John McCain - Sellout by ROBERT ZIMMER, JR. Tuesday, May 9, 2000 LOS ANGELES, CA. It was with disgust that I met this morning's news -- John McCain has endorsed George W. Bush for president. "We are in agreement on more issues than we are in disagreement," McCain said. This smacks a bit too much of the old "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" game. Stalin comes to mind, a former ally of Adolf Hitler, with whom the United States formed an uneasy alliance when Hitler turned on the Soviet Union. We all know what happened with our good friends the Soviets once World War II came to an end. It's tragi-comic watching the Republican Party try to cull together a unified front from all their fractious divisions. I can just see Heinrich Himmler, circa 1943, putting his arm around a Jewish pal, saying "We are in agreement on more issues than we are in disagreement." Can you imagine Pat Robertson, John McCain, and a Log Cabin Republican sharing the same stage at their convention? Politics is certainly about the art of compromise, but when compromise results in a common denominator of such meaningless banality as the Bush-McCain alliance, it lacks a fundamental moral gravity.

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Essentially, the truth behind the agree-more-than-we-disagree statement is that these two former bitter enemies would rather get into bed with one another than let Al Gore win. What's disappointing about this is that McCain has eviscerated the integrity of his own campaign, which was characterized by a commitment to what was right for the country, transcendent of party ideology. Advancing the cause of campaign finance reform to Republicans was like circling a stick in a hornet's nest, but McCain did it anyway because it was, and is, the right and good thing to do. McCain's economic plans were downright centrist, if not Clintonian, but now he folds in favor of Bush's ludicrous economic philosophy, which is the unrealistic last gasp of supply-siders. Bush played filthy dirty to beat McCain, cozying up to the sleaziest elements of the Republican party, and sparing no underhanded trick (including the infamous push-polling) to escape McCain's threat. Staggeringly ugly moments at Bob Jones University, and Bush's speech in which he impugned McCain's character and integrity as a war veteran, should have lost Bush all respect in McCain's eyes. But there the the unlikely duo were, smiling and yokeling in front of the cameras this morning. That moment was when I lost the enormous respect I once had for Mr. McCain (see A Democrat Falls In Love With McCain). If we give McCain the benefit of the doubt and assume he really does believe this choice is for the good of the country, then I offer this: What exactly are the Republicans running on? Their economic policy proposals are laughable, and even if they weren't, the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it maxim applies. The economy is the strongest it's been in decades. We don't need any changes there. Foreign policy? Do we think George Bush, an inexperienced puppet of the legions of isolationists who run the Republican Party, is going to advance a constructive, progressive vision of how America should interact with the rest of the planet? The only possible leg the Republicans have to stand on is the moral issue. Problem is, Americans have already clearly indicated they don't believe President Clinton's ethical lapses reflect poorly on his job performance. And as slick a politician as Al Gore is, he possesses none of the self-restraint flaws that his boss demonstrated -- he represents his administration's policies well, without the stench of the character weaknesses. So I wonder aloud, Mr. McCain: Why have you sold out like this? If you truly wanted what was best for the country, you would either support Al Gore, or you would run as a third-party candidate and advance your own strong anti-establishment views. Instead, you have chosen the path of least dignity, and flung yourself into the cesspool that Mr. Bush blithely inhabits. His candidacy is neither relevant nor reformist; in fact, it represents the most entrenched elements of the status quo, who have tried to repackage themselves using the GWB's amiable facade. Any chance the Bush campaign had of being revolutionary disintegrated the moment McCain meekly bowed to the Republican machine. He agreed to endorse Bush without even forcing any changes in the party, which he easily could have done. McCain had amassed considerable political leverage, but in one fell swoop this morning, he pissed it all away. What a very tragic choice for a man who distinguished himself in service to his country in Vietnam, standing by his principles almost unto death. The giant sucking sound heard this morning at the press conference - that was those principles evaporating into thin air. Mr. McCain, you've let your supporters down -- indeed, you've let down the entire country. ROBERT ZIMMER, Jr., IS A FILM AND TELEVISION WRITER LIVING IN LOS ANGELES. HE WILL NOW BEGRUDGINGLY VOTE FOR AL GORE.

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