Straight Talk Express?

When the United States struggled to respond to Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous flooding of New Orleans in August 2005, John McCain backed the Bush administration’s actions. He urged people to avoid “premature judgments” in that chaotic time. Now, struggling to remain in the public eye as presidential politics swirl around Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, McCain has conveniently condemned President Bush’s handling of Katrina, contradicting his campaign message of “straight talk.”

Campaigning as a candidate unafraid to speak the truth, with a campaign bus called the “Straight Talk Express,” McCain has appeared several times on television, including Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” to stress his honesty and dedication to sticking to his principles. In criticizing Bush about Katrina, however, McCain has recently shifted away from this straight talk, embracing the endorsement from his former enemy, Bush, last month. McCain seemed willing to forget the bitter and personal struggle he lost to Bush for the Republican nomination in 2000, saying, “I hope that he will campaign for me as much as is in keeping with his busy schedule.” While this remark does not show any false fondness from McCain towards Bush, it still reflects a tacit acceptance of Bush’s support, a surprising action from such a “straight talker.” In his efforts to gain the presidency, McCain has thus been conscious of the support some Republican voters still give to the president; he has been unwilling to distance himself completely by rejecting Bush’s endorsement on principle. Instead, he thanked the president, saying, “I appreciate his service to our country.”

Speaking at Xavier University in New Orleans last week, McCain blasted the local, state, and federal governments for their response to Katrina. The senator who had warned about “premature judgments” apparently decided that less than three years is enough time to emphatically pass judgment. McCain claimed at Xavier, “We know we didn’t have the right kind of leadership” and went on to criticize President Bush’s personal actions following the disaster. Whereas in his role as a senior senator McCain had been reconciliatory and slow to attack other politicians, as a presidential candidate the rules seem to have changed. McCain now seems to believe that his straight talk refers more to the conviction of what he says at one time than to the consistency of his remarks. When in Washington, D.C., he can speak against only some Bush administration actions; when in New Orleans, he can openly attack Bush himself for a delayed response to Katrina.

It is true that McCain has assailed some actions taken by the Bush administration in responding to Katrina since August 2005. For example, in a May 2007 speech he compared FEMA’s inefficient Katrina response to the precision of private shipping firms like UPS and FedEx. He said, “U.P.S., FedEx and Wal-Mart can tell in real time where a package is anywhere in the world, but FEMA, despite its multibillion-dollar budget, couldn’t track many of its assets during its Katrina response…” Similarly, when Congress gathered to assess the costs of Katrina in October 2005, McCain was quick to cut budget spending to accommodate the billions of dollars required for emergency relief efforts. He was constructive and supportive of the Bush administration, but notably did not attempt to raise more funds at the time. Both instances show that while McCain has not openly criticized President Bush as a leader until now, he has also not fully supported the Bush administration response to Katrina.

Part of McCain’s appeal in 2000, and again in 2008, has been his frank, independent nature. McCain has built up a respected and honest career doing what he thinks is right and not worrying about how his actions might upset party leaders and the political hierarchy in Washington. McCain has come too far to abandon these character traits for a few more votes in the presidential campaign. Attacking Bush about Katrina might appeal to embittered or neglected citizens and students in New Orleans, but it is not worth sacrificing integrity.

McCain’s task of keeping Republican core voters and party leaders satisfied while attempting to appeal to more moderate or independent voters requires a difficult juggling act. He needs to be more aware of the potential consequences of any step taken in either direction. His remarks against Bush at Xavier would have been consistent with his platform if he had not dutifully accepted Bush’s support and praised him a month earlier. Perhaps some Republican voters would have been similarly offended if McCain had more openly deflected Bush’s support.

By accepting Bush’s endorsement, McCain made a choice to stand together with the Bush administration. Attacking it now might seem like an easy way to stir up votes among those dissatisfied with Bush’s response post-Katrina, especially from those whose lives are still defined by the Katrina disaster. Yet just as McCain once called for circumspection in evaluating the government’s role in the aftermath of Katrina, he should call for circumspection again, this time from himself. Taking a step back from the campaign trail, McCain should recognize that his integrity and straight-talking reputation is worth more than a few cheap votes.

Alexander R. Konrad ’11, a Crimson editorial comper, lives in Holworthy Hall.