Meghan's Father

John McCain is a hero; a national treasure. He is also a stumblebum who lost his quest for the presidency either deliberately or for sheer lack of nerve. We all knew of McCain’s political prowess; his quickness to anger; his wit and ability to engineer the always effective sound bite size put-down. We waited breathlessly for him to do his stuff during the candidates’ numerous pre-election debates.

It never materialized. In fact, it appeared, he deliberately sidestepped every grapefruit size opportunity to hit it out of the park. In the end, all we could do is feel sorry for him and rationalize that he had been in some way fundamentally damaged while serving his country in a Hanoi prison. Now it is commonly heard that things would be much worse if McCain had been elected.

Republicans have come to know McCain, as a has-been pol, well past his prime. Blind to the dangers his nation is facing, he remains alert for every opportunity to undermine his own party. While the national press adores him, no Republican is fooled anymore. Not even in his own state will grant him another term. If he stays in the spotlight, it’ll be Democrats who will shine it. It is they who owe him big time.

Today’s performance only serves to bolster the indictment against him. It proves that he still has what it takes; that he drew back inexplicably and deliberately withheld the winning hand when it counted most.