McCain's Straight Lies

by Thomas Sowell - February 1st, 2008 - GOPUSA

We have been hearing for years that Senator John McCain gives "straight talk" and his bus has been endlessly referred to as the "straight talk express." But endless repetition does not make something true.

The fact that McCain makes short, blunt statements does not make him a straight-talker.

There are short, blunt lies -- and he told a big one on the eve of the Florida primary, when he claimed that Mitt Romney had advocated a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Even the Washington Post, which supports McCain, said that the Senator "has distorted the meaning" of what Governor Romney said, that Romney "has never proposed setting 'a date for withdrawal.'"

Just two weeks ago Thomas Sowell came out swinging against Hillary Clinton, and took a few swipes at conservatives who were disenchanted with the Republican candidates. Thomas Sowell is a conservative. He wants the most talented conservative we can get. He wants someone who supports conservative principals to the greatest extent possible. He does not want conservatives to give up. However he clearly is not enchanted with John McCain and hopes to influence conservatives to get busy and support someone else. The surprise in this is that he has never been political before. He has always dealt with issues and stayed independent. It was something he often repeated.

I was surprised when he got political enough to go after Hillary. To see him go to the GOP's own web site and attack the leading candidate is stunning. It seems clear the reason is much like the reason I am running for congress, something that seemed as unlikely as Thomas Sowell getting involved in politics only a couple of years ago. What has changed? A recent quote from Thomas Sowell explains it, "People like this are not to be trusted with the highest office in the land in an era when Iran is moving toward nuclear weapons that can easily be turned over to international terrorists."

This is the nuclear age. Asymmetrical warfare is not something to take lightly. The inability of Democrats to take seriously the consequences of losing to the Islamo-fascists is making a lot of us do things that would never have seemed possible before.