McCain & Kennedy

James Wolcott's Blog: A Tale of Two Pale Males: Wolcott's Blog: vanityfair.com: "A Tale of Two Pale Males

What a contrast on this Sunday's Press the Meat.* First, John McCain, that maverick twinkle in his nowhere to be spied as he monotoned through the interview as if depressed, defeated, and sedated; he seemed to round the answers off of every he answer he gave, as if not wanting to be too emphatic or specific--at this he succeeded and, in succeeding, failed. Even I, no McCain fan, was shocked at how droney he looked and sounded. If I were a McCain supporter, I would have been even more taken aback, and worried about how much gas he has left in his engine. (Although he wasn't too fatigued that he couldn't trot out that if-Americans-were-truly-against-the-war-Lieberman-wouldn't-have-been-reelected sophism again with full frontal aplomb. He and Lieberman seem to be on the verge of forming their own lonely hearts club.)

Then, after this zombie seance, Ted Kennedy, looking and sounding clear, vigorous, and vibrant with conviction. Barely a day goes by on Imus and the right blogosphere where Ted Kennedy isn't mocked as a boozed-out, unkempt buffoon with his shirt-tails untucked and his hands fumbling for a bottle or a babe, or both; but the caricature is out of date and dumb. In the last few years Kennedy has mustered a passion and dignity that have breathed second wind into his senatorial life and done himself and his party honor. He also had the conscience and prescience to vote against the Iraq war, voting the courage of his convictions rather than the political calculus. Discussing the "surge" and related issues, Kennedy was fully engaged, where McCain seemed mummified. Kennedy also asked the most salient question: Why should we give Bush, whose administration has made blunder after blunder after blunder in Iraq, the benefit of the doubt this time?..."