[jcblitz]

Originally Posted by CBRBob

Hey, pick someone who has basically ZERO experience at the job or someone who has been there-done that. Easy enough?

Yup, been there done that. Most of this is hyperbolic and I didn't verify any of it, but it just feels right and that's good enough for this thread. Actually, I did look into him finishing near the bottom of his class, 894/899. So yeah, he's been there.

Here's McCain's past in a nutshell:

* Grew up in a prominent rightwing Navy family and was indoctrinated in naval dominance of the globe
* Went to Annapolis and ranked at the very bottom of his class because he resented authority
* Went to Vietnam and crashed several planes
* Spent 6 years as a POW and "broke" under torture
* Came home and dumped the wife who raised his children while he was away and nursed him back to health on his return
* Married a much younger woman who was heir to a mobbed-up Budweiser fortune
* Worked in his in-laws' business traveling across Arizona building a base for his political career
* Used his in-laws' money to get elected to the House as an anti-abortion, "pro-family" candidate
* Worked his way up from the House to the Senate by being a loyal right-wing Republican
* As a Senator, got caught helping Charles Keating deregulate S&L's, which cost taxpayers $200 billion, and was censured by the Senate
* Promised never to do favors for lobbyists again
* Ran for President in 2000 as a reformer and won New Hampshire
* Got crushed in South Carolina after he called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance" and they fired back with a pro-Bush smear campaign that McCain had an "illegitimate black child" - actually a dark-skinned child (Bridget) adopted from impoverished Bangladesh. Nevertheless, McCain enthusiastically supported Bush both in 2000 and 2004.
* In 2001, he opposed Bush's $1.35 trillion tax giveaway to the rich, but changed his position during the 2007 campaign.
* In 2001, he was so opposed to Bush's far-right policies that he considered becoming a Democrat, but ultimately stayed a Republican and supported Bush's far-right policies
* In 2002, he was a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, spent far more time on TV than any other Senator, and wrongly predicted "victory" and "success" every step of the way
* In 2004, he betrayed his friend John Kerry by refusing to defend him against Swift Boat smears
* In 2007, when a supporter asked "How do we beat the bitch," referring to Sen. Hillary Clinton, McCain laughed and called it an "excellent question."
* In 2007, with the U.S. on the brink of attacking Iran, McCain joked by singing "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran."
* In 2008, when caught doing favors for lobbyist Vicki Iseman and her corporate clients, lied about his actions