McCain Visits Iraq, Good Idea?

It was announced this morning that Senator John McCain along with Senator's Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham have made a secret visit to Iraq. Some Democrats are angry that John McCain is using his position as a US Senator to make a taxpayer paid campaign stop in Iraq which will promote and help his presidential campaign. On this one issue I tend to agree with the Democrats because in addition to John McCain's trip to Iraq, he intends to make a stop – on the way home – in the UK where he will hold a political fund raiser.

To me, Senator McCain's taxpayer paid trip to Iraq is just another example of how he talks a good game when it comes to issues like campaign finance reform for everyone else and then exempts himself from those same rules. In the same way Governor Eliot Spitzer talked a good game when it came to enforcing the laws of the land on others while at the same time believing that he did not have to follow the same rules as everyone else. Politicians learn early how to talk out of both sides of their mouth while at the same time creating a standard where they do not have to follow the same rules/laws as everyone else.

I believe today's trip to Iraq by GOP presidential nominee John McCain will come back to haunt the Arizona Senator, especially when most Americans find out he is holding a fund raiser in the UK on his return trip back to the United States. In the end, John McCain's campaign will refund the cost of the last leg of his trip back to the US government, but that too will be turned into a huge joke. Unless I am mistaken, John McCain's campaign will not be forced to return the actual cost of his trip back to the US from the UK, but instead his campaign will only be required to refund what it would have cost McCain to travel back from the UK as a first class ticket holder on a passenger flight.

While John McCain's resume is filled patriotism and government service, I have believe for years that Senator McCain lives in a world of double standards. One set of standards is applied to the rest of us and the other set for Members of Congress and other government officials. It is important to remember that Senator McCain traveled to Iraq not on a commercial aircraft, but on a government plane. There were most likely other aides and members of the US Secret Service that also went along with McCain since he has already won the GOP nomination for President. McCain's trip to Iraq is costing taxpayers a great deal of money which his campaign will only refund back to the government in pennies on the dollar.

March 16, 2008 Archives