McCain caves

From The Washington Post:

Congress approved landmark changes to the nation's system of interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects last night, preparing the ground for possible military trials for key al-Qaeda members under rules that critics say will draw stiff constitutional challenges.

The Senate joined the House in embracing President Bush's view that the battle against terrorism justifies the imposition of extraordinary limits on defendants' traditional rights in the courtroom. They include restrictions on a suspect's ability to challenge his detention, examine all evidence against him, and bar testimony allegedly acquired through coercion of witnesses.

The Senate's 65 to 34 vote marked a victory for Bush and fellow Republicans a month before the Nov. 7 elections as their party tries to make anti-terrorism a signature campaign issue. Underscoring that strategy, the House last night voted 232 to 191 to authorize Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, with GOP leaders hoping to add it to their list of accomplishments even though it has no chance of Senate passage before this weekend's scheduled adjournment. On the final wiretapping vote, 18 Democrats joined 214 Republicans to win passage. Thirteen Republicans, 177 Democrats and one independent voted nay.

I told you that the President would get what he wanted.

McCain is crazy, he is evil and he is a backstabber. He is willing to sacrifice the well being of the Republican Party and the Nation as a whole for his political ambitions, but he isn't stupid enough to continue a course of action when it becomes obvious that he is endangering not only his presidential hopes, but his chance of being reelected to the Senate.

Even if we assume that McCain's opposition to the legislation in question was based in genuine principal (that is if a creature like McCain can even have any principal other than greed for power) a thing like McCain will not allow principal to stand in the way of attaining his goal.

As for the other RINOs who were backing McCain's play - they are irrelevant. They have no independent will, having sold their souls to McCain years ago for whatever gain they imagine they will get when McCain gains the White House.