Is this an attempt to suspend what should be inevitable questioning of Sarah Palin in non-controlled environments? Or as Keith Olbermann proposed, an attempt to cancel the Vice Presidential debate.
At the very least, John McCain is using this to put Barack Obama in a Catch-22. If Obama agrees to suspend his campaign like John McCain, he is a follower and McCain is the "leader" who did it first. If Obama disagrees and continues campaigning, he doesn't care about the economy.
Anyways, John McCain's history with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day might be common knowledge, or it may not be. He was against the national holiday for about 10 years, then changed his mind. Here is a nice history.
I personally find it interesting how someone's mind can work. In this case, where beliefs come from, how they are changed, and if changed, what remains of the initial belief? Whatever the reason that he was against it, he was still "against" it. Maybe some of them thought, "Well let's not just go handing out days to people"...I really doubt it was going to cause a flood of holiday proposals, like Mark Twain Day. And it didn't! Was it because Corporate America didn't want another national holiday? Even worse, because that means you aren't against honoring him, you just sold out. At the simplest level, someone being against a national holiday has no grasp on what King actually did and represented. Not the "I Have a Dream" synopsis, but the complete story and person.
Does being against Vietnam, or war in general, make someone unworthy of a national holiday? This is one of the reasons John McCain could have been against the holiday. It's not surprising that those in power would think that. I just always thought you were supposed to be against war. Aside from WWII, everyone's favorite argument for just-war, there hasn't been a war in American history that did not involve power and economic posturing as a top priority. When I was a kid, I asked my Dad, "Who won Vietnam?" My Dad said, "No one wins in war." So that's why I wonder, why would someone be so for war that they would take issue with someone being against war? Supporting war is easy, being against war is hard.
McCain says he regrets it and has changed. But can you hold someone accountable for the way their brains have been molded since birth? "Regret" is usually due to hasty actions that weren't thought out. You can regret doing something based on a set of beliefs. But just because you change your mind, should your previous actions be forgotten? Surely, there are remnants of that original thought process. You can join a cult and do crazy shit that you regret...but you still joined a cult and did crazy shit.
My personal illustration...
I used to love Bill Clinton. The guy couldn't do wrong. But even though I think he is still a personable, intelligent, and seemingly caring person...he was way beyond "business-friendly". NAFTA and deregulation under his Presidency have done much harm to America. He, and Alan Greenspan, both hold a share of the blame for our current economic crisis. And in concurrence with my argument, cheating on your wife also says something about you...even if you regret it. So with age, education, and objectivity, I learn that such blind adoration for someone is irresponsible and naive. But is that streak of adoration for likable people still in my brain? Am I predisposed to some form of idol worship? I do question everything, something everyone should do, but I know that I still have that capability in there somewhere. I think when the brain learns something new, it is built on top of the old. The old isn't demolished. It doesn't go away, but is a foundation for the new train of thought.
So on that note, does John McCain ever think, "You know, that holiday is some bullshit."?? It's possible.
[NOTE: I think this is the worst part of the story...and shows that his opposition wasn't so passive...
John McCain didn't just vote against the national holiday... The Governor of Arizona at the time passed the initial holiday proposal. When Evan Mecham came into office, the Republican successor, Mecham wanted to rescind the holiday. McCain initially supported that action. !!!! You don't want the holiday so bad, you are willing to get up off your ass and "CANCEL" it! As if there wasn't anything better to do?]
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