John McCain: One of the Few Remaining Patriotic Republicans

We hear bluster - and lies - from Congressional Republicans all the time when it comes to pretending to be patriotic Americans.  We hear incessant whining about "supporting our troops" even as funds to veterans and the military are either cut or squandered.  Sadly, when push comes to shove, these false patriots put their political party and their own ambitions ahead of the the country and the best interest of all of America's citizens.  Now, with the specter of possible treason by Der Trumpenführer and some of his minions, the true level of contempt for the U.S. Constitution and the interests of the country is on high display.  With few exceptions, Congressional Republics seem to be doing all that they can to ignore or, worse yet, cover up for possible crimes by the occupant of the White House.  One of the few exceptions is John McCain who may yet redeem himself for having selected Sarah Palin, "Idiot of the North", for his VP running mate.  The Washington Post looks at McCain's trashing of Trump without having ever said his name.  Here are highlights:

John McCain is increasingly mad as hell about President Trump. And on Friday, he went after Trump — hard.

During a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the Republican senator from Arizona delivered a pointed and striking point-by-point takedown of Trump's worldview and brand of nationalism. McCain didn't mention Trump's name once, but he didn't have to.

And even considering the two men's up-and-down history and the terrible things Trump has said about McCain, it was a striking display from a senior leader of a party when it comes to a president of the same party.

In his speech, McCain suggested the Western world is uniquely imperiled this year — even more so than when Barack Obama was president — and proceeded to question whether it will even survive.

“In recent years, this question would invite accusations of hyperbole and alarmism; not this year,” McCain said. “If ever there were a time to treat this question with a deadly seriousness, it is now.”

In case there was any doubt that this was about Trump. Here's what followed:

·        "[The founders of the Munich conference] would be alarmed by an increasing turn away from universal values and toward old ties of blood and race and sectarianism.”
·        “They would be alarmed by the hardening resentment we see towards immigrants and refugees and minority groups -- especially Muslims.”
·        “They would be alarmed by the growing inability -- and even unwillingness -- to separate truth from lies.”
·        "They would be alarmed that more and more of our fellow citizens seem to be flirting with authoritarianism and romanticizing it as our moral equivalent."

McCain continued: “But what would alarm them most, I think, is a sense that many of our peoples, including in my own country, are giving up on the West, that they see it as a bad deal that we may be better off without, and that while Western nations still have the power to maintain our world order, it's unclear whether we have the will.”

Then McCain invoked some of those close to Trump and emphasized that his message won't square with theirs:

I know there is profound concern across Europe and the world that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders who cared enough to travel here to Munich this weekend. That's not the message you heard today from Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. . . . 

McCain then concluded with another direct shot at Trump.

“I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries,” he said. “I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?

McCain didn't fight back when Trump questioned his war-hero status long ago — perhaps because both men were trying to win elections — but the battle between McCain and the White House is picking up steam.

And on Friday, McCain traveled across the Atlantic to deliver a calculated, planned attack on Trump's entire system of beliefs.

We need an independent investigation of Trump ties to Russia and a thorough review of his tax returns and business dealings.  If that happens, I suspect that Trump will end up impeached or jailed for treason.  Frankly, nothing is more delicious than the thought of Trump spending his remaining days in a maximum security prison.