pander to this particular voter segment.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:27 pmYes, missmolly. He needs to drag his knuckles along the ground too.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pmWith this in mind, perhaps McCain should campaign wearing an animal skin and carrying a club if he wishes to pander to this particular voter segment.
Comment by missmolly — February 19, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
But then he’d alienate the segment of his voting bloc that believes the Earth is 6,000 years old and thus never had club-carrying animal-skin-weaing cro-magnons.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm“Despite his reputation as a maverick, McCain appears to be changing his position a lot lately in order to appease the right wing.”
——————————————–
A tactical error on his part. If McCain had just kept to the positions he personally felt were the right ones (you know, the ones that got him this far), he would still coast to the GOP nomination AND keep the support of those who put him there when it comes to November. The far right would still vote for him — does anyone really think they would vote for Obama or Hillary?
Now with his obvious pandering to the right by flip-flopping on his core issues and twisting himself into something unrecognizable and unattractive to everyone, he risks losing a lot of the middle who previously liked him. And they WILL vote Democratic in November if they feel they no longer can relate to McCain.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm“Bet I could make Buckley cry like a girlie-man in less than a minute”
My wife could do it in under 10 seconds, assuming Buckley was still conscious.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:34 pmBuckley: McCain Is ‘A Bit Of A Girlie-Man’ On Torture
Wasn’t it a troll on the Jason Bartlett thread who said:
Why are you Lefties so obsessed with peoples sexual preferences…
Can’t you get past it?
Now, calling someone a “girlie-man” isn’t overtly questioning one’s sexual identity, but it’s at most a half-step away. Seems like Christopher Buckley is calling out the entire far-right wing of the Party for the very things that Chuckles Napier accused “Lefties” of.
Kind of funny.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:34 pmVote for Ugg 08!
February 19th, 2008 at 4:35 pmMy wife could do it in under 10 seconds, assuming Buckley was still conscious.
Comment by VerbalKint
LOL !!!
February 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pmThis commenter appreciates the hard work the TP staff has done to expose how the right Raising McCain. The classic neocons want a red meat eating conservative at the helm, and TP will add to their stellar list of credentials by preventing that. The voters will spare the country of a four-year anger management problem by making short work of McCain.
McCain, you can save a lot of money by getting off the campaign trail and getting a head start on that concession speech. You may even receive a book deal for your loss, who knows.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pmmissmolly — February 19, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I was trying to think how to best put that in words, but then you came
along & ‘you took the words right out of my mouth’, missmolly, thanks.
McCain is becoming McCrazy, trying to be all things to all Cons. This should get interesting. One caveat buried in all of this is that Rush, Insannity & Savage’s rating should fall like a cheap hooker at the RNC convention. They can’t get behind McCain, even though he’s as old as their hero, Reagan.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:38 pmMcCombover?
February 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pmMcCain is a whore of the worst kind.
At least real sex workers are honest about what *they’re* selling.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pmCaption contest
“The Republican Race Offers Diversity: McCain Has 150 Signature Facial Expressions”
February 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pmNow with his obvious pandering to the right by flip-flopping on his core issues and twisting himself into something unrecognizable and unattractive to everyone, he risks losing a lot of the middle who previously liked him. And they WILL vote Democratic in November if they feel they no longer can relate to McCain.
Comment by missmolly — February 19, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
It makes me wonder if the Republicans are taking some cues from the Ba’ath party playbook. They know they’ve got a whelk’s chance in a supernova of winning this election already, so they’re making sure McCain alienates the independents and loses badly. Then in the first few months of the Obama Administration we’ll see a series of major economic and security catastrophes that derail the country and set up a Republican takeover.
Again.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:44 pmAt least real sex workers are honest about what *they’re* selling.
Comment by Leftside Annie — February 19, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
And Republicans forget to shred their receipts…
February 19th, 2008 at 4:46 pmWhat I hate most about these kinds of comments is myself. See, when I read that because I don’t want to apply useless and painful, possibly fatal interrogative techniques on people that I’m a “girlie-man” I just want to find the person who said it and punch the sh!t out of them. And I haven’t been in a fight in my adult life.
Idiots. Stop provoking me with your idiocy! Now!
Is it November yet?
February 19th, 2008 at 4:46 pmWay to go, Buckley. Attack McCain’s masculinity. And I guess HRC is everyman’s manly woman to you, eh? Wonder how you’ll react to that being Madam President HRC. ;)
*shakes head*
February 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pmPost number 17 is, simply, the best.
Scroll up if you missed it.
Go on. Go look. :)
February 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pmHere’s the frickin’ irony of the whole thing. We spend more on defense than the entire world combined. And yet we cower in fear over some tribesmen in a cave in Afghanistan! We have the mightiest army ever assembled on Earth, but the more we spend on defense, the less secure we seem to be. And the more this madness goes on, the less free we are as a people. And yet, all the “red-meat” conservatives want is more of the same! This is insanity.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:55 pmCaption:
February 19th, 2008 at 4:57 pm‘I’ve been constipated since Lieberman…umm, well…’
And yet, all the “red-meat†conservatives want is more of the same! This is insanity.
