Going into his presidency, Donald Trump knew that discerning his allies from his foes would not be as simple as checking whether they had an R or a D in front of their name. Indeed, the swamp of Washington that Trump promised to drain runs deep, and is inhabited by politicians on both sides of the aisle. One such politician who has a long history of showing his true colors is Sen. John McCain.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, Sen. McCain made several pointed comments aimed at President Trump. Most notable among them was his insinuation that American leadership was better under President Obama than it is under President Trump.
After McCain had complained about the president’s critical comments on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s response to the terror attacks in London, the Guardian interviewer asked McCain if he felt international relations had been better under Obama. The senator’s response was, “As far as American leadership is concerned, yes.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time John McCain has proven himself to a Republican In Name Only (RINO). During the 2008 election, McCain was booed repeatedly at a GOP rally for praising Barrack Obama during his speech. Even at a time when McCain himself was running against Obama, he couldn’t resist singing the former president’s praises.
Now, even when given the gift of working with a conservative Republican administration as well as a Republican majority Congress, John McCain still continues to be critical of President Trump’s every action while seemingly missing the days when Obama was in the White House.
Of course, when it comes to proving himself much more of a liberal than he is a true conservative, a few negative comments about Trump and a few positive comments about Obama are the least of John McCain’s sins. The list of the senator’s actions and statements over the years that stand in complete defiance of conservative values and priorities is lengthy, but includes:
• Voting for and calling for open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens
• Being one of only two Republicans to oppose the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts
• Voicing his openness to increasing government regulation on the private sector
• Pushing for strict regulations on energy output
• Backing anti-gun legislation on numerous occasions
• Serving as the lead author of the McCain-Feingold bill, which was universally criticized by conservatives as being an unconstitutional violation of free speech that served only to favor incumbent politicians
• Opposing proposals to harness the United State’s natural resources by drilling for oil
• Supporting harmful regime change by being in favor of using military force to displace foreign dictators every time he was given the option
• Purposefully burying and discrediting credible information from Air Force Lieut. Gen. Eugene Tighe that suggested that hundreds of U.S. POWs were still being held captive in Vietnam after the Vietnam War had ended
Sadly, this list of John McCain’s many strikes is far from exhaustive, and it’s well known on Capitol Hill that Sen. McCain is one of the few “Republicans” that the Democrats always have a good chance of swaying on any given issue.
It comes as little surprise then that McCain would continue to be deeply critical of Donald Trump. Even after the primaries had ended and it was clear Trump would be the Republican nominee for president, McCain continued to speak out against him. Now, even after Trump has been elected and his administration tries to advance conservative priorities for the first time in eight years, McCain continues to prove himself to be much more of an enemy than an ally.
During a recent tour of Australia, McCain was quoted saying to an audience in Sydney, “I realize that some of President Trump’s actions and statements have unsettled America’s friends. They have unsettled many Americans as well.”
For conservatives in the United States who are thrilled to finally have an administration that is fighting for a true America First agenda, it is John McCain’s statements that are unsettling. Both in his actions and in his words, it is clear that Senator McCain is no friend of President Trump, and he’s no friend of American conservatives either.
~ Conservative Zone
