Grappling with the complicated legacy of John McCain

But perhaps even more than his elevation of Palin, McCain’s stances on foreign policy helped pave the way for the electoral collapse of the country’s once vital center. McCain was a hawk for all seasons, consistently pushing the form of full-spectrum idealistic militarism that came to be associated with neoconservativism. Whatever the geopolitical problem, McCain was there (usually in the form of an op-ed co-authored with latter-day Trump toady Lindsey Graham) to place his moral authority and reputation behind a proposal to launch a barrage of bombs, and sometimes send ground troops as part of an invasion designed to overthrow tyranical governments, in the name of freedom and democracy.

The most notorious example, of course, was the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Like most members of both parties’ establishments, McCain strongly supported former President George W. Bush’s decision to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein without giving a concrete thought as to what would replace it. The United States — especially the members of armed forces that McCain revered so highly — and the entire Middle East have amply suffered the consequences of this recklessness.