Comment by NCBlueneck — February 19, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
And red meat will kill more Americans than all the terrorists in all the countries of the world combined.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:04 pmThen in the first few months of the Obama Administration we’ll see a series of major economic and security catastrophes that derail the country and set up a Republican takeover.
Again.
Comment by toasterhead — February 19, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
Exactly. Even though Jimmy Carter is an honest and honorable man, and has elevated the position of “ex-president” to new heights, his presidency was a disaster because of the catastrophes that took place during it.
Which is why it’s not only important to recapture the White House in 2008, but our leader must exhibit Rooseveltian leadership to combat the smear machine and the engineered disasters that will surely occur.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pmBuckley is trying to link ‘torture’ to politcal ideologies.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:18 pmSince when torture is part of Conservatism…Since when torture is part of any political ideology…
Torture is found only in Fascists dictionary.
Caption: “Oops, I think I skipped a nougat into my Mcvitters”
February 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pmMcJowls was against torture before he was for it.
Is that any way to talk about a flip-flopping girlie-man?
sarc.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:55 pmActually, in context, I believe that Buckley is not actually calling McCain a “girlie man” so much as mocking those on the right who would suggest as much. Sure, you can point out that McCain’s no maverick, but I think going after Buckley on this one actually embarrasses ThinkProgress.
February 19th, 2008 at 6:07 pmYowza!
February 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pmIn related news, Niles Crane called Russell Crow a ludicrous popinjay.
Tarazan,
It’s actually not Buckley who has tied conservatives to torture, but conservatives themselves. Consider this bit from National Review editor Kathryn Lopez, from early January:
Get it? To be one of them–i.e., a Republican and a conservative–McCain would have to support corporate buyouts of elections, crippling tax cuts and torture techniques for which we prosecuted our WWII enemies.
Sadly, McCain, who was mostly one of them for years, is working during his current, sad campaign to perfect his themness.
February 19th, 2008 at 6:16 pmSo if Nancy Pelosi is the badass killing machine Mr. Beck believes her to be is she a “boyie woman”?
February 19th, 2008 at 6:42 pmYeah, torture makes you a tough guy.
John Dean hit the nail on the head (I guess that’d be a fingernail) in “Conservatives Without Conscience.” Besides, torture rarely produces good information. I know I’d say anything to stop someone from pulling out my nails.
It seems like the sons of accomplished men, like Irving Kristol, George HW Bush, and William F Buckley, never seem to live up to papa. This may be “regression to the mean”–the fact that children of geniuses aren’t likely to be geniuses, but may be smarter than average bear. They “regress towards the mean,” which in all 3 cases above, includes being some mean suns of b___hs.
http://newsprism.wordpress.com
February 19th, 2008 at 6:59 pmdictatortot,
Again, I believe Buckley’s statement is mocking those who complain about McCain’s positions and, for the record, the man is a very well-respected writer and nothing like Bill Kristol, Dubya, John Podhoretz or any of the other mutated offspring of conservatism.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:41 pm.
So,
Torture makes the man?
.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:35 pmMcCain is just another IDIOT-IN-CHIEF wannabe!
February 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pmAS a Vietnam War vet who was exposed to many casulties I treated as a Navy Corspman with the 3rd Marine Division at KheSahn and other areas of the I Corps, I was diagnosed and have received extensive expert treatment from the VA over the years. I am sure that having undergone the trauma of being shot down and then being a prisoner of war and tortured, the Senator has also brought home the mental scars of that sad war. I can tell you that while PTSD does not make me or McCain crazy, some of the lifelong problems including war rage, are only too typical, and quite dangerous, particularly in a man who might be the Commander in Chief.
While it is possible that McCain has fully healed, I seriously doubt he is mentally prepared to deal with the stress of the office without possibly becoming unstable and dangerous. There may also be the additional problem of McCain wishing to “right” the great wrong he may feel was done when we “abandoned” the Vietnam war, and this might lead him to try to play havoc in Iraq and Iran, where he may feel he can “win” the war by NEVER leaving and expanding it (to Iran/North Vietnam). He can “finish” the job he left undone when he was captured, imprisoned and sent home only after the U.S. had stopped its incursion/invasion of Vietnam.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:32 pmChristopher Buckley is a satarist folks. His op-ed was an exercise in tongue in cheek and the so-called “conservatives†were the target.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — February 19, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Yes, that’s fairly obvious. I think that Chris meant that it’s the “macho, red-meat, conservative chest-thumpers” that see McCain as a girlie-man — not Christopher Buckley himself.
With this in mind, perhaps McCain should campaign wearing an animal skin and carrying a asus m3 battery,asus m3n battery club if he wishes to pander to this particular voter segment.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:53 am