If Palin's Troopergate Sinks John "McNasty" McCain, I'll Cheer

The "Troopergate" results are in: A special prosecutor's investigation has concluded that Gov. Sarah Palin abused her executive power when she fired her public safety commissioner this year. I hope the finding makes people vote against John McCain to prevent Palin from being one geezer's heartbeat away from saying "you betcha, Joe Sixpack" at her swearing in as Vice President. I'm an Arizonan who has seen enough of John S. McCain III already.

Two incidents early in his career, one personal and one political, showed me a John McCain that is selfish, self-centered, vindictive, and willing to damage the people and the state he swore to serve to further his own ambitions and those of his cronies. I don't want a president like that.

First the personal: My great uncle was a Captain in the US Army in 1916-17, chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico with McCain's great uncle, Capt. William Alexander McCain. My dad served under McCain's grandfather, Captain John "Slew" McCain Sr., several times during WWII. Although never an officer, my dad had the Navy status that comes from being a Chief Petty Officer, excellent poker player, and medic. He could save your life one day and win your pay check the next, no matter what rank you held.

In Arizona in the 1980s, my parents were neither rich nor politically important, but they knew a lot of people who were. They often received extra tickets to gallery openings and charity events. While McCain was in the House of Representative, my dad and I were attending one of those high-society art things to raise money for something culturally uplifting. It's only memorable because McCain was inexcusably rude to my father.

Dad was chatting with Senator Barry Goldwater about a topic they had in common, their love for Arizona, for going anywhere that only a 4-wheel drive vehicle could take them. I was making appropriate "uh-huh" noises when McCain slithered over to us, oozing charm and sincerity with a pasted-on smile. Any friend of Barry's was potentially useful to John. After the introductions, when McCain discovered we were Joe Sixpacks, there as guests of my dad's wealthy Democrat boss, the charm vanished. He didn't want to hear what my dad knew about his great-uncle and his grandfather - the vaunted ancestors who led John S. McCain III to war hero fame - heck, he didn't even bother to leave a card for a later chat.

McCain anxiously peered over my dad's shoulder, desperately seeking someone more useful, more politically influential or richer and slithered off as soon as he spotted his next prospect. Barry looked embarrassed. My father's only comment - after we were safely out of Barry's hearing - was, "Pushy little bastard, isn't he? Not at all like Slew."

Now the political: In 1987, Arizona politics was a toxic waste dump. The man who might have been elected governor in 1986 got too confident, and was knocked out in the primary by auto dealer Evan Mecham (in his 5th or 6th try for the office). The Democrats had a vicious cat fight in their primary, and the sore loser ran as an independent, split the Democratic vote, and Mecham won with less than half the votes.

Within a year, Mecham simultaneously faced removal from office by impeachment, the recall election, and a felony indictment for fraud and perjury. Impeachment removed him and Arizona's Secretary of State, Rose Mofford, took over to finish the term. If there was ever a time to set aside political differences and let the state heal, this was it. The popular Mofford had no political aspirations beyond being a good caretaker.

Unfortunately, the McCain and friends were not content with getting Mecham out of office because Mofford was a Democrat. They were hoping the recall election could get a Republican into the governor's office so they filed a lawsuit to keep the recall election alive and get Mofford out as fast as possible.

While the lawsuit was pending, barely a week after her oath of office, Governor Mofford went to Washington D.C. to meet Arizona's representatives and senators, and to make what should have been token appearances in front of various committees of importance to Arizona. She didn't know that Arizona's brand-new Senator, John McCain, was setting her up to look stupid by feeding complex questions about a critical water project to a fellow Republican. He reportedly arranged for film to be used against her in the coming recall election.

>As described by the then publisher of The Arizona Republic, Pat Murphy, and also reported by Amy Silverman of the Phoenix New Times, "During lunch, McCain said, almost with mischievous glee, that he had slipped some highly technical questions to [the committee] to ask Mofford - questions she wouldn't be prepared to answer or expected to answer. Flabbergasted, I asked McCain why would he want to sabotage Mofford's testimony. His reply, as near as I remember, was, 'I'll embarrass a Democrat any time I get the chance.'

Karen Scates, an executive assistant to Mofford, bluntly said, "Senator McCain orchestrated a partisan, mean-spirited, and utterly inexcusable hearing designed to embarrass Governor Mofford."

That's the John McNasty McCain I know. He's a slithering toady if he thinks you might have power or money he can use to his advantage, and a opportunistic bastard who thought embarassing a Democrat was more important than the well-being of the state he supposedly represented.

James V. Grimaldi and Kimberly Kindy, Alaska Legislative Probe Finds Palin Misused Power, Washington Post, October 10, 2008

Governor Evan Mecham biography at Wikipedia

Governor Rose Mofford biography at Wikipedia

Amy Silverman, Postmodern John McCain: the presidential candidate some Arizonans know �â'¬" and loathe, Phoenix New Times, August 7, 2008

Pat Murphy, Idaho Mountain Express: John McCain's dark side fueled by obsessive ambitions, January 2000