Sen. John McCain was certainly not a man above reproach.
The storied, Republican Arizona lawmaker who passed away on Saturday leaves a long legacy filled with heroism, courage, and decency. At the same time, many of his critics believe he leaved a legacy of bigotry and racism, and he is not worthy of the posthumous praise.
Those critics tend to point to one particular moment during the 2008 presidential campaign, in Lakeville, Minn. One town hall questioner posited that then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama was “an Arab” or a Muslim.
“I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him, and he’s not, um, he’s an Arab,” one woman said to McCain, prompting him to shake his head and grab the microphone from her hands.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that just I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what the campaign’s all about. He’s not.”
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell went on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and challenged members of his own party for the insinuation that Obama might be a Muslim and therefore associated with terrorists.
“The correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian,” Powell said. “But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?”
Journalist Mehdi Hasan, who has been vocal in his criticism of McCain particularly after the announcement that he would discontinue medical treatment for his glioblastoma and then death, took to Twitter to bring up his confusion over this McCain moment.
I have *never* understood the popularity of this particular McCain clip – the woman says she can’t trust Obama because he’s ‘an Arab’ and McCain says ‘No ma’am he’s a decent family man, citizen’.
Yeah, because of course *an Arab* can’t be decent or honest or a family man, right? https://t.co/18qW4oFL38
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) August 25, 2018
If we’re to overanalyze McCain’s comments, then we’d probably come to the conclusion that the idea of being an “Arab” (or “Muslim” for that matter) is at odds with being “trustworthy” and “a decent family man.”
But that’s not the best way to read his words. In a tense election cycle, words can be spun to paint someone as something they’re not. McCain’s intent was not to rebuke racism with his own version of racism, but to denounce racist rhetoric surrounding his presidential campaign entirely.
In the heat of the moment, it seems McCain was arguing not necessarily with the factual assertion that Obama was an Arab or a Muslim, but with the sentiment behind the statement: “I can’t trust him.” He knew the idea that Obama was secretly Muslim was an idea grounded in racism, and he would not let the character attack or the racism define his campaign or the Republican party.
His continued defense and praise of Obama at the Al Smith dinner, days later from that Lakeville town hall, more suitably exemplifies his demeanor towards the racist elements of his party.
“It’s not for nothing that he has inspired so many folks in his own party and beyond,” McCain said. “Sen. Obama talks about making history and he has made quite a bit of it already. There was a time when the mere invitation of an African-American citizen to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many corridors. Today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time, and good riddance. I can’t wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well.”
McCain may not have been a great politician, but he was certainly a better human being.
