“Maverick” McCain should have led revolt against $700,000,000,000.00 bailout ripoff

Whatever chance McCain had of winning has been blown by him. He should have lived up to his self-applied “Maverick” moniker by leading the opposition to the $700,000,000,000.00 bailout of Wall Street crooks. Instead, he supported it, same as Obama.

If he had led the opposition, he now would be hailed as a true tribune of the people. He would be surging in the polls, surpassing Obama. Instead, here’s what he said in Des Moines after the bailout lost in the House, as posted on his Web site:

The plan is now significantly improved. We strengthened taxpayers’ protections and oversight, and the taxpayers were on the hook for less money up front. Don’t get me wrong – it isn’t perfect. And the fact that taxpayers could have to spend a single dollar to create stability in our economy is a decision that I do not take lightly.

I was hopeful that the improved rescue plan would have had the votes needed to pass because addressing a credit crisis is of vital importance to families, small businesses, and every working American who must be assured that their assets are safe and protected and that our economy will continue to function.

Today, I’ve spoken to the Federal Chairman Bernanke, Secretary Paulson, Congressional leaders and now it’s time for all members of Congress to go back to the drawing board.

I call on Congress to get back obviously immediately to address this crisis. Our leaders are expected to leave partisanship at the door and come to the table to solve our problems. Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame. It’s time to fix the problem.

I would hope that all our leaders, all of them, can put aside short-term political goals and do what’s in the best interest of the American people. Thank you.”

Blah, blah, blah.

He’s trying to have it both ways.  He’s helped the process that “strengthened taxpayers’ protections and oversight, and the taxpayers were on the hook for less money up front” — while also being responsible and selling out to Wall Street.

Some “Maverick.”

McCain: A Keating Five senator

All that does is remind us that he was one of the Keating Five senators who got us into a similar mess, the Savings and Loan Bailout, two decades ago. Here’s what Wikipedia says about that:

McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981,^[11] and McCain was the closest socially to Keating of the five senators.^[27] Like DeConcini, McCain considered Keating a constituent as he lived in Arizona.^[25] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.^[28] In addition, McCain’s wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating’s expense, sometimes aboard Keating’s jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating’s opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.^[7][29]

And people are reminded that McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, was a lobbyist for Freddie Mac, just bailed out by taxpayers.

Lost opportunities

McCain never is going to get a chance like this again to do an end run around Obama’s campaign. The economy is going to keep imploding, with the party in power in the White House — Bush, McCain, and the Republicans — getting the blame.  Obama is going to run with that right into the Oval Office.

With McCain on the wrong side, it was good old Ron Paul who led the revolt against the $700,000,000,000.00 heist. He’s not even running for president anymore, but Paul still has a great following, and was warning about this debacle years ago, as well as during the primaries in debates and in stump speeches.

McCain is no “Maverick,” just erratic.

McCain should quit the race and let the real Maverick, Ron Paul, take his place on the top of the Republican ticket.

Then we would see the Revolution we need.