The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune. I thought it was
interesting, in part because the Trib is usually pretty Republican in its
editorials.
Anny
McCain finds his own radical friend
Steve Chapman
May 4, 2008
Can a presidential candidate justify a long and friendly relation****p with
someone who, back in the 1970s, extolled violence and committed crimes in
the name of a radical ideology-and who has never shown remorse or admitted
error? When the candidate in question is Barack Obama, John McCain says
no.
But when the candidate in question is John McCain, he's not so sure.
Obama has been justly criticized for his ties to former Weather
Underground
member Bill Ayers, who in 1995 hosted a campaign event for Obama and in
2001
gave him a $200 contribution. The two have also served together on the
board
of a foundation. When their connection became known, McCain minced no
words:
"I think not only a repudiation but an apology for ever having anything to
do with an unrepentant terrorist is due the American people."
What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers-in the form
of
G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more
than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That
was
just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White
House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain
has embraced him.
How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers
appear
to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the
years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the
senator's campaigns-including $1,000 this year.
Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old
friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your
family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your
program,
Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the
principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."
Which principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to
break into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs
and
photograph do***ents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war
activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National
Convention?
The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an
unfriendly newspaper columnist?
Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American
history-and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he
has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a
prisoner of war."
All this may sound like ancient history. But it's from the same era as the
bombings Ayers helped carry out as a member of the Weather Underground.
And
Liddy's penchant for extreme solutions has not abated.
In 1994, after the disastrous federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound
in Waco, Texas, he gave some advice to his listeners: "Now if the Bureau
of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing
arms,
resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing
bulletproof vests. . . . Kill the sons of *****es."
He later backed off, saying he meant merely that people should defend
themselves if federal agents came with guns blazing. But his amended
guidance was not exactly conciliatory: Liddy also said he should have
recommended shots to the groin instead of the head. If that wasn't enough
to
inflame any nut cases, he mentioned labeling targets "Bill" and "Hillary"
when he practiced shooting.
Given Liddy's record, it's hard to see why McCain would touch him with a
10-foot pole. On the contrary, he should be returning his donations and
shunning his show. Yet the senator shows no qualms about associating with
Liddy-or celebrating his service to their common cause.
How does McCain explain his howling hypocrisy on the subject? He doesn't.
I
made repeated inquiries to his campaign aides, which they refused to
acknowledge, much less answer. On this topic, the pilot of the Straight
Talk
Express would rather stay parked in the garage.
That's an odd policy for someone who is so forthright about his rival's
responsibility. McCain thinks Obama should apologize for associating with
a
criminal extremist. To which Obama might reply: After you.
Steve Chapman is a member of the Tribune's editorial board. E-mail:
schapman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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