Once upon a time, Senator John McCain was viewed as being one of the more independent-minded Senators, perhaps a smarter and more reasonable alternative to the kind of stupidity and corruption of George Bush and most of the Republican Party (Tom DeLay, Randy Cunningham, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff, Conrad Burns, etc.).

But perhaps we need to consider very closely just what McCain has been doing during Bush's Presidency.

Let's look at how McCain votes.

John McCain is anti-Veteran, ironically, receiving a D rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a zero rating from The Retired Enlisted Association and in 2005 and 2006 he received 25% or below from the Disabled American Veterans.

John McCain has been one of the most anti-choice Senators, receiving zero ratings from Planned Parenthood and NARAL.

John McCain has been anti-farmer, receiving 25% or lower from the National Farmers Union.

John McCain has been weak to terrible on protecting the civil rights of Americans, receiving from 0 to 33% from the American Civil Liberties Union.

John McCain consistently receives less than 25% from the NAACP and less than 20% from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

John McCain is consistently anti-labor, receiveing abyssmal to at best mediocre ratings from just about every union.

John McCain received a zero rating from the Parkinsons Action Network.

About the only areas where McCain doesn't seem to be substantially in lock step with the corrupt and failed policies of the Bush administration are gun issues and the environment. He is merely mediocre on environmental issues rather than abyssmal, and somehow McCain manages to get low ratings from BOTH pro-gun groups like the NRA and from gun control groups like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. I guess his stand on guns satisfies no one.

But Bush and McCain are tied together by more than just common views on most legislation. Remember that while this was happening to New Orleans:

This is what Bush and McCain were doing:

And McCain ORIGINATED the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation plan for the Iraq quagmire which will generat a surge in these:

and these: (from the New England Journal of Medicine via The Memory Hole)

(and in this context remember once again the abyssmal ratings McCain receives from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, The Retired Enlisted Association and the Disabled American Veterans).

So, anti-Veteran, anti-Choice, anti-Civil Liberties, anti-farmer, anti-labor but sharing Bush's disregard for New Orleans and and Bush's willingness to sacrifice American soldiers for Halliburton and Exxon/Mobil profits. Is this really the man we want for President?

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